By Its Cover cover art

By Its Cover

Commissario Brunetti, Book 23

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By Its Cover

By: Donna Leon
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

By Its Cover is the much anticipated twenty-third instalment in Donna Leon's bestselling crime series, where Commissario Brunetti is better than ever as he addresses questions of worth and value alongside his ever-faithful team of Ispettore Vianello and Signorina Elettra.

When several valuable antiquarian books go missing from a prestigious library in the heart of Venice, Commissario Brunetti is immediately called to the scene. The staff suspect an American researcher has stolen them, but for Brunetti something doesn’t quite add up. Taking on the case, the Commissario begins to seek information about some of the library’s regulars, such as the ex-priest Franchini, a passionate reader of ancient Christian literature, and Contessa Morosini-Albani, the library's chief donor, and comes to the conclusion that the thief could not have acted alone.

However, when Franchini is found murdered in his home, the case takes a more sinister turn and soon Brunetti finds himself submerged in the dark secrets of the black market of antiquarian books. Alongside his ever-faithful team of Ispettore Vianello and Signorina Elettra, he delves into the pages of Franchini’s past and into the mind of a book thief in order to uncover the terrible truth.

©2014 Donna Leon and Diogenes Verlag AG, Zurich (P)2014 Random House Audiobooks Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction
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Once again, the story-line is intelligently and uniquely conceived and developed; once again, the City opens her secrets to the reader; once again, the characters are drawn with a finesse and an insight that is totally engaging. One doesn't tire of the canals and the calles, the rivas and the rios. And the ever-recurring characters reappear and play their parts to our delight. Absent from this novel - as against some of her other works - are those who are simply mouth-pieces for the author's own biases or predelictions.

By Its Cover, indeed, but At Her Best

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I enjoyed every minute of the readers voice. The story held my attention all through the chapters.

The quality of the reading

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