The Wings of the Sphinx

Starred review from November 16, 2009
Bestseller Camilleri's sublime and darkly humorous 11th whodunit featuring Chief Insp. Salvo Montalbano (after 2009's August Heat
) finds the 56-year-old Sicilian policeman in the midst of a serious crisis with his significant other, Livia. Montalbano is uncertain what he can and should do to repair the rift that has developed between them. Meanwhile, the inspector must tackle a difficult case—the gunshot murder of an attractive young woman whose nude body was left in a dump. As Montalbano and his team first attempt to identify the victim based on a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder, they learn of a possible link to an influential Catholic charity. Soon they start to feel political pressure to steer the inquiry in a different direction. Camilleri balances his hero's personal and professional challenges perfectly and leaves the reader eager for more.

March 29, 2010
Happily, Grover Gardner eschews even a hint of an Italian accent in narrating the 11th installment of this series celebrating the life, loves, and investigations of the charmingly eccentric Sicilian Insp. Salvo Montalbano. Nearly every word in this comfortable but not cozy novel identifies its geographical setting, particularly the details of its food, scenery, characters, and, yes, crimes. In the case of the latter, it's what looks like a faux kidnapping and a murder that has the outspoken detective investigating a Catholic charity supposed to be saving the souls and bodies of beautiful young women from the wicked ways of local Mafia night clubs. Along with his avoidance of stereotypes and unfortunate accents, Gardner does quite well by the characters, from the weary but unstoppable Montalbano to his backup crew of memorable cops and the angry, offended, officious, and, in rare instances, grateful people with whom he has to deal. With the exception of a desk cop who's a bit too thick to be believed, these are three-dimensional, human creations, and Gardner treats them as such. A Penguin paperback (Reviews, Nov. 16).

Grover Gardner is the perfect performer for Camilleri's series, giving a slyly funny reading of Inspector Montalbano and the Sicilian cops he works with. For instance, he gives the imbecile desk sergeant who can't spell, write clearly, or ever get a name right, an amusing Bronx accent. Great performance, but therein lies a problem. If Catarella is such a buffoon, why does he have a job? The writing (and/or translation) is clunky, and the plotting either predictable or unbelievable, not a good combination. The titular sphinx is a four-winged moth tattooed on a naked dead girl found in a dump on the first page or so. What follows doesn't quite succeed as farce or thriller, but Gardner keeps the experience fairly painless for the listener. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine