When Commissario Brunetti is summoned in the middle of the night to the hospital bed of a pediatrician, he is confronted with more questions than answers. Three mena young carabiniere captain and two privates from out of town burst into the doctorâs apartment while the family was sleeping, attacked him, and took away his eighteen-month-old boy. What could have motivated an assault by the forces of the state that was so violent it has left the doctor mute? As Brunetti delves into the case, he begins to uncover a story of infertility, desperation, and illegal dealings. Then his colleague, Inspector Vianello, discovers a money-making scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city. Medical records are missing and it appears as if one of the pharmacists is after more than money. What secrets are in the records? And what has been done with them?.About the Author.A New Yorker of Irish/Spanish descent, Donna Leon first went to Italy in 1965, returning regularly over the next decade or so while pursuing a career as an academic in the States and then later in Iran, China and finally Saudi Arabia. It was after a period in Saudi Arabia, which she found âdamaging physically and spirituallyâ that Donna decided to move to Venice, where she has now lived for over twenty years. Her debut as a crime fiction writer began as a joke - talking in a dressing room in Veniceâs opera-house La Fenice after a performance, Donna and a singer friend were vilifying a particular German conductor. From the thought âwhy donât we kill him?â and discussion of when, where and how, the idea for Death at La Fenice took shape, and was completed over the next four months. Donna Leon is the crime reviewer for the London Sunday Times and is an opera expert. She has written the libretto for a comic opera, entitled Dona Gallina. Set in a chicken coop, and making use of existing baroque music, Donna Gallina was premiered in Innsbruck. Brigitte Fassbaender, one of the great mezzo-sopranos of our time, and now head of the Landestheater in Innsbruck, agreed to come out of retirement both to direct the opera and to play the part of the witch Azuneris whose name combines the names of the two great Verdi villainesses Azucena and Amneris .Product Details.Publisher - AudioGO; Unabridged edition May 22, 2007 .Language - English.
