Thursday, May 13, 2010

2010 Book 12 - About Face

The most recent book that I've finished is About Face by Donna Leon. This author has a whole series of Guido Brunetti mysteries and this is the first (and probably only) one that I've read. Here is the synopsis:
As the son-in-law of the Conte and Contessa Falier, Commissario Guido Brunetti is accustomed to mingling with Italy's rich and powerful. But never has one of their friends captivated him like Franca Marinello, the infamous La Superliftata, whose once-beautiful face has been disfigured by excessive plastic surgery. Soon after meeting her at a dinner party - where he is charmed by her love of Virgil and Cicero - Franca visits him at the Questura with a request that seems eerily connected to his current murder investigation.

The book isn't really a very challenging read and the mystery just wasn't there for me. There was a lot of character building but not a lot of substance, in my opinion. I like a mystery to be something that is going to be shocking and has a surprise twist at the end or one where I have it figured out in the very beginning and then need to learn how we get from point A to point Z. This just didn't have that. I was disappointed.

The best thing about reading this book, for me, was that whenever there is dialog I get a very bad Italian accent going through my head and that makes me laugh internally...