Beastly Things cover art

Beastly Things

A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery, Book 21

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Beastly Things

By: Donna Leon
Narrated by: David Colacci
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

When a body is found floating in a canal, strangely disfigured and with multiple stab wounds, Commissario Brunetti is called to investigate and is convinced he recognises the man from somewhere. However, with no identification except for the distinctive shoes the man was wearing, and no reports of people missing from the Venice area, the case cannot progress.

Brunetti soon realises why he remembers the dead man, and asks Signorina Elettra if she can help him find footage of a farmers' protest the previous autumn. But what was his involvement with the protest, and what does it have to do with his murder?

Acting on the fragile lead, Brunetti and Inspector Vianello set out to uncover the man's identity. Their investigation eventually takes them to a slaughterhouse on the mainland, where they discover the origin of the crime and the world of blackmail and corruption that surrounds it.

Both a gripping case and a harrowing exploration of the dark side of Italy's meat industry, Donna Leon's latest novel is a compelling addition to the Brunetti series.

©2012 Donna Leon (P)2012 Random House AudioGo Crime Fiction Mystery Fiction Italy Crime Exciting Suspense

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Murder in Tuscany cover art
The Few cover art
Father Paolo Baldi Mysteries cover art
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 cover art
The Life We Bury cover art
In Cold Blood cover art
All This I Will Give to You cover art
In the Blood cover art
Ratking cover art
The First Rule of Survival cover art

Critic reviews

"the book is written with that depth of thought about crime and humanity that characterizes the best of Leon’s work." ( Jane Jakeman, Independent)
"Beastly Things is a perfect accompaniment to a hot day and a cool glass of white wine. Superb." ( Crimesquad.com)
"[Leon’s] books paint such an appealing portrait of modern Venetian life that they’ve sent droves of holidaymakers to the city." ( Press Association)
"A captivating tale…A chillingly detailed addition to the Brunetti series, sure to have you hooked from the first chapter." ( North East Lifestyle magazine)
All stars
Most relevant  
My enjoyment of this story was marred by the dreadful American drawl and pronunciation of the narrator.

Terrible narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Where does Beastly Things rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love Donna Leon's 'Brunetti' books and this is one of the best. I think people are far too dismissive of David Colacci's narration. I know he sounds like a Mexican bandit some of the time, but I really like his interpretation -slow and laconic, perhaps a bit lazy -and quite frankly, rather 'Italian'. There is a sensitivity he imbues into his characters that all but Andrew Sachs fail to achieve in reading Donna Leon. He does male and female characters equally well and when I read the Brunetti books, it is Colacci's voice I hear -and for me that adds another layer of enjoyment.

(As an aside, why didn't Andrew Sachs read unabridged Donna Leon's? I'd buy them all!)

I found this book (and its narration!) moving, amusing and engaging in turn and thoroughly recommend it. Open your mind and give Colacci a chance!

Leave David Colacci alone!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of Donna Leon’s best. Well read and very good on relationships especially with the child

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is my first Audible for Leon, all my other reads of her works have been e-book format. I have listened avidly during the course of my daily walks and the narrator brought this low key story alive. A recent visit to Venice made this one so much more enjoyable It is always a pleasure to enjoy a well constructed tale and as usual Donna Leon does not disappoint.

Leon continually pleases

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not one of Donna Leon's best, but would be an ok listen if it weren't for the dreadful quality of the narration. The reader has no sensitivity to the text, no understanding of the nuances, and succeeds only in spoiling the experience. very disappointing.

New narrator please!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Narrator very irritating. Cant imagine Guido talking to his staff in broken English with an American accent. Thought the last narrator was much better.

Awful Accent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There is not comparison with the great reader Andrew Sachs! How can Donna Leon admit to read her text in a "badly made" Italian accent! It would be more genuin to read in American without pretending to fake "Italianita"! A reader should at least learn to spell the Italian Terms correctly - starting with the name of Brunetti!
We're most disappointed!
Annemarie & Martin Luchsinger

Donna Leon Beastly Things - read by David Colacci

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written and good character development but the slow development of a thin plot and an even slower narration by David Colacci practically sent me to sleep. If you need to know the details of every mouthful of food eaten by the characters, you'll like this but it felt like padding to me. Not Leon at her best.

Slow, slow, slow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.