Ratings14
Average rating3.4
“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...transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window The Shape of Water is the first book in the sly, witty, and engaging Inspector Montalbano mystery series with its sardonic take on Sicilian life. Silvio Lupanello, a big-shot in Vigàta, is found dead in his car with his pants around his knees. The car happens to be parked in a part of town used by prostitutes and drug dealers, and as the news of his death spreads, the rumors begin. Enter Inspector Salvo Montalbano, Vigàta's most respected detective. With his characteristic mix of humor, cynicism, compassion, and love of good food, Montalbano battles against the powerful and corrupt who are determined to block his path to the real killer. Andrea Camilleri's novels starring Inspector Montalbano have become an international sensation and have been translated into numberous languages.
Reviews with the most likes.
Really amateur writing. There are jumps between scenes with no warning, there are characters who aren't explained for several full pages, most descriptions were perfunctory. And worst of all, even with all the murder and sex and whatnot, it was dull. Of all the things a book can be, boring is the only unpardonable sin.
I'm delighted to discover this prolific series of mysteries. This book was like a perfect procedural, snappy, witty, plotty. Montalbano is a slightly less sexist pig in a land of pigs, so if that pushes your buttons you may want to skip these books. It did not turn me off, but YMMV. I'm planning on continuing the series.
The descriptions of Sicilian idiosyncrasies are accurate and intriguing. The story is oddly complex but it's the perfect kind of dilemma that allows us to learn Montalbano as not so much a man of the law, as a man fighting for justice in an unjust world.
All in all a good, entertaining read.
Different. Even though it's translated into English, the Italian idioms and many of the everyday life things made for a different read. Good detective story and a great main character.
Series
21 primary books25 released booksInspector Montalbano is a 25-book series with 21 primary works first released in 1994 with contributions by Andrea Camilleri, María Antonia Menini Pagés, and 4 others.