Telemystery: Criminal Minds, Elementary, The Equalizer, Haven, Murder in Suburbia, Revenge, and The Walking Dead, New This Week on DVD

Telemystery, your source for one of the most comprehensive listings of crime drama, amateur sleuth, private investigator, mystery and suspense television series, mini-series and made-for-television movies, now available on or coming soon to DVD, Blu-ray disc, or Video-on-Demand, is profiling seven series from our site being released this week.

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Criminal Minds
Season Nine

FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) knows no boundaries when it comes to tracking down ruthless and unpredictable killers. Unit chief Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and Special Agents David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook) use the scientific art of profiling and psychological tactics to solve the FBI's most extreme and violent cases.

With the help of skilled hacker and technical analyst, Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), the BAU takes down serial killers, uncovers dark secrets, and saves lives — including one of their own.

This 9th season of the series aired on CBS from September 2013 through May 2014. The 10th season premieres Wednesday, October 1st.

      

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Elementary
Season Two

Return to the scene of the crime in the second season of this CBS crime drama.

Jonny Lee Miller returns in this modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes, the dangerously eccentric consulting detective who's addicted to impossible cases. Lucy Liu stars as Dr. Joan Watson, his "sober companion" turned partner in detection. Together, they take on some of the strangest crimes New York has ever seen as they assist the police in uncovering clues that unlock the city's sinister secrets. Only to the very sharpest minds do the incredible solutions seem elementary.

The 3rd season premieres on Thursday, October 30th.

      

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The Equalizer
Season Two

Robert McCall — the Equalizer — is a former veteran of the British Army and the CIA with a shadowy past. He breaks away from the company after getting disillusioned with his cloak-and-dagger life. He seeks atonement by offering his services to the public through the above advertisement in the newspaper.

Edward Woodward plays McCall to perfection, as a dark, steely middle-aged man hardened by a life of espionage, yet allowing compassion to seep through when helping those in need.

This 2nd season of the series originally aired on CBS from October 1986 through May 1987.

  

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Haven
Season Four

When FBI Agent Audrey Parker arrives in Haven, Maine on a routine case, she quickly finds herself involved in the return of the Troubles, a series of supernatural afflictions that have long cursed the seaside town and its residents. Joining the Haven Police Department, Audrey begins to realize that it was fate not luck that brought her to this place and that she is inexplicably linked to the mysteries of Haven.

Based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid, this fourth season set includes over 2½ hours of bonus features and an exclusive 16 page comic book.

      

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Murder in Suburbia
The Complete Collection

Meet Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz) and Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner), the sassiest, sexiest investigative team in the Middleford Criminal Investigative Department. Better known as Ash and Scribbs, the two are an unlikely pair: Ash, a graduate of a posh girls' academy, has an analytical mind that serves her well when solving murders. Scribbs, who grew up in the working class, relies more on her instincts than what the facts seem to tell her. When these two come together, along with their handsome, bemused boss (Jeremy Sheffield, The Wedding Date), they are an unstoppable duo in the seemingly perfect suburbs of Middleford.

In this complete collection, Catz and Faulkner sparkle as the bickering, bantering crime-solvers. Filled with a blend of ironic humor and chutzpah, this light-hearted crime drama will have you cheering as Ash and Scribbs face up against political corruption, secretive millionaires, salsa dancers, and real estate agents to catch the killer.

  

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Revenge
Season Three

Emily Thorne's brilliant plan for vengeance takes a wicked turn in this third season of ABC's drama.

Emily pursues a new strategy to take down the Graysons once and for all — on her and Daniel's wedding day — as turned allies, new enemies, and ghosts from the past threaten to expose her. With an ultimatum from Jack and her complicated history with Aiden resurfacing, Emily must take extreme measures to ensure her plan goes off without a hitch.

But Victoria has new reasons to destroy the girl next door, and with her long-lost son by her side, everyone — including Nolan — may become collateral damage in Emily and Victoria's vicious war.

Let the fireworks begin!

The 4th season premieres on Sunday, September 28th.

      

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The Walking Dead
Season Four

In this uncertain world, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors must not only fight the dead, but also face a whole new fear: the living.

In this fourth season, Rick and his fellow survivors continue to seek refuge in a desolate and post-apocalyptic world and soon discover that there are greater forces to fear than just the walking dead. The struggle to survive has never been so perilous.

        

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Visit the Telemystery website to discover more television mystery series currently available on and coming soon to DVD, Blu-ray disc, or video on demand.

Remaindered, A Bibliomystery Short Story by Peter Lovesey, New This Week from Mysterious Press

Every so often — but not often enough, in our opinion! — Mysterious Press publishes a new bibliomystery, short tales about deadly books written by some of crime fiction's best authors. Omnimystery News is pleased to present the latest entry in this series, new this week …

Remaindered by Peter Lovesey

A Bibliomystery Short Story

Publisher: Mysterious Press

Price: $1.99 (as of 08/26/2014 at 1:30 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

A puzzler of a tale about a dead bookshop owner, a priceless cache of first editions, and a deadly secret taken to the grave …

It's no mystery who killed Robert Ripple, owner of Precious Finds Bookstore in Pokesville, Pennsylvania. It was Agatha Christie — or rather, a large carton of valuable Christie hardcovers that the not-so-young Ripple was attempting to lift when his heart gave out. The real question is why the so-called Friends of England, who meet regularly in the back room of Ripple's literary emporium, are so eager to keep the place open after its proprietor's death.

Certainly it must have something to do with the Friends' past lives as the associates of a slain New York mobster. Whatever their plan is, they'll need the help of Tanya Tripp, Ripple's recently hired and completely unsuspecting assistant, if they want to pull it off.

But despite her trustworthy appearance, Tanya may well be hatching a scheme of her own.

— Remaindered by Peter Lovesey

The Fallen, A Derek Stillwater Thriller by Mark Terry, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Oceanview Publishing …

The Fallen by Mark Terry

A Derek Stillwater Thriller (3rd in series)

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Price: $0.99 (as of 08/26/2014 at 1:00 PM ET).

Read our review of this book on Mysterious Reviews.

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Twenty world leaders meet for the G8 Summit at the beautiful Cheyenne Resort in Colorado Springs. But an ugly plot lurks beneath the surface: a terrorist group, The Fallen Angels, plans to wreak havoc on the Summit.

With the Secret Service, the FBI, Homeland Security, the military, and security from twenty different governments on-hand, shouldn't the resort be the safest place in the world?

It seems impossible that a terrorist group could infiltrate the Summit. And yet they do. Within minutes, twenty world leaders are taken hostage, and Richard Coffee, the group's leader, makes his first demand: release twenty detainees from Guantanamo Bay, or he'll execute one leader each hour until his demands are met.

Only one man can disrupt this plot. Derek Stillwater is that man.

Working undercover as a maintenance man at the resort, Stillwater will wage war on the world's deadliest, most sophisticated terrorist organization, picking off the terrorists one by one-until he comes face-to-face with an evil force from his past, Richard Coffee, The Fallen Angel himself.

— The Fallen by Mark Terry

The Devil's Edge, A Ben Cooper and Diane Fry Mystery by Stephen Booth, New This Week from Witness Impulse

Every week, Witness Impulse — an imprint of William Morrow — releases new suspense and thriller digital originals, typically priced at just $2.99 each.

Omnimystery News is pleased to present you with one of this week's titles …

The Devil's Edge by Stephen Booth

A Ben Cooper and Diane Fry Mystery (11th in series)

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Price: $2.99 (as of 08/26/2014 at 12:30 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

When nobody's home, the Savages roam …

The newspapers call them the Savages: a band of home invaders as merciless as they are stealthy. Usually they don't leave a clue — but this time, they've left a body. The first victim is found sprawled on her kitchen floor, blood soaking the terracotta tiles. Before long, another corpse is discovered, dead of fright. As the toll rises, it's up to DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry to track down the killers.

But the enemy isn't who they think it is. Beneath the sinister shadow of a mountain ridge called the Devil's Edge, a twisted game is under way, a game more ruthless than the detectives can imagine.

— The Devil's Edge by Stephen Booth

Please Welcome Back Crime Novelist Dana King

with Dana King

We are delighted to welcome back thriller writer Dana King to Omnimystery News.

Last week we spoke with Dana about his Shamus Award-nominated PI novel A Small Sacrifice, and we invited him back today to write on a topic of his choosing.

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Photo provided courtesy of
Dana King

I was advised that things have been pretty serious here lately, and I could lighten them up if I wanted. The book I'm flogging, A Small Sacrifice, is about the murder of a six-year-old boy. Dark family secrets are involved. Not a lot of yuks inherent in that. Still, there is humor.

How can that be? What could possibly be funny about the death of a small child? Nothing. But peripheral events can be funny, even if it's the whistling through the graveyard kind of humor. People are like that.

You've almost certainly laughed at a funeral. If you haven't laughed at a viewing or wake, there may be something wrong with you. Laughter does not have to imply happiness. It signifies humor. Dead people did funny things before they died. Those stories get told. People laugh. Weird things can happen on the way to the funeral. I deliberately told a funny story at the funeral of a dear friend because everyone was so solemn, talking about how selfless he'd been helping other cancer patients, I didn't want the occasion to pass without someone mentioning he had also been one of the funniest people I ever knew. His brother caught my eye after the telling. He appreciated the effort. He wasn't up to it.

Crime fiction is rife with possibilities for humor, and not just in the hands of Donald Westlake or Carl Hiaasen. Cops are often funny, if only as a way to break the stress. If you want to have some fun with cops, read one of Connie Fletcher's books. (Especially the first two: What Cops Know and Pure Cop. Both are, unfortunately, out of print, which is going to be a problem when my much used copies fall apart.) Cop stories, told by cops, full of escapist dark humor. Educational, terrifying, and genuinely funny all at the same time. Joseph Wambaugh can break your heart — there are times I had to take a break when reading The Onion Field — yet his fiction is laugh out loud funny, both in the cops' smart ass comments and in well-conceived and executed set pieces.

Crooks often provide a different kind of humor. Many are lightly educated, and a lot aren't too bright in the first place, which opens the door for all kinds of dumb things to happen. (Think of the malapropisms of Little Carmine Lupertazzi in The Sopranos.) Not deliberately funny, but not as smart as they think they are, this brand of humor was best captured by Elmore Leonard. Get Shorty, his most openly funny book, is awash with them. Ray Bones thinks he's the smartest guy in the room, when he'd have a hard time being the smartest guy in a phone booth. And Bo Catlett delivers what may be Leonard's tour de force for such comments, when talking to Chili Palmer about how easy it must be to write a screenplay.

  Chili opened the script again, flipped through a few pages looking at the format. "You know how to write one of these?"
  "You asking me," Catlett said, "do I know how to write down words on a piece of paper? That's what you do, man, you put down one word after the other as it comes in your head. It isn't like having to learn how to play the piano, like you have to learn notes. You already learned in school how to write, didn't you? I hope so. You have the idea and you put down what you want to say. Then you get somebody to add in the commas and shit where they belong, if you aren't positive yourself. Maybe fix up the spelling where you have some tricky words. There people do that for you. Some, I've even seen scripts where I know words weren't spelled right and there was hardly any commas in it. So I don't think it's too important. You come to the last page you write in 'Fade out' and that's the end, you're done."
  Chili said, "That's all there is to it?"
  "That's all."
  Chili said, "Then what do I need you for?"

Chili's no Richard Feynman himself, but he's clearly the president of this Mensa chapter.

A clever expression or simile can do it. No one would consider Raymond Chandler a humorous writer, but he wrote turns of phrase that are laugh out loud funny and still appropriate to a serious scene. Dave Robicheaux shares lighter moments with Clete, Alafair, and whichever wife happens to be alive in a given book. Elvis Cole is a character, and not just in the fictional sense.

Beware the book that is too dark, too often. Not to say they can't work, but they can wear you down. Humor lightens a mood, and sets the reader up for something dramatic, and characterizes as well or better than anything else. Elmore Leonard is famous for telling writers to leave out the things people tend to skip. They don't skip laughs.

What does any of this have to do with A Small Sacrifice? Not much, frankly. There are lighter moments there, but it probably has the least humor of anything I've written. So why write this post? Well, the book was nominated for a Shamus Award, and, as anyone who has heard my opinion of awards knows, that's funnier than hell.

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Dana King has worked as a musician, public school teacher, adult trainer, and information systems analyst. His short fiction has appeared in New Mystery Reader, A Twist of Noir, Mysterical-E, and Powder Burn Flash.

He lives in Maryland with his Beloved Spouse, where he pays the bills by working as a consultant at an undisclosed location. It's not one of those, "he'd tell you, but then he'd have to kill you" deals. He's just not going to tell you.

For more information about the author, please visit his blog One Bite at a Time or find him on Facebook.

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A Small Sacrifice
Dana King
A Crime Thriller

Detective Nick Forte is not impressed when Shirley Mitchell asks him to clear her son's name for a murder everyone is sure he committed. Persuaded to at least look around, Forte soon encounters a dead body, as well as the distinct possibility the next murder he's involved with will be his own.

Clearing Doug Mitchell's name quickly becomes far less important to Forte than keeping references to himself in the present tense.

  

Thread of Hope by Jeff Shelby is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …

Thread of Hope by Jeff Shelby

A Joe Tyler Mystery

Publisher: Jeff Shelby

… as today's fifth free mystery ebook. This is a repeat freebie that was last featured on our site on October 18, 2012.

  

This title was listed for free as of August 26, 2014 at 7:40 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

More on today's free book, below.

If someone took your child, how soon would you stop looking for her? If someone accused your best friend of a terrible crime, when would you stop defending him?

Seven years after Joe Tyler's daughter Elizabeth was abducted, he hasn't stopped looking for answers, and he hasn't forgotten the friend who stood by him as he lost his wife, his home, and his career in his search. Now he's been brought back to San Diego by the news that this friend has been arrested for beating up a teenage girl — a girl not much older than Elizabeth would be now.

Joe is convinced Chuck Winslow is innocent, but Chuck is in a coma and can't explain what happened. And the more Joe hears about what Chuck's been up to in the years he's been gone, the less Joe recognizes his old friend. To find out the truth, he will have to face his ex-wife, his former bosses, and a hometown full of wealth, lies, and illicit privilege. When Chuck's accuser goes missing, Joe must decide where his loyalties truly lie.

— Thread of Hope by Jeff Shelby

Death in Room Five by George Bellairs is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …

Death in Room Five by George Bellairs

A Chief Inspector Littlejohn Mystery

Publisher: Endeavour Press

… as today's fourth free mystery ebook.

  

This title was listed for free as of August 26, 2014 at 7:30 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

More on today's free book, below.

When a group from the small English town of Bolchester make an excursion to Cannes, little do they expect it to end so dramatically — with the disastrous murder of one of their party, the domineering Alderman William Dawson. Suddenly the holidaymakers find themselves murder suspects.

But, with so many grudges borne against Dawson, it becomes impossible to work out who might have been responsible for his death. Was the fact that he had been a traitor in the maquis — the French resistance — during the war a factor? And was his death connected to the subsequent killing of the crooked barkeeper Sammy?

When Scotland Yard call in Chief Inspector Littlejohn in to investigate, rudely interrupting his holiday in the Riviera, he comes up against a trying, taxing and peculiar case.

— Death in Room Five by George Bellairs

Cold Black by Alex Shaw is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …

Cold Black by Alex Shaw

A Political Thriller

Publisher: Endeavour Press

… as today's third free mystery ebook.

  

This title was listed for free as of August 26, 2014 at 7:20 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

More on today's free book, below.

In Britain, MI6 operative Aidan Snow witnesses a ruthless murder. Paddy Fox, a jaded ex-SAS soldier, foils the kidnap of a member of the Saudi Royal Family. Russia is making offers — and demands — to Ukraine that cannot be refused. In Saudi Arabia an al-Qaeda terror cell prepares for a mission.

How are all these events connected? And what is Cold Black? Aidan Snow must fit the pieces of the puzzle together before it's too late …

— Cold Black by Alex Shaw

Island of Bones by P. J. Parrish is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …

Island of Bones by P. J. Parrish

A Louis Kincaid Mystery

Publisher: Our Noir

… as today's second free mystery ebook.

  

This title was listed for free as of August 26, 2014 at 7:10 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

More on today's free book, below.

In the wake of a hurricane a tiny skull washes up in front of detective Louis Kincaid's cottage. Days later, the bullet-riddled body of a woman surfaces on a nearby island. She has no identification … except for a unique coral ring.

Sensing a connection, Louis begins his investigation, a search for the truth that will lead him down a trail of secrets and lies — to the Island of Bones, where evil never dies and the living never escape.

— Island of Bones by P. J. Parrish

Deadly Ties by Susan Holmes is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature …

Deadly Ties by Susan Holmes

A Waterside Kennels Mystery

Publisher: Elderstone Press

… as today's free mystery ebook.

  

This title was listed for free as of August 26, 2014 at 7:00 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

More on today's free book, below.

Come to a place haunted by legends … where the search for treasure just might lead to murder …

Come to the hills of the Ozarks and meet Maggie Porter and her dogs — a champion Labrador Retriever, an aging Cocker Spaniel, and a Beagle retired from federal service. Maggie has returned home to reopen the family dog kennel business, where she's plagued by problems from the start. Serious trouble arises when a gossip-loving employee turns up dead holding an heirloom locket belonging to Maggie's mother.

More trouble arrives in the shape of anonymous threats and mysterious break-ins. And when a security crisis puts everything she loves at risk, Maggie realizes somebody doesn't want Waterside back in business.

As the region sizzles in record heat, a "Treasure of the Ozarks" campaign disrupts her quest for answers even as it breathes new life into old tales and brings out tourists and treasure hunters alike. With her loyal dogs at her side, Maggie must dig for the truth behind the violence. Along the way, she learns that everyone has something to hide — and some secrets are worth killing for.

— Deadly Ties by Susan Holmes

The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass is Today's Kobo Daily Deal

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass as today's Kobo Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, August 26, 2014, and has been price-matched by Amazon.com.

The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass

A Bill Brockton, Body Farm Mystery (5th in series)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Price: $1.99 (as of 08/26/2014 at 6:40 AM ET).

    

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

It seems a routine case for Dr. Bill Brockton, the exhumation of a body to obtain a bone sample for a DNA paternity test. But a shocking discovery awaits Brockton and his colleagues when the coffin is opened: the corpse inside has been horribly violated. The grisly find embroils the Body Farm's founder in a dangerous investigation into a flourishing black market in body parts, as Brockton is recruited for an FBI sting to bring down a postmortem chop shop — using corpses from the Body Farm as bait.

But as he descends deeper into a ghoulish empire on the trail of a ruthless grave robber, Brockton faces a devastating choice that could compromise the investigation and place him in even graver peril. And for the sake of a damaged friend — a medical examiner who has lost his hands — Brockton may be forced to risk his principles, his freedom … and even his life.

— The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass

Uniform Justice by Donna Leon is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature Uniform Justice by Donna Leon as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, August 26, 2014.

Uniform Justice by Donna Leon

A Guido Brunetti Mystery (12th in series)

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Price: $1.99 (as of 08/26/2014 at 6:10 AM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Venetian detective Commissario Guido Brunetti is called to investigate a parent's worst nightmare. A young cadet has been found hanged, a presumed suicide, in Venice's elite military academy. Brunetti's sorrow for the boy, so close in age to his own son, is rivaled only by his contempt for a community that is more concerned with protecting the reputation of the school, and its privileged students, than understanding this tragedy.

The young man is the son of a doctor and former politician, a man of an impeccable integrity all too rare in Italian politics. Dr. Moro is clearly and understandably devastated by his son's death; but while both he and his apparently estranged wife seem convinced that the boy's death could not have been suicide, neither appears eager to talk to the police or involve Brunetti in any investigation of the circumstances in which he died.

As Brunetti pursues his inquiry, he is faced with a wall of silence. Is the military protecting its own? And what of the other witnesses? Is this the natural reluctance of Italians to involve themselves with the authorities, or is Brunetti facing a conspiracy far greater than this one death?

— Uniform Justice by Donna Leon