Earthly Remains (Commissario Guido Brunetti Series, Book #26)

Earthly Remains (Commissario Guido Brunetti Series, Book #26) by Donna Leon

At the start of Earthly Remains, Commissario Guido Brunetti, confronted once more by someone of privilege avoiding censure, loses patience at work and, in the aftermath, realizes that he needs a break and is granted leave from the questura. His wife, Paola, urges him to spend time at a villa on Sant'Erasmo, one of the largest islands in the lagoon, owned by a wealthy relative. There he passes his nights reading Pliny's Natural History and his days rowing with the villa's caretaker, Cavide Casati, trying to discover the reason his bee colonies in the laguna are suffering. The recuperative stay goes according to plan until Casati goes missing following a sudden storm. Compelled to investigate, Brunetti sets aside his leave of absence to understand what happened to the man who has become his friend and, in the process, dredges up dark memories of an accident and cover-up years before. Earthly Remains is quintessential Donna Leon, a powerful addition to this enduring series.

Grove Press, Softcover, 2018