The Jewels of Paradise

"Jewels of Paradise demonstrates the author's deep understanding of Venice, and is an entertaining work that questions the changing values of life over the ages. Like life, it makes you wait to the end to understand the plot." -- Selected by Lord Browne (former Chief Executive of BP) as his summer read in the Financial Times "Donna Leon's skill with intrigue, clues and suspicion and suspense means that even the most ardent Brunetti devotee ought to find this book a good read." Literary Review "Written with all Leon's elegant delicacy combined with her ability to reveal the truth almost without your noticing, this is a little gem of a book, immersed as it is in Leon's own love for the baroque." Daily Mail "[it has] all the ingredients of a zippy historical mystery in an intriguing new genre.Leon seamlessly interweaves the Italian cultural heritage into her story, and hasn't lost her feeling for everyday life" Spectator "Splendid . a fascinating historical mystery. Full of authentic details and wittily recounted ... Leon's 22nd novel has a freshness which indicates her delight in the subject" -- Jane Jakeman Independent