The Jewels of Paradise - by Donna Leon (Paperback)

About the Book

Internationally praised for her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Donna Leon's first standalone novel features a widely different but equally compelling sleuth, Caterina Pellegrini. Caterina is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she's had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Manchester, England. Manchester, however, is no Venice. When Caterina gets word of a position back home, she jumps at the opportunity.
The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks, believed to contain the papers of Agostino Steffani, a baroque composer have been discovered. Deeply-connected in religious and political circles, the composer died childless; now two Venetians, descendants of his cousins, each claim inheritance. Caterina's job is to examine any papers found in the trunks to discover Steffani's "testamentary disposition" of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. From a masterful writer, "The Jewels of Paradise" is a superb novel, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history and greed.

Book Synopsis

Internationally praised for her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Donna Leon's first standalone novel features a widely different but equally compelling sleuth, Caterina Pellegrini. Caterina is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she's had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Manchester, England. Manchester, however, is no Venice. When Caterina gets word of a position back home, she jumps at the opportunity.

The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks, believed to contain the papers of Agostino Steffani, a baroque composer have been discovered. Deeply-connected in religious and political circles, the composer died childless; now two Venetians, descendants of his cousins, each claim inheritance. Caterina's job is to examine any papers found in the trunks to discover Steffani's "testamentary disposition" of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. From a masterful writer, The Jewels of Paradise is a superb novel, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history and greed.

Review Quotes

"Fascinating. ... her first stand-alone ... boasts the same sensitivity to human behavior that distinguishes her Guido Brunetti series."--Bill Ott, Booklist

"A veteran mystery maven weaves present-day Venice into a 300-year-old puzzle in this engaging stand-alone. ... [The Jewels of Paradise] packs the charms of Venice into a smart whodunit."--Kirkus Reviews

"While it is undeniable strange to be wandering through Venice without the protection of Brunetti's solid presence, the young heroine of this novel is so winning that readers should find themselves forgiving the Commissario his absence. ... The Jewels of Paradise is as much a tale about a young woman wising up and learning to fight more effectively for her own happiness as it is a mystery--though the centuries-old secrets that those chests contain are also pretty compelling. Commissario Brunetti is allowed to take a vacation once in a while, but only if his replacements are as wry and erudite as Caterina."--Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

"The Jewels of Paradise... shares some features of the Brunetti mysteries--Venice's mash-up of high and low culture, corrupt businessmen and Italian-style family squabbles. It also shares Leon's elegant prose, with humorous, wonderfully detailed descriptions as seen through the eyes of her heroine."--Jennifer Melick, Opera News

About the Author

Donna Leon is the author of the international best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon was born in New Jersey and has lived in Venice for thirty years.