Venice is in decline and has, in fact, been transformed into Disneyland on the Adriatic. At least this is what most native Venetians think, including Commissario Guido Brunetti. He still loves Venice, however, and the opera, and once loved the renowned soprano Flavia Petrelli who is in town to play the lead role in Tosca. Brunetti and his wife, Paola, attend one of the performances and witness the deluge of yellow roses tossed onto the stage and the overwhelming number of bouquets in Flavia's dressing room. She expresses her alarm at their presence. She was likewise gifted in London and Paris, obviously by someone following her. When two acquaintances are hospitalized do to attacks, Flavia and Brunetti fear the stalker is escalating the violence. I really struggled to finish this one. The characters seemed flat and two-dimensional. The action seemed to drag and the ending was somewhat weak and not all satisfying.
"Reading was an activity, not a pastime, and so the presence of another person added nothing to it."
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