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Book Review By Mildred Diamant
Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon

There is trouble in the Brunetti household. Guido, a Commisario of Police in Venice is at extreme odds with his wife, Paola, over an act of vandalism she has chosen as her form of vigilantism. As they await the outcome of her crime, they are torn between their love for each other and their strong disagreement on her method of drawing attention to a painfully immoral business concern.

Then the owner of the business is found murdered. Guido begins his investigation by talking to the distraught wife of the victim. And it is she who, in the end, guides him to the murderer. But first Guido finds that there is more than one illegal or borderline legal business, set up to ravish people in the third world, which has to be uncovered.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - Dry-cynical
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50%
Murder of certain profession?
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 - 30 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy
City? Yes
City: - wealthy

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual forms of death - asphyxiation
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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