In this, the 29th novel in the series, Guido follows a hunch that a motorcycle fatality was not the accident that it appeared to be. As is always the case, an exploration of some aspect of life in Venice is center stage. Here it is corruption, venality and pollution, specifically of the water supply, in the Veneto. Donna Leon has lived in and been writing about Venice for decades and presumably, knows the area as well as any American could. She charts the decline of life in Italy, a country haunted by indifference and corruption, and the slow-motion destruction, by rising seas and tourism, of the city she loves. I long ago concluded that writing was the one area of creativity not diminished by age. The author is approaching 80, but continues to crank out mini-masterpieces.
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