Guido Brunetti is the central character of Donna Leon’s Venice-set mystery series, a Commissario in the city’s police force who investigates crimes ranging from murder at the opera to corruption in the construction industry. Born and raised in Venice, Brunetti knows the city’s streets, canals, and social layers the way only a local can. He is well-educated, well-read, and quietly frustrated by the bureaucracy and political interference that hamper his work.
At home, Brunetti’s life is anchored by his wife Paola, a professor of English literature who comes from one of Venice’s old aristocratic families, and their two children Chiara and Raffi. Family dinners, walks through the city, and arguments about books and politics fill the spaces between cases. These domestic scenes give the series much of its warmth and distinguish the Brunetti books from darker, more procedural crime fiction.
Over 33 novels, Brunetti ages and changes, but his core stays the same: he is a decent man trying to do honest work in a system that does not always reward honesty. His friendship with Inspector Vianello and his reliance on the resourceful Signorina Elettra give him allies in the Questura, while his ongoing clashes with the image-obsessed Vice-Questore Patta provide a reliable source of dry comedy.
Reading Order
See the complete Guido Brunetti reading order for all books in the series.