eco-awareness, murder, murder-investigation, class-consciousness, law-enforcement, departmental-rivalry, injustice, international-crime-and-mystery, interpersonal-problems, Venice, Italy, family, family-dynamics, friendship***** It all began with dinner at Brunetti's in-laws. Then the trail of murder, deceit, and more began. A real morality play. Voice actor David Colacci continues to add much to a good story.

‘About Face’ is another Guido Brunetti mystery, set in the beautiful city of Venice, although Leon does nothing to hide the sinister underbelly of La Serenissima. Indeed, this novel is all about greed, organised crime, pollution, vanity and materialism and ultimately, murder. Brunetti and his wife, Paola, are invited to a dinner party hosted by Paola’s aristocratic parents, the Faliers. He finds himself seated opposite Franca Marinello, a once-beautiful woman in her thirties who has had plastic surgery, presumably to keep her ageing husband, Maurizio Cataldo, happy. While Cataldo is schmoozing with Conte Falier, Brunetti, to his surprise, discusses Cicero with Marinello. She hints at something deeper on recommending he read Ovid… Before long, the Conte’s business interests look like becoming perilously entwined with the likes of the Camorra, pushing up from the south, and a major from the Carabinieri, also monitoring the underworld, contacts Brunetti for help in identifying someone wanted for the death of a legitimate businessman. He emails a photo, but before Brunetti can contact him to say the man is a regular at the shady Casino, the major is murdered… Leon paints a lovely portrait of Venice, warts and all, whose streets and squares Brunetti wonders and whose coffee shops he frequents in trying to solve the mystery. ‘About Face’ isn’t Leon’s most gripping novel, but it will keep the pages turning and still exudes the class and depth that characterises her other books in this series.

I hadn't read a Donna Leon book before. Much as I can see the appeal for her many followers, Leon's novel didn't really appeal to me. The storyline was good, but perhaps not interesting enough to warrent a novel of this length.