Picked up from cruise ship Serenissima's library in Venice a few springs ago when I had been cruising the Adrianic Sea. To my defence I say that it was at the end of the trip and the shelves were bursting with books passangers had bought along to read and were deserting as they were packing to return home. And I had already left several BC-books in the library as baits (never heard of them since), some older Donna Leons as well. This was brand new then, so I guess it must have been during spring 2014. I have not had "time" to read this before, but next month I'll be heading to Edinburgh and this is on the wishlist of rainbow3, so have to finally read it (during the past years I've mainly read promised tags). I do like Donna Leon's style and would some day like to spend a whole week in Venice, following Brunetti's footsteps (I even have a book about it, although the way she keeps publishing new stories my guidebook will be soon outdated!). So far I've been to Venice twice for brief visits.

It is no news to me that humans are cruel creatures. Perhaps not the most modern of plots, but we'll told anyhow.
So there actually was a ship called Serenissima other than the one I was cruising on...
I was staying in Prague during Easter, in a hotel where Kafka had worked for 14 years when the building housed an insurance company. There was a guest umbrella in every room, with a small verse about lost umbrellas by Kafka. Brunetti was also wondering about all the umbrellas he had lost over the years, so that's why I put this picture here.

Enjoy, rainbow3!

Thank you so much kirjakko a surprise Donn Leon, always a good read. Oh I’ve just realised that’s two books you’ve brought for me with EGG in the title, might there be any significance to this I wonder…
[Photo, the blue, Little Free Library in Edinburgh’s botanic gardens where we met kirjakko & exchanged books. Glass house in the background. OK if I could turn this pic right way round I would but it just won’t comply.]
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Cover: While making routine enquiries into a possible bribery case, Commissario Brunetti receives a call from his wife, Paola. The deaf-mute man who worked at the Brunettis’ dry cleaners has been found dead. An empty bottle of pills points to suicide, but Paola is unconvinced. To the neighbourhood he was the ‘boy’ who helped out, but nobody knew much about him – not even his name. That such a soul could have lived such a joyless and lonely life is too much for Paola to bear, and she begs her husband to do something, anything.

It is a surprise to Brunetti just how little was known about this man-child. His mother is angry and contradictory when questioned about his death, and Brunetti can find no official records to prove he even existed. With the help of Ispettore Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, the Commissario sets out to discover the truth in what rapidly becomes a dark and troubling case.

The Golden Egg is the eagerly anticipated twenty-second instalment in the internationally acclaimed, bestselling Commissario Brunetti series – and a captivating, harrowing and emotionally powerful crime thriller of the first order.

THE GOLDEN EGG (Brunetti #22) – DONNA LEON (2013) | ISBN: | Publisher: William Heinemann

From fantasticfiction.com “Donna Leon's Brunetti series … [have received] countless reviews praising her remarkable ability to keep the books fresh, the depths of feeling genuine. This story of a troubled life is undoubtedly one of her most touching, emotionally powerful books, a standout for the series.” Couldn’t have put it better, so have quoted that.

Meandering along vaguely as a never quite official investigation the central mystery here, the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man, are examined by Brunetti who is plagued by an itch of curiosity that just has to be scratched. Finishing on a devastating double twist this closes not with a bang but instead with a resounding silence leaving the reader chill. Brunetti’s led us gently to understand the fate that befell this young man, his questions indicate why the young man died and who caused his death but the knowledge brings only more distress. For of course as Brunetti has discerned the vile avarice displayed here is of course fated never to succeed in its aim. It has all been for nothing. It’s a deeply troubling and unsettling tale that haunts.

The Brunetti family story game foreshadows and contrasts with the reveal so poignantly it is breath-taking, as while the game is amusing nonsense the reveal is harrowing. The game is a quick-thinking exercise to create a story, by taking it in turns each of the family adds a sentence. Page 3. ‘For a moment, no one spoke as they all ran their way backwards through the dialogue and accompanying narrative to see if they fulfilled the family requirement for a story filled with cheap melodrama, cliché and outrageous characterisation.’

The reflections on life are just so rewarding it is always a pleasure to read Leon’s work and as a bonus I’ve worked out that chiavetta can mean key in Italian and is used here to mean flash drive. That could be useful to know?

My idea for a potential next reader floundered as Flutterbies9 already has a couple of copies of this. However, I get the chance to pass this straight on at a BookCrossing meeting on Sunday and if it is not picked up then I will be able to travel with it.
[Photo, Summer Seashore bookmarks I made & was handing out.]
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Hello book finder, if you aren't familiar with BookCrossing – WELCOME!

Feel free to keep this book it is yours to do with as you wish, read it, and pass it on. You can leave notes anonymously or if you journal this book as a member, you will hear from the book on its travels. If you do join you’re quoting BookCrosser – kirjakko – as your referrer would be very gratifying. Thank you and HAPPY READING!

Caught at Bookcrossing meetup. Thank you.

June 2017

I read this book while on holiday. I found it slow moving, unbelievable and indulgent. I've never been a big fan of these books and this is the last one I will ever read.
My bookcrossing collaborator, normally a Leon fan, did not enjoy it either.

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