Salvo Montalbano is now 58 years old and beginning to wonder if he's going to live to be 59. Bones creak, he forgets things, and his wonderfully irascible personality is becoming even more crusty. In this 14th episode of Camilleri's amusing, entertaining and well-written series about crime in Sicily, Salvo finds himself totally head over heels enamored (he would never admit to LOVE!!!) of a young naval lieutenant as they work together to solve the murder of a washed up body. In addition, there's a huge and luxurious pleasure yacht tied up at the town pier with an elegant and notoriously promiscuous owner aboard and Montalbano smells a rat. The crime solving evolves with the usual antics from Fazzio, Catarella, Mimi Auguello, and the gang. Several times, the Inspector even takes exceptional risks that appear somewhat out of character. His temper often gets the better of him, and he's not having much luck with the famous Sicilian cuisine either.
The missing link in this one is Livia. Although by now, readers of the series are becoming used to her cameo appearances by phone from Genoa, they are few and far between in this one. Salvo spends a lot of time and energy on his new infatuation, and Livia looks like she's going to get short shrift.
NO SPOILERS......you'll have to read this one on your own. Like all the books in this series, it is a quick enjoyable, well-crafted mystery with a carefully developed cast of characters, a heavenly setting, and plots that keep us guessing. The translations by Steven Sartarelli are spot on, evoking all the passion and nuance of the original Italian. The audios of this series are incredibly fun listening. I've gotten through many a water-aerobics session painlessly because I had these enjoyable stories to accompany me.
Author: Andrea Camilleri
Translated by: Steven Sartarelli
Publisher-Format: New York, N.Y. : Penguin Books, 2012.
audio: Blackstone Audio, 5 hrs, 22 minutes
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Subject: crime, murder, mid-life crisis
Setting: Sicily
Series: Inspector Montalbano
Genre: police procedural
Source: public library audio download
Posts
"now 58 years old and beginning to wonder if he's going to live to be 59. Bones creak, he forgets things, and his wonderfully irascible personality is becoming even more crusty."
ReplyDeletechange those pronouns to 'she' and that might be me..lol