The Anonymous Venetian

Commissario Brunetti's idyllic family holiday takes a sinister turn when a brutally beaten body is discovered in Donna Leon's atmospheric Venetian crime novel, The Anonymous Venetian.

The Anonymous Venetian, the third book in the Commissario Brunetti series, finds the Venetian detective's hopes of a refreshing mountain getaway dashed by a gruesome discovery in Marghera – a corpse so badly beaten that the face is unrecognizable.

As Brunetti searches Venice for someone who can identify the victim, he is met with a wall of silence. A promising lead comes in the form of a telephone call from a contact offering intriguing information. But before the night is out, Brunetti finds himself confronting yet another appalling and seemingly senseless death.

Filled with the sights and sounds of Venice, this atmospheric mystery delves deep into the twisting alleys and murky canals of the city, as Commissario Brunetti navigates a labyrinth of clues and corruption.

Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti Venetian crime series continues with Acqua Alta and So Shall You Reap.

'A splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it' – Sunday Telegraph