Covering more than three decades, and still going, there have been 32 Guido Brunetti books to date.
In fact, author Donna Leon has practically published one a year since 1992!
The series revolves around Guido Brunetti, a police commissioner in Venice, as he has to solve high-profile crimes that occur all around the famous, water-heavy city.
Unlike plenty of troubled, difficult detectives that are present all across crime fiction, Brunetti is an honest and intelligent man.
He works hard and enjoys a happy marriage and two children.
Each book involves a new crime, with plenty of twists and suspicious characters, but also a rich and vivid portrayal of Venice itself.
Donna Leon, the author, has lived in Venice for more than 30 years, which is why she’s able to bring the setting of each book so spectacularly to life.
Brunetti has even been adapted into a German TV film series, with 26 films.
In our handy guide below, we’ve got the best order in which to read Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series.
About Guido Brunetti
Guido Brunetti is a commissario for the Italian State Police, working in Venice, his native home city.
Though an honest and compassionate man, he’s deeply diligent in his work and very pragmatic.
He is intelligent, with a great education that helps him solve mysteries and catch criminals. He even speaks English well, because of working in the United States briefly in the past.
Each Brunetti novel sees the commissioner having to solve a new case, often with the help of recurring colleague characters.
At home, however, Brunetti enjoys a peaceful home life, with two children and a loving wife.
However, the city of Venice itself is arguably just as much a character in the books as any of these, written with vivid detail based on Leon’s own extensive knowledge and experience.
A common theme throughout the series is that of the environment and ecology, themes which have become even more important to Leon as time has gone on and the real-world environmental crisis has worsened.
When the owner of an old farmhouse finds a grave on his land, there’s little of its body left.
However, a signet ring is found nearby, and this significant clue throws Brunetti into the world of the Venetian aristocracy and a family whose son was abducted long ago.
When an unexpected act of vandalism occurs at dawn, Brunetti is shocked to find that the culprit is none other than his wife.
This throws Brunetti’s family into pressure, a pressure matched by the difficulty he’s having at work in solving a bank robbery. Could the cases be connected?
When two clam fishermen are found killed off the island of Pellestrina, Brunetti finds himself thrown into a tight-knit community that doesn’t look too kindly on outsiders.
He must battle their suspicions and secrets to solve the case – a case complicated by the arrival of his boss’ secretary Signorina Elettra.
Brunetti meets a charming woman at a party, but one who has had a showy facelift.
Then, at work, the commissioner must investigate the killing of a man who was performing illegal hazardous waste trucking. Somehow, the two stories shockingly connect…
There’s something odd going on at the courthouse. Whenever cases involve a particular judge and usher, the cases are postponed in a way that’s good for a particular lawyer.
On top of that, the usher is cheaply leasing an apartment to that lawyer. Oh, that is until the usher is found dead…
Brunetti’s wife informs him that someone from the neighborhood – a middle-aged man who is deaf, mute, and has a child’s mental age – has been found dead after apparently taking too many sleeping pills.
Swayed by his wife’s sorrow, Brunetti agrees to investigate this suspicious death and bring some justice to the poor victim.
Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl was saved from drowning too late, and the resulting brain damage has meant that her life from then on was completely different.
Now, the grandmother of the girl asks Brunetti to find out whether there was more to the life-altering incident than previously thought.
Brunetti is taking a well-earned holiday, right up until the caretaker of the villa he’s staying at goes missing after an unexpected storm.
Nobody knows where he is, but there seem to be secrets in the mysterious caretaker’s life, and Brunetti is compelled to find the true cause of this disappearance.
Classified information is leaking out of the Venice police headquarters, and Brunetti needs to find the leak.
However, he is also asked to help with a friend’s troubled son. Before long, though, the friend’s husband is found unconscious at a bridge. Who is responsible?
Brunetti is investigating a personal case for a family friend, whose son-in-law has expressed that their family may be in danger because of something he’s involved in.
When the friend’s daughter’s workplace is then vandalized, Brunetti realizes the threat is very real and tries to solve the case.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
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