"You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven't read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen. Aglow with local color, packed with flint-dry wit, as fresh and clean as Mediterranean seafood — altogether transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano." A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
A hail of bullets interrupts a period of dead calm. An elderly brother and sister open fire on the plaza below their apartment, punishing the people of Vigàta for their sins. News cameras capture Montalbano—gun in hand—as he scales the building to capture the ancient snipers. Inside he finds a nightmarish world of religious objects and a well-worn inflatable sex doll that will come back to haunt him. The Inspector is hailed as a hero after the televised adventure and calm returns. But Montalbano begins to receive cryptic messages in verse, challenging him to go on a "treasure hunt." Intrigued, he accepts, treating the messages as amusing riddles—until they take a dangerous turn.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Inspector Montalbano Series: "Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano mysteries might sell like hotcakes in Europe, but these world-weary crime stories were unknown here until the oversight was corrected (in Stephen Sartarelli's salty translation) by the welcome publication of "The Shape of Water"...This savagely funny police procedural...prove[s] that sardonic laughter is a sound that translates ever so smoothly into English."--"The New York Times Book Review""Hailing from the land of Umberto Eco and La Casa Nostra, Montalbano can discuss a pointy-headed book like "Western Attitudes Toward Death" as unflinchingly as he can pore over crime-scene snuff photos. He throws together an extemporaneous lunch of shrimp with lemon wedges and oil as gracefully as he dodges advances from attractive women."--"Los Angeles"" Times"
"[Camilleri's mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling--and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction...Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily's mean streets."--"USA"" Today"
"Camilleri is as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator."--"The Washington Post Book World "
"Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can't stay out of trouble...Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outburst, fumbles, or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth."--"The Nation"
"Camilleri can do a character's whole backstory in half a paragraph."--"The New Yorker " --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Andrea Camilleri is the internationally bestselling author of the popular Inspector Montalbano series, as well as historical novels set in nineteenth-century Sicily. He lives in Italy.Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator and poet. He lives in France. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
From Booklist
Sicilian police inspector Salvo Montalbano has a way of finding himself in some truly oddball situations, but this time he outdoes himself, with the oddball gauge securely in the red zone from the get-go. It starts with a comical action scene: a crazed brother and sister open fire from their apartment window on the plaza below, prompting Montalbano to turn Spider-Man and scale the building, collaring the seventysomething snipers. The inspector's unlikely heroics are heralded in the press, prompting a curious response: someone begins sending Salvo peculiar notes, in rhyme, demanding that he take part in a treasure hunt. The clues seem only eccentric in the beginning, but as Montalbano follows the paths they chart, he begins to sense a sinister undertone. Could the hunt possibly tie in to the disappearance of a local girl? As always, Camilleri expertly mixes comedy with serious crime, but this time the evil foreshadowings dominate the tone (harking back to the earlier volumes in the series). Salvo wears his melancholy well—musings on aging accentuate the dark direction of the plot—and the bittersweet ending hits just the right end note. --Bill Ott --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Review
''Superlative . . . Once again, Camilleri's sardonic sense of humor distinguishes this Mediterranean crime novel from the pack.'' --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Inspector Montalbano Series:
''Hailing from the land of Umberto Eco and La Casa Nostra, Montalbano can discuss a pointy-headed book like Western Attitudes Toward Death as unflinchingly as he can pore over crime-scene snuff photos. He throws together an extemporaneous lunch of shrimp with lemon wedges and oil as gracefully as he dodges advances from attractive women.'' --Los Angeles Times
''[Camilleri's mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling -- and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction . . . Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily's mean streets.'' --USA Today
''Camilleri is as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator.'' --The Washington Post Book World
''Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can't stay out of trouble . . . Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outburst, fumbles, or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth.'' --The Nation
''Camilleri can do a character's whole backstory in half a paragraph.'' --The New Yorker --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B00C5R759K
- Publisher : Penguin Books (September 24, 2013)
- Publication date : September 24, 2013
- Language : English
