The murder of two clam fishermen off the island of Pellestrina, south of the Lido on the Venetian lagoon, draws Commissario Brunetti into the island's close-knit community, bound together by a code of loyalty and a suspicion of outsiders worthy of the Mafia. When the Vice-Questore's secretary Signorina Elettra volunteers to visit the island, where she has relatives, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concerns for Elettra's safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her ...
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The murder of two clam fishermen off the island of Pellestrina, south of the Lido on the Venetian lagoon, draws Commissario Brunetti into the island's close-knit community, bound together by a code of loyalty and a suspicion of outsiders worthy of the Mafia. When the Vice-Questore's secretary Signorina Elettra volunteers to visit the island, where she has relatives, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concerns for Elettra's safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her ...
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This novel allows Signorina Elletra Zorzi to step away from her desk and go underground in a murder case of two local fishermen on the island of Pellestrina (a city southwest of Venice). A fire breaks out on a fishing boat and two men are found. The village clams up when the police come; thus Elletra decides to visit relatives and search for clues.
The various local police administrations are not interested in taking on this case; thus it falls to Brunetti. The citizens of the island are unwilling to talk with outsiders; Brunetti has his hands full of unhelpful inhabitants.
In this story, Brunetti has to think about his emotional attachment to Elletra. As Brunetti worries about Elletra, he comes to realize he has feelings for her. Paolo, his wife, and members of Brunetti's staff note that he seems overly-concerned about Elletra's safety.
In many of these Brunetti stories, our hero out-thinks his adversaries. In this book, however, there is plenty of action.
