»In the hands of great authors, characters are like real people, merely realer«, Donna Leon once said. Perhaps this is why her life is so rich in characters and people accompanying her, both real and fictional.

Backstage presents a colorful troupe: the rock genius Frank Zappa, Veniceʼs most famous diamond dealer, a courageous sex worker and womenʼs rights activist, a clever composer, tragic heroes and admired colleagues. In the hands of Donna Leon, these encounters turn into sparkling jewels. A treasure trove of delightful discoveries.

Shards of glass lay across Piazza San Marco. Two ›baby gangs‹ have clashed violently in the darkness. While Commissario Griffoni relies on her intuition to find out how a teenager can get caught up in a flash mob, Brunetti uses his own connections. Even Vice-Questore Patta is willing to do whatever it takes to protect himself and his surroundings from any violence – which is especially unwelcome in a tourist city like Venice.

On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been spotted in one of Venice’s canals. The body is quickly recovered and the victim’s identity discovered by sheer coincidence. But who could the dead man’s enemies have been? He was undocumented, leaving Brunetti and his colleagues with no leads to chase up. It’s only when the Commissario delves into his own past, recalling the Italy of his student days, that a solution to the case starts to emerge.

Elisabetta Foscarini, a childhood friend of Brunetti’s and still a beautiful woman, turns up at the Questura one day and asks Brunetti for a favour. Could he look into who is threatening her daughter’s family? However, so far there is little concrete evidence of any wrongdoing: who could possibly wish harm on a vet and an accountant who works for a charity? Brunetti is about to dismiss the whole thing as exaggerated maternal anxiety when there’s an attack, and the case takes a very dark turn. It has never been more difficult to bring the true criminal to account. 

Donna Leon has led an adventurous life, and with her tell-tale knack for observation, she turns her experiences in America, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Italy (of course) and Switzerland into a captivating read. She takes us on a journey around the world, from growing up on a farm, to curfew pajama parties in Iran, financial straits, and a Fiat 600. And we join Donna as she arrives in Italy as a chaperone, as she hunts for the perfect cappuccino, and as she encounters small marvels in the mountains.

»There is no worse crime than not having loved.«
Donna Leon

While making routine inquiries 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 even his name. That a soul could have lived such a lonely life is too much for Paola to bear. She begs her husband to do something, anything...

Ferragosto in Venice: Commissario Brunetti longs to go to the mountains in South Tyrol with his family. He really needs a holiday and wants to hide away under the duvet and read history books. For a while it seems that even crime is taking a break for the summer, but then two friends ask him for a favour: Brusca is worried about delayed cases at the Tribunale, and Vianello about his aunt. She is in danger of becoming a victim of her trusting nature and Vianello fears she might be under the influence of a dangerous trickster. Which canals is the money flowing through? Brunetti would rather solve all this after his holiday and is already on the train –when a dead body is discovered. A murder case that leads the Commissario all over Venice in the stifling heat. Brunetti fights against underhandedness and hypocrisy, against cunning and corruption. But he still dreams of a world, which is founded on good faith and belief.

When Maria Grazia Battestini, as wealthy as she is bad-tempered, is discovered brutally murdered in her apartment, there are no friends or family who come to mourn her. Her housekeeper, who has disappeared, rapidly becomes the prime murder suspect; she is arrested while trying to return to Romania, and in her attempt to escape custody is hit by a train. She had been carrying a large sum of money and false papers – an open-and-shut case for Tenente Scarpa, who is standing in for Brunetti during the latter's vacation. His superior, Patta, is also pleased that the case can be filed away so promptly. Brunetti, however, is not so sure. Having returned from Ireland, he begins an unrelenting search for the true perpetrators of the crime. But no matter how he puts the pieces of the puzzle together, they refuse to form a complete picture. Until Paola reminds him of the Bible and the seven deadly sins, which have today all but been forgotten. With the help of Vianello and Elettra, and ignoring all of the rash conclusions which have been previously drawn, he unearths the secret motives that led to the old lady's death.

On a rainy morning not long after the funeral of his mother Commissario Brunetti and Ispettore Vianello respond to a 911 call reporting a body floating near the steps in one of Venice's side canals. Reaching down to pull it out, Brunetti's wrist is caught by the silkiness of golden hair, and he sees a small foot – together he and Vianello lift a dead girl from the water. But, inconceivably, no one has reported a missing child, nor the theft of the gold jewellery that she carries. So Brunetti is drawn into a search not only for the cause of her death but also for her identity, her family, and for the secrets that people will keep in order to protect their children. The investigation takes Brunetti from the canals and palazzos of Venice to a Gypsy encampment on the mainland to try to unravel the fate of the dead child.

A chilly winter's night. At the Christmas market in Campo Santo Stefano, there is a scent of fine food in the air, and it's cold - so nobody notices the two gentlemen with their hats pulled down over their faces, scarves and turned-up collars. They are surrounded by a colourful display, by the blankets laid down by the African street vendors who are hawking their fake Gucci, Prada and Missoni bags in the heart of Venice. But this peaceful atmosphere of Christmas goodwill is suddenly shattered by the sound of five gunshots. One of the street vendors has been murdered in broad daylight. No-one displays much interest in solving the murder case of an illegal immigrant – no-one, that is, except Brunetti. Behind Venice's well-known facades, the Commissario discovers a world with a law of its own. And when the powers that be attempt to hinder his investigation, Brunetti suspects that this case will prove to be particularly enthralling...

Delicacies with and without calories: 91 recipes as Paola cooks them in the Brunetti novels, written down by Donna Leon’s friend and favourite cook Roberta Pianaro. As a calorie free intermediate course, there are six culinary stories by Donna Leon as well as beautiful vignettes by Tatjana Hauptmann.

Food plays an important role in Donna Leon’s novels. Roberta Pianaro lets readers in on the cooking secrets of Paola Brunetti. Brunetti’s favourite dish, that of the kids, Paola’s apple pie, but also a recipe from Brunetti’s mother and Donna Leon’s favourite meal – they can all be found in this book.

Plus a foreword and six culinary stories by Donna Leon. At Table with the Brunettis is a literary cookbook about Venetian cuisine, for browsing – and for trying out the recipes at home.