Praise for Friends in High Places:

Winner of the Crime Writers Association Macallan Silver Dagger Award for Fiction

“Beautifully written and immaculately plotted, Friends in High Places is further proof still that Leon can do no wrong.”—Scotsman

“Carefully plotted and full of colorful as well as sinister characters, this is crime writing of the highest order: powerful, relevant and all too full of human failings.”—Guardian (UK)

“All Donna Leon’s novels are excellent in their evocation of place, while in Brunetti she has created a character who . . . becomes more real in each book. Friends in High Places is, however, by far the best, and marks a quantum leap forward.”—Evening Standard (London)

“Leon’s best so far . . . I don’t think I could really understand a crime fan who didn’t love Donna Leon.”—Scotland on Sunday

“Leon is a skilful plotter . . . Brunetti is a nicely shaded creation, a moral man who is also all too human. Friends in High Places is a splendid read, clever and provoking.”—Observer (UK)

“Friends in High Places [is an] elegant police procedural set in beautifully imagined Venice.”—Sunday Times (UK)

Mystery fans who are looking for a change of scenery and international ambience should get to know Guido Brunetti, commissario of the Venice police. Anna Fields deftly narrates this well-drawn plot of political corruption, murder, and drugs. Fields is at home in the city and canals of Venice. She brings forward the complexities of Brunetti's character, balancing his compassion and idealism with a tough cynicism born of many years experience with the bureaucrats and the powerful of Venice. Fields maintains a good pace for building the framework of clues that fit neatly together in unexpected ways. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine