Quietly in Their Sleep

Rating:
Summary: Some deaths in Venice
Review: An audio version of a title apparently not in print format, Quietly in Their Sleep caught my eye on the shelves of the public library. I always enjoy Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti novels because she always tells a compelling story about good vs evil, morality vs venality, in the context of Brunetti's life as an incorruptible police officer and devoted husband and father. This particular story is relevant for its subplot involving child abuse by priests, a topic never far from our headlines here in the US. If you are a devout Christian or Catholic, I would advise you not to read this book, for it questions many aspects of Holy Mother Church as it functions today as well as in history. But it is not disrespectful, at least not IMO. Quietlly in Their Sleep is also relevant for its depiction of a functional ( as opposed to dysfunctional) and intact family headed by two working parents of two normal teens. Both Guido and wife Paola are highly intelligent, and while their marriage and their mutual sense of morality is strong, they quite frequently disagree with one another over the situations that cross their paths as parents and professionals. Quietly in Their Sleep is a mystery with a gripping plot,and its characters and settings are genuine and refreshing, anything but sterotypical. And it's fun to read about everyday life in exotic Venice too.
A final comment: I listen to a lot of audio books and often find the narrators irritating. But Anna Fields is one of the best.