The Temptation of Forgiveness

Nov 17, 2024 1:32 AM

Author:Donna Leon

'Donna Leon has a wonderful feel for the hidden evils that lie below the façade of the magical city' The Times

Important information is leaking from inside the Venetian Questura, and Commissario Guido Brunetti is tasked with uncovering the culprit. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, a friend of his wife's comes asking for his help, fearful that her son is using drugs.

A few weeks later, the woman's husband is found unconscious at the foot of a bridge.

With only contradictory leads to follow, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice's underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth: sometimes, it's the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences . . .

'Enchanting . . . drolly amusing . . . it's the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon's police procedurals so engaging' New York Times Book Review

Reviews

The Venetian settings are enchanting and Commissario Guido Brunetti’s investigative methods are drolly amusing. But it’s the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon’s police procedurals so engaging … Tagging along after this sleuth is a wonderful way to see Venice like a native, especially since Leon takes care to give us precise directions for his routes.

—— New York Times Book Review

Leon remains fresh and thoughtful in this gargantuan series … It left me with the satisfaction of a mystery unravelled, the experience of eating a beautifully made cannoli and drinking a pleasant glass of wine together with a close observation of human nature and, as ever with Brunetti, food for thought.

—— Euro Crime

'[Hayes] is brilliant at action and military technology'

—— John Dugdale , Sunday Times

Epic and immersive, new and unexpected, and his research into spycraft is deep and compelling

—— Mail on Sunday

Brilliant on the way agents operate and how the US spies on the world

—— Sun

Compelling, nerve-jangling and breathlessly exciting... Totally immersive

—— Irish Independent

An absolutely nail biter of a thriller

—— Glamour

Move over Jason Bourne. CIA operative Kane redefines the smart but vulnerable bad ass super spy in this dazzling cat-and-mouse thriller where the entire globe is a chessboard, and everyone’s playing for keeps

—— Lisa Gardner

Has all the cinematic sweep and verve as Hayes' debut... just as enthralling

—— Financial Times

With vivid descriptions, some terrific action sequences and lashings of suspense, the book ticks all the boxes necessary for a superior geopolitical thriller

—— Guardian

Emerging dazed and somewhat brutalised after two intense days reading this utterly gripping, elegantly written 650-page plus thriller, I can say that it was most definitely worth the wait…Kane is a fantastic character: preternaturally brilliant and brave humble and insightful

—— Alison Flood , Observer

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