Friends in High Places (Commissario Brunetti Book 9)
<b>“By far the best” in the <i>New York Times</i>–bestselling, Macallan Silver Dagger–winning series featuring Venetian detective Commissario Brunetti (<i>Evening Standard</i>).</b><br />  <br /> In this vivid and atmospheric mystery, Commissario Brunetti is visited by a young bureaucrat investigating the lack of official approval for the construction of Brunetti’s apartment years before. What began as a red tape headache ends in murder when the bureaucrat is later found dead after a mysterious fall from a scaffold. Brunetti starts an investigation that will take him into the unfamiliar and dangerous areas of drug abuse and loan-sharking, and will reveal, once again, what a difference it makes in Venice to have friends in high places.<br />  <br /> “Beautifully written and immaculately plotted, <i>Friends in High Places</i> is further proof still that Leon can do no wrong.” —<i>Scotsman</i><br />  <br /> “Carefully plotted and full of colorful as well as sinister characters, this is crime writing of the highest order: powerful, relevant and all too full of human failings.” <b>—</b><i>The Guardian</i><br />  <br /> “Leon tells the story as if she loves Venice as much as her detective does, warts and all. The plot and subplots unfold elegantly; beauty and the beast march hand in hand, and the result is rich entertainment.” —<i>The Sunday Times (London)</i><br />  <br /> “Leon’s best so far . . . I don’t think I could really understand a crime fan who didn’t love Donna Leon.” <b>—</b><i>Scotland on Sunday</i><br />  <br /> “Leon is a skillful plotter . . . Brunetti is a nicely shaded creation, a moral man who is also all too human. <i>Friends in High Places</i> is a splendid read, clever and provoking.” <b>—</b><i>Observer</i> (UK)