Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth (UK 2022)

From the Publisher:
'There is no one better than Donna Leon at showing the ripple effects of a single traumatic event... Leon has recast the city in her own venerable image: full of surprises and hidden beauty.' Evening Standard

Fifteen years ago the teenage granddaughter of the grand Contessa Lando-Continui was rescued at the last moment from drowning in the canals. But young Manuela's life was never the same again. Now aged thirty, she lives trapped in an eternal youth.
The Contessa, certain that this was no accident, implores Brunetti to find the culprit she believes ruined Manuela's life.

But once Brunetti starts to investigate, he finds a murky past and a dark story at its heart...

'Brilliantly done, with a sense of place rarely matched in any fiction' The Times
'A sparkling summer read.' The Tablet

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth. A Commissario Brunetti Mystery. Penguin, ISBN: 9781529158311 (September, 2022), 304 p., £9.99.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth (USA 2017)

From the Publisher:
In the twenty-fifth novel in Donna Leon's celebrated and bestselling series, Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti finds himself caught up in a tragedy that befell a girl fifteen years earlier

In Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti series, the Venetian inspector has been called on to investigate many things, from shocking to petty crimes. But in The Waters of Eternal Youth, Brunetti finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a case at all.

Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl fell into a canal late at night. Unable to swim, she went under and started to drown. She survived thanks to a nearby man, an alcoholic, who pulled her out, though not before she suffered irreparable brain damage that left her unable to learn or mature. The lush claimed he saw her thrown into the canal by another man, but the following day he couldn't remember a thing.

Now, at a fundraising dinner for a Venetian charity, a wealthy and aristocratic patroness -- the girl's grandmother -- asks Brunetti if he will investigate. Brunetti's not sure what to do. If a crime was committed, it would surely have passed the statute of limitations. But out of a mixture of curiosity, pity, and a willingness to fulfill the wishes of a guilt-wracked older woman, who happens to be his mother-in-law's best friend, he agrees.

Brunetti soon finds himself unable to let the case rest, if indeed there is a case. Awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, and the haunting story of a woman trapped in a perpetual childhood, The Waters of Eternal Youth is another wonderful addition to this series.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth. A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. Grove / Atlantic, ISBN: 9780802126375 (March, 2017), 304 p., $16.00.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth (UK 2017)

From the Publisher:
In The Waters of Eternal Youth, the twenty-fifth instalment in the bestselling Brunetti series, our Commissario finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a case at all.
Brunetti is investigating a cold case by request of the grand Contessa Lando-Continui, a friend of Brunetti's mother-in-law. Fifteen years ago the Contessa's teenage granddaughter, Manuela, was found drowning in a canal. She was rescued from the canal at the last moment but in many ways it was too late; she suffered severe brain damage and life was never the same again. Once a passionate horse rider, Manuela, now aged 30, cannot remember the accident, or her beloved horse, and lives trapped in an eternal youth.

The Contessa, unconvinced that this was an accident, implores Brunetti to find the culprit she believes was responsible for ruining Manuela's life. Out of a mixture of curiosity, pity, and a willingness to fulfil the wishes of a loving grandmother, Brunetti reopens the case, much to the annoyance of his employer. But once he starts to investigate, Brunetti finds a murky past and a dark story at its heart.

The Waters of Eternal Youth is awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, and the haunting story of a woman trapped in a damaged perpetual childhood.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth. A Commissario Brunetti Novel. Arrow, ISBN: 9781784755027 (March, 2017), 304 p., £8.99.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
In The Waters of Eternal Youth, the twenty-fifth instalment in the bestselling Brunetti series, our Commissario finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a case at all.
Brunetti is investigating a cold case by request of the grand Contessa Lando-Continui, a friend of Brunetti's mother-in-law. Fifteen years ago the Contessa's teenage granddaughter, Manuela, was found drowning in a canal. She was rescued from the canal at the last moment but in many ways it was too late; she suffered severe brain damage and life was never the same again. Once a passionate horse rider, Manuela, now aged 30, cannot remember the accident, or her beloved horse, and lives trapped in an eternal youth.

The Contessa, unconvinced that this was an accident, implores Brunetti to find the culprit she believes was responsible for ruining Manuela's life. Out of a mixture of curiosity, pity, and a willingness to fulfil the wishes of a loving grandmother, Brunetti reopens the case, much to the annoyance of his employer. But once he starts to investigate, Brunetti finds a murky past and a dark story at its heart.

The Waters of Eternal Youth is awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, and the haunting story of a woman trapped in a damaged perpetual childhood.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth. The New Commissario Brunetti Novel. Heinemann, ISBN: 9781785150760 (April, 2016), 292 p., £18.99.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth (USA 2016)

From the Publisher:
In the twenty-fifth novel in Donna Leon's celebrated and bestselling series, Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti finds himself caught up in a tragedy that befell a girl fifteen years earlier

In Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti series, the Venetian inspector has been called on to investigate many things, from shocking to petty crimes. But in The Waters of Eternal Youth, Brunetti finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a case at all.

Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl fell into a canal late at night. Unable to swim, she went under and started to drown. She survived thanks to a nearby man, an alcoholic, who pulled her out, though not before she suffered irreparable brain damage that left her unable to learn or mature. The lush claimed he saw her thrown into the canal by another man, but the following day he couldn't remember a thing.

Now, at a fundraising dinner for a Venetian charity, a wealthy and aristocratic patroness -- the girl's grandmother -- asks Brunetti if he will investigate. Brunetti's not sure what to do. If a crime was committed, it would surely have passed the statute of limitations. But out of a mixture of curiosity, pity, and a willingness to fulfill the wishes of a guilt-wracked older woman, who happens to be his mother-in-law's best friend, he agrees.

Brunetti soon finds himself unable to let the case rest, if indeed there is a case. Awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, and the haunting story of a woman trapped in a perpetual childhood, The Waters of Eternal Youth is another wonderful addition to this series.

Donna Leon: The Waters of Eternal Youth. A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. Atlantic Monthly Press, ISBN: 9780802124807 (March, 2016), 292 p., $26.00, eBook $14.99.