Suffer the little children

by Donna Leon

The wonderful new Commissario Brunetti mystery, from the Silver Dagger winner Donna Leon.The quiet of the Venetian night is shattered as a band of armed men smash their way into Dr Gustavo Pedrolli's apartment, fracture his skull and grab his eighteen-month-old baby. And when Commissario Guido Brunetti, pulled from his bed by the news, arrives at the hospital to investigate, no one knows why the eminent paediatrician has suffered such a violent assault. But soon Brunetti begins to uncover a story of infertility, desperation, and an underworld where babies can be bought for cash – linked with a money-making scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city. And knowledge can be as destructive as greed – certain information about one's neighbours can lead to all kinds of corruption and all sorts of pain.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?