| In the third of a series, Venice police commissario Guido Brunetti is sent to examine a body in Mestre, across the lagoon from Venice proper. The corpse, in a dress and high heels, turns out to be a heavily made-up males. When further investigation reveals the victim to have been a respected executive of the local office of Bank of Verona, not a known transvestite, Brunetti realizes there's something deeper going on.
The trail will lead through the area's gay community, and in the course of uncovering a massive real estate rental scam will result in more deaths, including that of a young policewoman. As always, Brunetti will face delicate political issues in solving the case, especially since his boss's wife has apparently run off with Italy's biggest porn movie producer, so Vice Questore Patta is not in any great condition to assist his star detective. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Setting Europe Yes European country: - Italy City? Yes City: - Dirty, dangerous (like New York) Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Unusual forms of death - asphyxiation Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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