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Transient Desires

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Transient Desires

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

Brought to you by Penguin.

In his many years as a commissario, Guido Brunetti has seen all manner of crime and known intuitively how to navigate the various pathways in his native Venice to discover the person responsible. Now, in the 30th novel in Donna Leon's masterful series, he faces a heinous crime committed outside his jurisdiction. He is drawn in innocently enough: two young American women have been badly injured in a boating accident, joy riding in the Laguna with two young Italians. However, Brunetti's curiosity is aroused by the behaviour of the young men, who abandoned the victims after taking them to the hospital. If the injuries were the result of an accident, why did they want to avoid association with it?

As Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, investigate the incident, they discover that one of the young men works for a man rumoured to be involved in more sinister night-time activities in the Laguna. To get to the bottom of what proves to be a gut-wrenching case, Brunetti needs to enlist the help of both the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Costiera. Determining how much trust he and Griffoni can put in these unfamiliar colleagues adds to the difficulty of solving a peculiarly horrible crime whose perpetrators are technologically brilliant and ruthlessly organised.

Donna Leon's 30th Brunetti novel is as powerful as any she has crafted, testing Brunetti to his limits, forcing him to listen very carefully for the truth.

©2021 Donna Leon (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Crime Fiction Mystery Fiction Italy Young Adult
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What listeners say about Transient Desires

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping story

Well written and well read. One of Donna Leon’s best in the Inspector Brunetti series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Investigative Fiction

Brilliant book, well read and really well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I will definitely be reading more it was really gripping.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Promising but…

The narrator was excellent. The story was engaging and interesting. However, the end was so abrupt that I wondered if there was a last paragraph missing on the audio version. Not so. Apparently, the written book has had a similar comments.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great Brunetti novel

Terrific plot, great characters and it transported me to Venice as all Donna Leon's other books have.

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Excellent storyline

Donna Leon is back to top form with this her latest novel which covers human trafficking.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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How does Donna Leon do this so magnificently?

Comparatively few chapters, huge character development, thrilling and horrifying plot, attention to minute detail. Every word and gesture counts in a Brunetti novel.

My only tiny quibble is it is read by an English actor (who does an excellent job) but Guido is not only Italian but venetian to his marrow. Please give us at least some venetian or Italian dialogue.

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Kept my attention but then cut me off

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and it kept my attention and I found the storyline was excellent however as with all the others in the series we got to the end and immediately following on from the final two words, we get those immortal words “we hope you have enjoyed…….” At which point I think, oh, that’s the end. You should pause after the last words otherwise instead of dropping us off a cliff.

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A well-researched story of human inhumanity

I’ve read and/or listened to all of the Brunetti series and I must say this one does not disappoint. I must admit to finding the opening couple of chapters very slow - Guido turning up for work at 10:30 and tootling about doing very little was rather disconcerting as I wondered when - or if! - the story would start. However, we soon got into gear and things moved at a faster pace. Leon has obviously done her research about the waters around Venice and some of the nastier aspects of port life. It was good to involve Griffoni again, and the addition of other ‘law officials’ was interesting.
I’m wondering how much longer the “children” can be around before fleeing the comfort of the family nest - I assume that Venetian students live at home while attending a local University, rather than moving farther afield as tends to happen in the U.K. I do think that Guido could have given Chiara a harder time in their discussion about telefonini - too mollycoddled and indulged for my liking, considering what’s going on around her. How old is Brunetti now? How many stories can Leon squeeze from him before compulsory retirement? A few more, I hope.
And I agree about the editing at the end. The narrator barely pauses for breath after the final scene before uttering the usual ‘we hope you enjoyed etc etc’. Having listened intently to the exciting ending, I wanted at least a few seconds to process that final scene.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Timely realism and evocative setting

Enjoy the evocation of Venice seen through realistic eyes. Great storyline with real jeopardy alongside the familiarity of Leon’s reassuring inspector. One complaint - no pause between final dramatic denouement and ‘final publishing credits’. - ruins dramatic ending- please leave a moment!

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