ACQUA ALTA

This latest addition to the series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura takes place during Acqua Alta, the fall rainy season and hence flood season in Venice. The story concerns a brutal attack on Brett Lynch, an expert on Chinese antiquities and curator of an exposition that traveled to Venice and has now gone back to China. These are fine, thoughtful, and well-constructed mysteries, but the star in each book is the city itself. Charming, complex, and full of atmosphere, Venice shines through as one of the most fascinating metropolises on earth. Anna Fields is a pro; she glides through difficult foreign pronunciations and accents and keeps tension building nicely. Her eloquent reading helps to flesh out Brunetti as a contemplative and introspective student of the world, as well as a loving family man. D.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]