Falling in Love

In bestseller Leon’s pleasurable 24th mystery to feature Commissario Guido Brunetti (after 2014’s By Its Cover), Brunetti reunites with opera diva Flavia Petrelli, whom he exonerated of murder in his first outing, Death at La Fenice. Flavia, performing in a production of Tosca, confides that an unknown admirer has followed her from London to St. Petersburg to Venice, showering her with increasingly extravagant displays of yellow roses. As the fan intrudes into her personal space—placing flowers in her apartment building, leaving a priceless necklace in her dressing room, and writing possessive notes—Brunetti educates himself about stalking. When two people connected to Flavia are seriously injured, he realizes the singer herself is in danger. Leon’s Venice is peopled with urbane, sophisticated characters, and she flavors the novel with insights into stagecraft, Tosca, and the storied La Fenice opera house. Series aficionados as well as those who appreciate elegant settings and cultured conversation should find this a deeply satisfying escape. [em]Agent: Susanna Bauknecht, Diogenes Verlag (Switzerland). (Apr.) [/em]