Excursion to Tindari - Rated 
Inspector Montalbano is back, in the fifth book of the series, reinforcing his position as surely Italy's most astute, and irascible, paper-bound sleuth. Think cross between the care-worn intuition of Inspector Morse, introspective melancholy and all, although substitute a perfectly grilled sea-bass with carters dressing for real ale, and the curmudgeonly experience of a Jack Frost, although here Italian genes supply an improbable sex appeal.
The plot switches intriguingly between a dead-on-his-door-step Don Juan, and the disappearance of an old couple on an uncharacteristic day-trip trip to the seaside, in a convoluted tangle with Italy's sinister new mafia and possibly the old one too.
If you are new to the series, start from the first; if not, then you too will likely be racing through to get to number six.
Crime with RAI humour - Rated
I usually enjoy reading crime novels about as much as I enjoy being burgled: not a lot. But watching the RAI's excellent adaptation (for Italian TV) screened on BBC Four recently made me curious enough to try the print original. And the book, of course, opens up dimensions beyond the scope of visual media.
Montalbano must be the only fictional sleuth who gets his intuitions from communing with 'saraceno' olive trees (ie those impossibly gnarled and knotty specimens pushing 1000 years old). He has an endearingly witty and bantering manner with his colleagues and an Italian's sensuous love of food: eating his baby octopi carefully enough to give the brain time to 'preactivate the senses of taste and smell so that one seemed to eat the fish twice'.
The author, Andrea Camilleri, is highly literary, but his allusions to Dante, Shakespeare, Pasolini etc. serve his purposes and never get in the way of his fast-paced plot, which twists unpredictably like that Saracen olive. Camilleri's own poetic turn of phrase, meanwhile, is just one of many facets that would make this book worth re-reading even after the mystery has been solved. Wonderfully inventive and entertaining!
Such a joy - Rated
I love these books. Camilleri writes with such a love of his characters and country and it oozes from every page. Montalbano is so real, a rough and ready cop, a fighter for human dignity and the old school way of doing things, butting up against nodern technology and corruption and taking it head on. In this book, an elderly couple go missing after an organized day trip and Montalbano is sent to investigate. Their seemingly ordinary lives start to unravel and Montalbano is there to pick up the pieces and restore order.
Exquisite Mysteries, Little Personal Plots, Tiny Pleasures, and Sardonic Humor - Rated
Excursion to Tindari has some of the best humor based on human elimination since Rabelais. Who else but Andrea Camilleri would indulge his character development in such an imaginative and earthy way?
An ongoing theme in the book is the troubled nature of love between men and women. You will find the exposition to provide much room for chuckles and smiles.
The mysteries are subtle and puzzling . . . with the ultimate causal strings well hidden until near the end. Those who love challenging mysteries will feel well rewarded.
Ultimately, Excursion to Tindari is more character development about Inspector Montalbano than it is a mystery. But the book is much more mystery, if you look only at that dimension, than all but a few mysteries that will come out in any given year. As someone who loves great character development and difficult-to-solve mysteries, I was in heaven while reading this delightful book.
A young man is assassinated, professional-style, on his doorstep. He comes from a poor family and his work doesn't pay much. Where did he get all those expensive belongings?
An unfriendly elderly couple takes an excursion on a bus to Tindari, and don't even get off the bus until just before the trip ends. After that, no one can find them. What's going on?
A Mafia don tells Montalbano to call on him. Even with great caution, can Montalbano avoid being used for the don's purposes?
In the background, Montalbano is very upset to learn that Mimi Augello, his right hand man, has fallen in love with a policewoman in another town and is thinking about moving. Can anything be done?
The book has only three highlights for Montalbano: His favorite tree provides inspiration and answers; he has an unexpectedly pleasant meal with a beautiful and agreeable young woman; and he can always seem to find some wonderful food to distract him from his annoyances and frustrations.
The contrasts between the inner Montalbano and the public one are nicely and humorously drawn. As always, the politics of the police are displayed in Keystone-Kops-like ways. You could laugh about the funny parts of this book for days.
Bravo to both Andrea Camilleri and his brilliant translator, Stephen Sartarelli!
Exquisite Mysteries, Little Personal Plots, Tiny Pleasures, and Sardonic Humor - Rated
Excursion to Tindari has some of the best humor based on human elimination since Rabelais. Who else but Andrea Camilleri would indulge his character development in such an imaginative and earthy way?
An ongoing theme in the book is the troubled nature of love between men and women. You will find the exposition to provide much room for chuckles and smiles.
The mysteries are subtle and puzzling . . . with the ultimate causal strings well hidden until near the end. Those who love challenging mysteries will feel well rewarded.
Ultimately, Excursion to Tindari is more character development about Inspector Montalbano than it is a mystery. But the book is much more mystery, if you look only at that dimension, than all but a few mysteries that will come out in any given year. As someone who loves great character development and difficult-to-solve mysteries, I was in heaven while reading this delightful book.
A young man is assassinated, professional-style, on his doorstep. He comes from a poor family and his work doesn't pay much. Where did he get all those expensive belongings?
An unfriendly elderly couple takes an excursion on a bus to Tindari, and don't even get off the bus until just before the trip ends. After that, no one can find them. What's going on?
A Mafia don tells Montalbano to call on him. Even with great caution, can Montalbano avoid being used for the don's purposes?
In the background, Montalbano is very upset to learn that Mimi Augello, his right hand man, has fallen in love with a policewoman in another town and is thinking about moving. Can anything be done?
The book has only three highlights for Montalbano: His favorite tree provides inspiration and answers; he has an unexpectedly pleasant meal with a beautiful and agreeable young woman; and he can always seem to find some wonderful food to distract him from his annoyances and frustrations.
The contrasts between the inner Montalbano and the public one are nicely and humorously drawn. As always, the politics of the police are displayed in Keystone-Kops-like ways. You could laugh about the funny parts of this book for days.
Bravo to both Andrea Camilleri and his brilliant translator, Stephen Sartarelli!
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