Special Offer: Beastly Things by Donna Leon

Earlier today we posted about Kindle mysteries priced $2.99 or less, and the fact that publishers are doing temporary price reductions on ebooks in order to promote their sales or to simply as a way of introducing new readers to their authors.

And coincidentally, several hours later we came across a great example of this: Atlantic Monthly Press has temporarily reduced the price of the most recent Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery by Donna Leon, Beastly Things, which was published in hardcover this past April, to just $1.99, as of the date and time of this post. (It appears to be the only crime novel by the publisher so priced.)

We think Donna Leon is among the best novelists writing crime fiction today. Is Beastly Things among her finest work? In a word, No. And, in our opinion, it probably suffers more in comparison to the other books in the series than to the genre in general. [You can read our review on Mysterious Reviews.] Too, when she decides to incorporate a moral or social or environmental issue or injustice into her books, which is frequently, she sometimes errs on the side of emphasizing this element over the murder mystery itself. Still, if we were to meet someone on the street and they asked us to list a few of our favorite authors, Donna Leon's name would certainly come up.

Here's a synopsis of the book:

When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared. Where was the crime scene? And how can Brunetti identify the man when he can't show pictures of his face? The autopsy shows a way forward: it turns out the man was suffering from a rare, disfiguring disease. With Inspector Vianello, Brunetti canvasses shoe stores, and winds up on the mainland in Mestre, outside of his usual sphere. From a shopkeeper, they learn that the man had a kindly way with animals.

At the same time, animal rights and meat consumption are quickly becoming preoccupying issues at the Venice Questura, and in Brunetti's home, where conversation at family meals offer a window into the joys and conflicts of Italian life. Perhaps with the help of Signorina Elettra, Brunetti and Vianello can identify the man and understand why someone wanted him dead.

This special price appears to be available only for the Kindle edition of the book; other vendors we checked still show it at its list price. And the book doesn't appear to be part of the current Big Deal promotion at Amazon, which ends June 24th, 2012, so we're guessing this is a very short term price reduction on the part of the publisher, maybe lasting only a day or two.

Important Note: Prices can and do change without notice. The price shown on the vendor website at the time of the sale is the price of the book. Please confirm the price before completing your purchase.