Donna Leon, "An American in Venice"

Donna Leon (born 29 September 1942)

While I love mysteries, I adore the series written by Donna Leon, set in Venice and featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti (and the wonderful Paola--wife, mother, feminist, university professor, incredible cook).

Donna Leon

The first novel in the series, Death at La Fenice, was published in 1992, the most recent, the twenty-fourth in the series, Falling in Love, was published in April of 2015. (I just checked my Amazon account--I pre-ordered it on 23 November 2014!)

For many years, I would order the new Brunetti as soon as the new volume became available for purchase--it would arrive in March or April, but I wouldn't read it right away. Instead, I left it on my nightstand--it was there, waiting for me, and as soon as I turned in my spring semester grades every May, that was my treat.

This year, newly retired, I opened the book and sat down to read the very day it arrived. 

Don't wait another minute!!

Here's a link to Washington Post writer Bob Thompson's wonderful profile of Leon, "An American in Venice" (a phrase I've used in the title of today's post).

Update: The Waters of Eternal Youth was published in 2016, Earthly Remains in 2017, The Temptation of Forgiveness in 2018, Unto Us a Son is Given in 2019, Trace Elements in 2020, Transient Desires in 2021, Give unto Others in 2022, and So Shall You Reap in 2023.