Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti books are always a pleasure. I like the man, I like his family, I love the meals he eats, and I always become involved in the plot. In a country where corruption and Mafia-led intrigues are the norm, Brunetti himself is incorruptible, but he's a fallible and entirely likeable detective.

This time, he has a moral dilemma himself. Does he really have title to his apartment? And if not, should he pull the strings to regularise his position? While he's mulling things over, the official who gave him the news that his flat might not in fact 'exist', dies in an accident. Or is it murder? Brunetti elects to find out, and discovers more than he bargained for. No spoiler alerts here. Simply this. If you like Italy, if you like Venice, if you enjoy a good and involved thriller with believable characters, read this one. ( )

Friends in High Places is Book #9 in Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery series.
This is a well-written, well-plotted series where the city of Venice is a main character and the morality (or lack of) and cultural ambiguities of Italian culture take center stage.
Commissario Brunetti wrestles daily with the criminality, greed and lack of justice in his beloved city.
I am a big fan of the series but I would like to see him ‘win’ once in awhile. ***** ( )

Another installment of a favorite series...it is a love story to Venice with all its beauty and corruption. The reader for these is terrific. ( )

Brunetti tiene sus principios, pero siempre está dispuesto a torcerlos un poco para atraer a sus propios amigos en lugares elevados. Cuando el burócrata Rossi comienza a investigar si su departamento en un edificio histórico tiene algún derecho a existir, él y su esposa comienzan a buscar influencia. En ningún momento se le ocurrió, como no se le ocurrió a Paola, abordar el asunto legalmente, averiguar los nombres de los cargos y funcionarios propios y los pasos adecuados a seguir... Los venecianos los ignoraron, sabiendo que la única forma de lidiar con problemas como éste era a través de conocidos, amistades, contactos y deudas acumuladas a lo largo de la vida. Cuando Rosi lo llama a su oficina en busca de ayuda y lo encuentran muerto debajo de un andamio, Brunetti siente la obligación particular de averiguar si se cayó o fue arrojado.

I loved the setting and unique characters.