Donna Leon: So shall you reap, 9781529153316, Heinemann /Penguin Random House, coming March 3, 2023

Thanks to a Penguin netgalley proof ,  I was able to read the upcoming  Donna Leon, comfort reading for me always and this week especially;  it has been a couple of challenging weeks.

"So shall you reap" is one of Leon's  better books in my opinion, dealing with the murder of a Sri Lankan immigrant whose body  had been found in the canals. As Brunetti discovers he has been quietly living in a garden house on the grounds of one of Venice's noble families,  with one family member having past ties to Red brigades terrorists.  As always Brunetti's subtle, calm but determined investigation leads to results with no Hollywood ending,  a colorful portrait of human behaviour with Donna Leon's narration making this so enjoyable. I once had the pleasure of spending time with her at the bookfair and her kindness and keen observations transpire into her writing. 

Loved it, as always. Coming in March 2023

 Kate Atkinson: Shrines of Gaiety, large format paperback 9780857526564, Doubleday / Penguin Random House UK

I have to confess I had a bit of a hard time getting into "Shrines of Gaiety" which has probably something to do with the multiple string of characters and the parallel stories it needs to built up this terrific 450 page plot. The story reminded me in its complexity of Dickens novels,  but once i got into it and the story gathered speed,  I had the best time, particularly during the second half of the book. Set in the 1920ties world of seedy Soho clubs, run by the formidable Nellie Cocker and her more or less capabable six children, it is a fabulous portrait of the underbelly of London after WWI,  the damage it did to a lot of men who found work as policemen or gangsters and the desire it left for entertainment, drugs and diversion amongst the wealthy. A fresh supply of innocent young runaways looking for adventure often end up as hostesses in Nellie's clubs but then a few turn up dead suddenly with corrupt policemen showing little interest to solve their murder. Enter Inspector Frobisher who is installed to take down Nellie and corrupt fellow policemen. A great story of betrayal, seduction, innocence and crime, ended up loving it!