A Refiner's Fire

A Refiner's Fire by Donna Leon features Commissario Guido Brunetti's return with a gripping and powerful case about the murkiness of power and a test of loyalties.

When two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice's campi, the son of a local hero is implicated. However, when Brunetti is asked by a wealthy foreigner to vet this man, Monforte, for a job, he discovers that Monforte might not be such a hero after all.

This seeming contradiction, along with a brutal attack on one of Brunetti's colleagues by a possible gang member, demands Brunetti's full attention. He soon uncovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte's past, leading to a fiery meeting between two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.

A Refiner's Fire showcases Donna Leon at her very best – an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, consistently exploring the ambiguity between moral and legal justice.