Death in a Strange Country — Donna Leon

DEATH IN THE CANAL

Venice in the early morning is a picture of tranquillity. Until the day the serenity is shattered by the gruesome discovery of a body floating in a canal. Resisting pressure from his politically motivated superior to wrap up the case in a tourist-friendly package, Commissario Guido Brunetti probes deeper into the unlikely circumstances of the American death. The wry and witty Brunetti's thoughtful deliberations land him knee-deep in a toxic waste cover-up controlled by three of the most influential powers in the world--the Italian government, the U.S. Army, and the Mafia. Under their watchful eyes Brunetti must decide how far he can go to right a global wrong--and if he can stay alive doing it.