How long does it take to read Beastly Things?
Beastly Things by Donna Leon takes about 5 hours 30 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
Book 21 of Commissario Brunetti novels
Previous: Drawing Conclusions Next: The Golden Egg
About 5 hours 30 minutes
A weekend read
First published 2012. 300 pages, about 82,500 words.
11 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 9 hours 10 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 3 hours 26 minutes |
The page count is the median across 11 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About 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.
Subjects: Guido Brunetti (Fictitious character), Police, Fiction, Murder, Investigation, Kriminalroman
