Venice, crime, police, good read. ( )

Zen goes back to his home town of Venice on the pretext of helping a family friend who is being scared to death by 'ghosts', In fact he is quietly investigating what appears to be a politically sensitive case about a missing man. There's a mayoral election taking place and the story was somewhat slowed by the political campaigning of a radical making it less of a page turner than others. However, it voiced the concerns Venetians have about their city and their future. And the city of Venice became a character in itself. Darker than most of Dibdin's novels but I enjoyed every minute. ( )

A shining example of modern noir ( )

This author keeps surprising me. This particular episode includes maps of Venice and it was so much fun tracing with my finger the trips up and around the canals. The last few pages were a political commentary eeriely appropriate to our current presidental contest. p.280 "You talk of Dal Maschino like a lover... He's won your heart and you don't understand why I can't see what you see in him....it's an old story...You've made an inspirational leader out of an opportunistic mob-orator and you've remade the history to fit."
Sounds like the reaction to Sarah Palin, to me. ( )

3.5 stars

Currently re-reading this series, and loving every minute of it. I'd forgotten how laugh-out-loud some of the metaphors used in Dead Lagoon were, and although the story isn't as much of a page-turner as others in the series, I'm still a fan. ( )