A Refiner’s Fire is the thirty-third book in the Commissario Brunetti series by award-winning American-born author, Donna Leon. Early spring in Venice, and the baby gangs are out and about. Mostly under prosecutable age, they gather in the late evening to fight, for no other reason, it seems, than to be able to boast about it. When two gangs choose Piazza San Marco just on the police change of shift, they are rounded up, their details recorded, and their parents summoned to collect them. When Orlando Monforte’s father is unreachable in the early hours, duty Commissario Claudia Griffoni offers to see him safely home, even offering the shivering boy her scarf and trying to save him embarrassment in front of his neighbours by not revealing herself as police, kindnesses that backfire on her. That same morning, Vice Questore Patta offers up Commissario Guido Brugnetti’s services to a new American resident to vet a facilitator recommended to help her deal with the copious paperwork involved in making her rental property habitable. A quick check confirms for Guido that retired Carabiniere Dario Monforte is the hero of an incident in Iraq that cost many Italian lives but, when he meets the man, something doesn’t sit quite right, and Guido resolves to get Signorina Elettra Zorzi to do some digging. One of the gang members, it turns out, is the grandson of retired Judge Alfonso Berti, and thus the airbrushing of the behaviour of the gang by the Gazzettino, a publication usually eager to sink its teeth into crime and shake it around until there was some blood on the walls, and the Vice Questore’s admonition to keep it quiet. While Elettra works her magic, Officer Dano Alvise, perhaps by dint of his own obvious curiosity in the lives and welfare of the people he speaks to, becomes an auditor to tales of human peculiarity and learns that not everyone is full of praise for the “convenient hero”. But it’s when a colleague whom Guido considers a friend is attacked, having already expressed his fear of a local gang member, that the Vice Questore uncharacteristically gives Guido full rein, even offering Elettra’s talents, and unfettered database access. Leon manages to convey her setting with consummate ease. She gives the reader a very appealing protagonist who readily admits his faults and failings and seems utterly devoid of arrogance. His inner monologue is often engaging, and his philosophical musings are insightful. Just one statement to Claudia demonstrates his attitude: “I’m not sure I really understand what makes us – men, almost always – put violence on the list of possible choices when we have to respond to something.” This is intelligent crime fiction at its finest. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Grove Atlantic

Venice, Italy, Italian-customs, law-enforcement, politics, murder-investigation, due-diligence, class-consciousness, secrets, lies, family, contemporary, gangs, justice, arms-trafficking, theft, procedural***** Another wonderful read with Brunetti and the Venice he loves. Never a disappointment but often difficult to condense for review. I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof from Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press via NetGalley. Thank you. Review Contains Spoilers: No # Tags: Famous Author, Whodunit?, Couldn't Put It Down

My time has flown since the first Brunetti novel hit the shelves, and now we have number 33 in this much loved and respected series. As always with a Brunetti novel you don't get an out and out crime novel, there is so much more which happens within the story, with multiple plotlines happening. In this Leon turns her eye to the 'baby gangs' which are plaguing Venice causing damage and injury to take place throughout the night, because the offenders are under 18 Brunetti and Griffoni find their hands tied as to what the police can actually do and Griffoni finds herself in a complicated situation. The father of one of the young boys has a past which Brunetti finds himself looking at with the ever present Signorina Elettra delving into the hidden depths of the state records. The Questura are shocked at an incident involving one of their own and Patta puts Brunetti in charge. This is not a typical crime read with a crime which needs solving, as with many of the Brunetti novels you don't always get the ending you are expecting. I always say this the Brunetti novels are the jewels in the crown of crime writing.

Book thirty three, in a series I feel I’ve been reading forever. The first book, featuring Venice based senior policeman Guido Brunetti, was published more than thirty years ago. The stories are as much about Venice and it’s unique culture as they are about a crime that challenges Guido in each episode. In actual fact, it’s sometimes rather difficult to spot the crime. In the course of this series, readers will have gotten to know Brunetti’s family and his colleagues pretty well; here, the focus falls significantly on Guido’s fellow Commissario, Claudia Griffoni. So-called baby gangs, groups of youths in their early teens, have been clashing in the city. In effect, rival gangs have been communicating online with a view to meeting for a mass punch-up. Nobody has gotten seriously injured – yet – but it’s tying up police resources and drawing criticism from many sources. Then, one night after the arrest of a group of youths, Claudia offers to escort the last remaining boy home, the others having already been collected from the questura (police station) by their parents. Though this task is completed without drama, it is to draw retrospective criticism and pose a degree of threat for Griffoni. Another of Brunetti’s colleagues is also having his problems: Enzo Bocchese, the quiet, almost reclusive, head technician at the questura. It seems he’s being bullied, a young man who lives in an apartment in the same building as the technician. There are a number of other issues occupying Guido’s mind, too, but none of any real consequence. This gives him plenty of time to slip home early for a meal with his wife and family or to simply put his feet up and read. There’s always time to stop for a coffee, too. Well, it’d be rude not to. Then, after a meal at his father-in-law’s palazzo, he’s able to stroll through the city with his wife and admire the beauty and tranquillity of this glorious place they call home. The various threads here, some of which initially seem relatively benign, do eventually come together in what is actually an explosive ending. As always with this series, I was sad to finish my latest visit to this city, and bring to my visit to what I would now call my friends to an end. I miss these people and this place for eleven months each year, but I look forward to being reunited with them again – hopefully next year.

Is this really a crime novel?. Donna Leon should let Bruneti retire.