Beastly Things by Donna Leon, Aug. 2017

• Beastly Things by Donna Leon
• August 10, 2017

PERSONAL INFORMATION: Born September 28, 1942, in Montclair, NJ. Avocational Interests: Baroque opera. Addresses: Home: Venice, Italy.

CAREER: Writer. Former crime reviewer for the Sunday Times, London, England; University of Maryland University College, Italy campus, former English professor; American military base of Vicenza, Italy, English professor, 1981-99. Has also taught at American military bases in Italy. Founder of Il Complesso Barocco (an opera company), Venice, Italy. Worked as a teacher in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, England, Iran, and China.

An American living in Venice, Italy, Donna Leon was initially more widely known in Europe than in the United States for her best-selling series of mysteries featuring Guido Brunetti, a commissario of the Venice police. Brunetti is devoted to his family, which consists of two demanding teenagers and his wife, Paola, whose passion is reading Henry James and who is the daughter of an Italian aristocrat. Brunetti's personality is complex. Kindhearted but intelligent with a razor-sharp wit, he has compassionate insights into the heart of Venice and the soul of its people. His home life is incorporated into the stories, and Venice itself is a character in each of Leon's fictional works.

Inspector Guido Brunetti series:(* titles from TV series that are available on DVD)

• *Death at La Fenice #1
• *Death in a strange country,  #2
• *Dressed for death #3  
• *Death and judgment, #4
• *Acqua Alta, #5
• The death of Faith, #6   
• *A noble radiance, #7   
• *Fatal remedies #8
• *Friends in high places #9
• *A sea of troubles #10   
• *Wilful behavior #11
• *Uniform justice #12   
• *Doctored evidence  #13
• *Blood from a stone  #14
• *Through a glass darkly #15
• *Suffer the little children #16   
• *The girl of his dreams #17

      About face #18

• A question of belief  #19
• Drawing conclusions #20   
  
• Beastly things #21
• When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared. Where was the crime scene? And how can Brunetti identify the man when he can't show pictures of his face?
•  
  
• The golden egg (Mar 2013) #22   
• By its cover (Apr 2014) , #23  
• Falling in love (Apr 2015) #24
• Waters of Eternal Youth #25
• Earthly Remains #26
  

Read­alikes:

Dead lagoon by Michael Dibdin,l Reason: Though Beastly Things concerns the discovery of a corpse and Dead Lagoon involves a missing person, both atmospheric, intricately plotted mysteries, set in Venice, feature world ­weary Italian policemen whose determination to solve cases outweighs their distaste for official corruption. ­­ Gillian Speace

Bruno, chief of police by Martin  Walker, ­ Reason: NoveList recommends "Bruno Courreges mysteries" set in St. Denis in the Perigord Region of France for fans of "Guido Brunetti mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.

Nic Costa mysteries by David Hewson, Reason: Both of these series feature men of conscience who refuse to give up and are not afraid to challenge their superiors. These intricately plotted, well written books explore the agonies of everyday life through humane policemen who want justice. ­­ Merle Jacob

Commissario Alec Blume novels by Conor Fitzgerald, Reason: Although the Commissario Alec Blume novels take place in Rome while the Guido Brunetti mysteries are set in Venice, both series feature appealing detectives, well ­realized settings, and intricate storylines. ­­ Victoria Caplinger

Urbino Macintyre Venetian mysteries by Edward Sklepowich Reason: While Guido Brunetti is a police investigator and Urbino Macintyre is an amateur sleuth, both thoughtful, leisurely ­paced series vividly portray Venice, making the city itself a character in the stories. ­ ­ Katherine Johnson

Precious and Grace -- Sept 2017

Precious and Grace -- Sept 2017

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born August 24, 1948, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); Avocational Interests: Plays bassoon in the Really Terrible Orchestra. Addresses: Home: Edinburgh, Scotland. E-mail:alexander@alexandermccallsmith.co.uk.

CAREER:

Educator and writer. Instructor at Queen's University Belfast; University of Botswana, law professor and cofounder, beginning 1981; helped create a criminal code for Botswana; Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland, former professor of medical law, current professor emeritus. Also the former vice chair of the Human Genetics Commission of the United Kingdom, and former chair of the British Medical Journal Ethics Committee.

Commander of the British Empire (CBE), 2007, for services to literature; Digital Publishing Award, Association of Online Publishers, 2009; presidential Order of Merit awarded by President of Botswana, 2010; holds honorary doctorates from twelve universities.

The diverse accomplishments of Alexander McCall Smith include a distinguished career as a legal scholar and more recent fame as a best-selling novelist. A professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, Smith has published many works on medical ethics and criminal law. For example, he has written about the duty to rescue and the impact of medical advances on parental rights. Smith also had numerous books of fiction for young children and short-story collections in print before he published a series of detective stories set in Botswana. The first installment, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,became a best-selling novel in the United States after it was popularized by word of mouth. Readers and critics have been charmed by the stories, which are more about relationships, customs, and informal justice than sleuthing.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

• 1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Jan 1998)
• 2. Tears of the giraffe (Jan 2000)
• 3. Morality for beautiful girls (Nov 2002)
• 4. The Kalahari typing school for men (Apr 2003)
• 5. The full cupboard of life (Apr 2004)
• 6. In the company of cheerful ladies (Apr 2005)
• 7. Blue shoes and happiness (Apr 2006)
• 8. The good husband of Zebra Drive (Apr 2007)
• 9. The miracle at Speedy Motors (Apr 2008)
• 10. Tea time for the traditionally built (Apr 2009)
• 11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (Apr 2010)
• 12. The Saturday big tent wedding party (Mar 2011)
• 13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (Apr 2012)
• 14. The minor adjustment beauty salon (Nov 2013)
• 15. The Handsome man's de luxe cafe (Oct 2014)
• 16. The woman who walked in sunshine (Oct 2015)
• 17. Precious and Grace (Oct 2016)
• Mma Makutsi, who has recently been promoted to co-director, has been encouraging Mma Ramotswe to update to more modern office practices. An unusual case, however, will require both of them to turn their attention firmly to the past. A young Canadian woman who spent her early childhood in Botswana requests the agency’s help in recalling her life there.
• 18. The House of Unexpected Sisters (Nov 2017)

Read-alikes for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Boldly going where no woman has gone before, Precious Ramotswe is the very first female private detective in all of Botswana. Tactful, effective, and insightful detecting comes naturally to this very independent woman in this highly entertaining humorous cozy mystery series.

1. Jane Marple murder mysteries by Agatha Christie  Reason: These cozy mystery series feature women detectives in small towns who solve crimes and unexplained occurrences by using female intuition and general knowledge about their towns. Though set in extremely different locales, both series have a strong sense of place. -- Rebecca Simon  
   
2. Rabbi David Small mysteries by Harry  Kemelman Reason: Human psychology and ethical questions predominate over actual crimes and detection in these cozy mystery series. Though the settings in Botswana and the U.S. are different, both feature sleuths who are outsiders in their communities as well as thoughtfully observant. -- Katherine Johnson

3. Jimm Juree mysteries by Colin Cotterill Reason: Like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, the Jimm Juree series sets solid mysteries in a setting unfamiliar to most Western readers (Southern Thailand), and spices its female protagonist's adventures with humor and fascinating characters. -- Shauna Griffin

4. Gregor Demarkian mysteries by Jane Haddam Reason: These cozy mysteries emphasize character development over action or violence. Taking place in wildly disparate locations -- the Demarkian mysteries in Philadelphia, the Detective Agency novels in Botswana -- both share a gentle, engaging style and many intriguing puzzles. -- Mike Nilsson

5. Vish Puri mysteries by Tarquin Hall  Reason: With likable, intelligent, and slightly eccentric lead characters, these wryly humorous mysteries offer glimpses into everyday life in exotic locales -- Botswana in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels, and the Punjab region of India in the Vish Puri mysteries. -- Shauna Griffin  
   
6. Grantchester mysteries by James Runcie Reason: In these mystery series, the detective characters approach sleuthing through earnest conversations with people involved in the mystery and with their friends and family. The settings are vastly different, though: Grantchester Mysteries in England, and No. 1 Ladies' in Botswana. -- Katherine Johnson

    7. Detective Kubu mysteries by Michael Stanley Reason: Both set in  Botswana, these richly characterized mysteries offer a strong sense of place, though the Detective Kubu series is darker and grittier while the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels are upbeat and gentle. -- Shauna Griffin

Other series by Alexander McCall Smith: Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries; 44 Scotland Street; Portuguese Irregular Verbs; Corduroy Mansions; and various children’s series.