Review: Acqua Alta

Acqua Alta by Donna Leon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read several of Leon's Guido Brunetti mysteries and I really like them. He is an interesting character--a good guy, but with his own idea of what that means. There was very little of his wife Paola in this one, which was too bad, but the final chase after [chase-ee removed to prevent spoilers] was a page turner.
Acqua alta is 'high water' in Italian and refers to the phenomenon of tide peaks in the Adriatic which lead to flooding in various cities including Venice. The flooding plays a part in the story (not a huge one) and also adds a lot of atmosphere.

"They had been enveloped in this watery world for so long that it struck neither one of them as strange that they stood, inside the bar, in water that rose above their calves, listening to the splashings of the barman as he moved back and forth behind the counter, setting down glasses and cups." -p. 339

This is my first book completed for R.I.P. IX.