Death at Sea: Montalbano's Early Cases

July 1, 2018
Sicilian police inspector Montalbano returns in this collection of eight short cases.The question posed by this volume is whether Montalbano's abbreviated adventures are as satisfying as the full-length ones in Camilleri's novels (The Sacco Gang, 2018, etc.), and the answer is not quite. But only in the sense that a fully satisfying meal leaves more of an impression than a wonderful snack. The metaphor is apt, because food ranks just after work and just ahead of love in the triumvirate that keeps the inspector going. Love is represented here, as in all the books, by the inspector's girlfriend, Livia, their relationship a series of squabbles and makeups that are indicative of nothing so much as the interactions of two brainy people, neither of whom suffers fools gladly. Food is, always, the sacred respite Montalbano takes at his usual lunchtime trattoria and, later, at home with whatever delicacy his housekeeper, Adelina, has left in the oven. The cases, mostly disappearances and murders, or disappearances that turn into murders, are all diverting. But what matters about the Montalbano books is the inspector himself, an earthy, cunning companion, open to delight and affection, his grumpiness the reaction of a decent man to how often his fellow human beings fall short of decency. Longtime readers of the series take his deductive powers as a given. They are, though, more apt to see the essence of the man when, after dinner, he takes to the veranda of his little house by the sea and sits looking at the water in twilight, smoking, sipping whisky, usually working out a problem but more often than not just being, and inviting the reader to share this quiet pleasure.This is a fine introduction for newcomers to Camilleri's work and, for the dedicated, eight examples of why Inspector Montalbano is so beloved.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 16, 2018
Set in 1980s Vigàta, Sicily, the eight stories in this delightful collection from CWA International Dagger Award–winner Camilleri (The Pyramid of Mud), show a young Salvo Montalbano encountering tricky situations and crimes that can’t always be solved by traditional police work. The cast is familiar, even though Camilleri has not yet rounded the interplay of his main characters into a mature form. Livia is already Salvo’s lover; Insp. Mimi Augello and Detective Fazio are already his able assistants; and office aide Catarella is butchering the language as usual. Highlights include “Room Number 2,” in which Salvo solves an arson case, and “Double Investigation,” in which he has a seminal confrontation with Augello. Salvo’s cleverness derails a complex drug operation in “Death at Sea.” Pamela, an unlikely but sexually voracious barmaid, disappears in “The Stolen Message,” and Salvo figures out the surprising reason why. This is a must for Montalbano fans and anyone else who values superb plotting. Agent: Carmen Prestia, Carmen Prestia Agenzia Letteraria (Italy).

August 1, 2018
The ever-observant, rule-bending Inspector Montalbano, star of Camilleri's long-running series (A Nest of Vipers?, 2017) set in Vig�ta, Sicily, has his deductive abilities tested in this collection of eight short stories that flash back to the inspector's early years on the job in the 1980s, when he tackles various crimes?many with the Mafia lurking in the background?that vary from domestic turmoil to an assassination attempt on the pope. Camilleri's quirky characters and crimes are at times hilarious, with each lovingly drawn so as to endear readers. A brief appended glossary explains a few Sicilian terms that are used in the book, but otherwise the translation stands alone; fans will enjoy, as always, Montalbano's malaprop-spouting assistant, but those new to the series may find that his colloquial lingo sounds too much like New York dialect (a running gag has him telling his boss that someone wishes to speak to him poissonally in poisson ). Still, lovers of eccentric mysteries will be entertained by these fast-moving tales and by Montalbano's insider knowledge of how to get things done in Sicily.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)