The Smell of the Night (An Inspector Montalbano Mystery)

It's hard to judge Italian books translated from someone who lives there: much is taken for granted. I got a real charge of the Aurelio Zen ( Michael Dibden) and Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti... but these were written by foreigners, who describe more cultural references, etc. On the other hand, I totally love the Marcovaldo stories by Italo Calvino, an Italian.

Larger than life characters, the flavour of Italy in both the food and ambience, mixed with a bit of mystery and good writing and with a glass of Chianti you could be there. I came late to Camilleri's Montalbano novels, have enjoyed them all, but enjoyed this one more than previous titles ( I've not read them in order either). Montalbano is idiosyncratic, breaks the rules and has his own unique approach to procedure. There's a lightness and humour to the writing that borders on farce at times but never undermines the credibility of the stories. If you like mysteries, may have enjoyed Michael Dibden's Aurelio Zen and Donna Leon, try this, Montalbano is the icing on the cake.

I enjoy the t.v. series made in Italy and available here in Code 4 DVD, so much that I must have my Montalbano fix often. I read the novels that are so popular here and in Italy, and listen to the audio CD's like this one, Smell of the Night, which should have been titled: Scent of the Night because Vigata is on the sea and the fragrances of sea, salt, olive blossoms and basil, can become intoxicating. This episode is great because someone has dared to cut down an ancient olive tree where Salvo Montalbano goes to brood and to receive comfort, this make our volatile Chief Inspector very "pazzo!". Plus, Salvo has such an acute brain,he knows to get into his old wet suit, and go diving in dark waters to solve the puzzle; then gloats that he is still in good shape until he bends down to pick up something afterwards, and ouch! His constant battle with evading marriage with the patient and beautiful Milano resident, Livia, is always delightful and Salvo's love for Sicilian food makes me long to go there and try some of those dishes that are described so well. the other regulars are wonderful including the long-suffering Livai, Fazio, the loyal right hand man, Mimi, the skirt chaser, and Catarella, who has to the 4th of the 3 Stooges. The women are wonderful and either hags or voluptuous beauties. Italian drama always has comedy, and Sicilian is Italian cubed. For example, a sign of affection can be a smack on the back of the head. As for this CD Audio, if you can get past the stentorian voice of the narrator, which I did after fussing for awhile, you'll find that the character, Salvo Montalbano, will leave you wanting to walk beside him again and again. The novels are all available in English, the DVD's come with English titles, but alas there are only two other novels by Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Salvo Montalbano available on audio CD's. The Shape of Water, and The Terra Cotta Dog.

"The Smell Of the Night" by Andrea Camilleri. Subtitled: "An Inspector Montalbano Mystery". Translated by Stephen Sartarelli. Penguin Books, 2005. A scam artist goes missing. Did the Mafia get rid of him? Because they were jealous of his success? Or because this relatively new scam was tapping funds the Mafia would have wanted? Or, perhaps, it was time for the scam artist to reap the rewards (however ill-gotten) of his scam and despite the fact that the scam would hurt many older and poorer people. At first, Inspector Montalbano does not want to become involved with a missing person case. The particular case at hand looked like the scam artist had bailed out with the money and gone back to mainland Italy. Missing persons. Money scams. No Sicilians involved except (of course) the victims of the scam. Page 97: "Mimi asked him:' Would you please tell me why you're getting so worked up over the Gargano Case?' " Two women! A young, cute lady who was the secretary and the older ...middle aged...good looking woman who was the office manager where the money was collected from the unsuspecting victims. Of course, murder is involved, and you'll be surprised to find out that Inspector Montalbano is an accomplished swimmer and free-diver. One body is found in the sea at the base of a cliff, but wait until you see who really got rid of the perpetuator of the scam, the initiator of the get-rich-scheme in Sicily, and where his body is found. Should Salvo Montalbano arrange the body so that the Mafia is blamed? "But he was a cop" (Page 220). All in all, this is an intriguing mystery, and, as usual, the title is not explained until you are three-fourths of the way through the book.

I love mysteries. While I can be charmed by a cozy, the books that I want to own are the true mysteries that allow the reader to solve honestly presented clues, much preferably with a psychological insight that enhances the understanding of the crime. With the Montalbano series, it is the inspector's psyche that fascinates..he is cranky, moody, sometimes unfair but ruefully honest. His author swings from sentiment to cynacism (proving the cliche that to scratch a cynic is to find a romantic). What makes these books so savory is the quallity of writing. No extra words, no navel gazing, but with spare and sometimes painful accuracy, Camilleri captures a view of life that I think can only be modern Italian. You can see the (fictional) town, the light over the sea and the struggle for Montalbano to manage a romance (badly), a series of clues (very well) and the cultural assumptions that many of his insights rest upon. The whole series is worth collecting. Donna Leon has the detective we want to know (Inspector Brunetti) and I love to read. Camilleri has the detective who is entirely believable, even by a cynic. Less comfortable than Leon / Brunetti, but more realistic.

Montalbano is one of my favorite policemen - very, very human in his many appetites, cantankerous and grouchy, but astute in his judgments and, of course, intuitive in crime-solving. This is his most thoughtful and provocative book yet. Descriptions of his meals make me want to board the next plane for Palermo! And three cheers for the excellent translation.