Books in Order
Donna Leon Books in Order
About Donna Leon
Donna Leon (born 1942, Montclair, New Jersey) is an American author who has lived in Venice, Italy, for over three decades. She is the creator of the Commissario Guido Brunetti series — one of the most beloved and long-running mystery series in the world, set in the canals, palazzi, and criminal bureaucracies of Venice. Brunetti is a thoughtful, cultured police commissioner whose cases often expose the corruption, environmental damage, and social inequality beneath Venice's picturesque surface. Leon refused for years to allow the novels to be translated into Italian — she did not want to be recognized on Venetian streets — though translations eventually appeared. The series has been adapted into a German TV series (Commissario Brunetti).
Start with Death at La Fenice. Leon's debut introduces Brunetti and the Venetian world. The early novels are self-contained and accessible.
Commissario Brunetti Series
31+ novels set in Venice. Literary mysteries about corruption, bureaucracy, food, family, and the slow drowning of a city. Can be read in any order — publication order recommended.
Book 1![Death at La Fenice]()
Death at La Fenice
1992
Start hereA famous conductor dies during an opera at Venice's La Fenice theatre. Brunetti's debut.
Get this book →Books 6–10![...through A Noble Radiance, Fatal Remedies, Friends in High Places, A Sea of Troubles, Wilful Behaviour]()
...through A Noble Radiance, Fatal Remedies, Friends in High Places, A Sea of Troubles, Wilful Behaviour
1998–2002
Get this book →Books 11–20+![...continues through Uniform Justice, Doctored Evidence, Blood from a Stone, and 20+ more novels]()
...continues through Uniform Justice, Doctored Evidence, Blood from a Stone, and 20+ more novels
2003–2024
Get this book →Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to read Donna Leon in order?
The Brunetti series works well in any order — each novel has a self-contained mystery. That said, the Brunetti family and recurring supporting characters develop over the series, and reading in publication order lets you appreciate the evolution of Venice as Leon depicts it across three decades.
Why are the Donna Leon books so popular in Germany?
The German TV adaptation Commissario Brunetti (ZDF, 2000–2019) ran for 26 episodes and introduced the series to millions of German viewers. Germany became Leon's largest market, and many German tourists visit Venice specifically because of her novels.
What makes Donna Leon different from other mystery writers?
Leon's books are as much about Venice — its politics, food, corruption, beauty, and ecological crisis — as they are about murder. Brunetti rarely solves cases in a conventional way; justice is often partial or absent. The pleasure is in the texture of Venetian life and Brunetti's humanist perspective.