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Welcome to our June/July 25 buddy read of A Sea of Troubles (The tenth book in the Commissario Brunetti Mystery series was first published in 2001.

The murder of two clam fishermen off the island of Pellestrina, south of the Lido on the Venetian lagoon, draws Commissario Brunetti into the island's close-knit community, bound together by a code of loyalty and a suspicion of outsiders worthy of the Mafia. When the Questore's secretary Signorina Elettra volunteers to visit the island, where she has relatives, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concerns for Elettra's safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her...

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

As I've just said over in the other thread, I really liked this book and I think it builds up the tension brilliantly. It was good to see from Elettra's viewpoint, if only briefly, so that she becomes more of a person rather than just a glamorous someone in the office who can find everything on the internet.

I became increasingly frightened that she would die - I was suspicious of her new boyfriend from the start and thought the various twists involving him were very well worked. In the end he is quite heroic and justifies her trust.

What does anyone think of Brunetti's feelings for Elettra? Paola seems slightly jealous but I didn't think he seemed unprofessional for most of the book... but then, late on, he becomes obsessed with her safety at the expense of everyone else's.

Does he go too far in his determination to save her, when he sets out on an almost suicidal mission, but it's another member of his work team who ends up dying? I'm not sure what to think... I was cheering Brunetti on up to that point but then wondered if he had made the right decisions in the face of the storm and all the warnings he is given. A lot of shades of grey here.

What a thrilling description of a storm. It reminded me of James in her poet detective series.

Regarding Brunetti's choices at the end, I don't think he overly influenced the pilot. The pilot made a well considered decision and he was correct as he landed them safely, given the conditions. He was killed because he was mistaken for Brunetti, not something anyone could have foreseen. Very sad. Being close to retirement is often deadly in fiction.

It also leads the readers expectations into how Elettra will change in future books? She's been little more than a stereotype so far, but we've now seen a more human side of her.