Thrilling
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I began this book on a wet Sunday morning lying on the sofa and instantly became hooked...at the time of reading it, I wished I could have read faster as i was so desperate to know 'who dunnit'. I really enjoyed the book and am definately considering buying more in the series.
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OK
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I thought I'd give this a try as it sounded quite different from the kind of book I would normally read and other reviews made it sound (to me) rather intriguing. The book is quite slow to get going and at the start particularly there are some over-long sentences: at the end of page 5 there is one of over 100 words and the following sentence is 61 words long.
I was beginning to regret having bothered with this book when things started to improve. Quite quickly the sentences become shorter and the fact that they have been translated (from Italian) becomes far less obvious and less distracting. As the book becomes more readable the story picks up pace as well.
I found it a little taxing getting to grips with various police, military and civil roles referred to in the book and occasionally confused the similar-ish Italian names. The character of Inspector Montalbano is very likeable and I thought a little alternative. He brought to mind the American TV detective Columbo.
This book gives a flavour of Sicily but I found the plot predictable with no real surprises. Overall I did enjoy it and will read the next in the series as it seems to promise better.
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Well worth a read
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The book exudes a dusty world-weariness. Grime, the lewd and the coarse mix with food, wine, sea and sun. Camilleri is a gruff, offbeat guide through this world, with a big heart. One minute he talks of prostitution, the next, of fine art; one minute he is as coarse as a footballer, the next, as angelic as Gabriel himself. The writing is minimalist, with descriptions and character portreyal kept to absolute bare essentials. The main character, Inspector Montelbano, does come through quite strongly though. But there is an adictive quality to the book, the plot and the quirkiness of the writing keep one hooked. So Camilleri's cool, almost uninvolved way with his writing should perhaps instead be seen a lightness of touch concealing a powerful literary technique. In a samilar manner, we are led to feel that the plot will untie easily and simply, until it veers off into unexpected areas. Certainly one could never hope for a more honest portreyal of everyday life, and it is the all-too familiar ordinariness of the people that both provoke the odd chuckle and also somewhat smudge the rose-tinted spectacles with which, I'm sure, lots of us view such exotic parts of the world.
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Poor
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I must be reading a different book to the other reviews, I have read. Contrary to the Observer review, I thought the translation poor, the grammar diabolical - I think I went through 2 pages without encountering a full stop or any other grammatical mark that may allow one to pause for breath. This was an experiment for me, I was looking forward to a little light reading. I was bored after the first 2 pages but determined to suffer through to the end. I am sorry I wasted my coffers and certainly won't be reading any more of the series.
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A revelation
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This is the first book I read in the series about Montalbano, and I have since gone on to read as many more as I can find. He's a breath of fresh air. His Sicilian attitudes and his obssession with his stomach make a wonderful foil to the gritty and often violent crimes that he is forced to deal with. Despite their modern settings and the corruption and politics that Camilleri uses in his work there is something wonderfully old fashioned about both Montalbano and his detecting techniques which make him a real character worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with greats like Morse and Rebus.
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