The Snack Thief

If not from my love's breath?" William Shakespeare, Sonnet 99 Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series just keeps getting better and better. It seems, in retrospect, that the first two volumes released in English, The Shape of Water and The Terra Cotta Dog went a long way toward fleshing out the character of Inspector Montalbano, his colleagues on the Vigata, Sicily police force, his significant other Livia, and his delight in a plate of good food. In "The Snack Thief:" we see these characters now fully-drawn and the reader can now almost sense how Montalbano will react to any given situation. This is not to suggest the story lines or the characters are predictable but, rather, to suggest that anyone who dips their toes into these books will find themselves enmeshed in the characters to a degree seen in other well-written series of this sort. As in The Terra Cotta Dog, Montalbano is faced with two parallel story lines. A Tunisian fisherman working on a Sicilian trawler is shot during an encounter with a Tunisian naval patrol vessel. At the same time an older man is found murdered in the elevator of his apartment. The fishing incident does not appear to be much out of the ordinary and Montalbano readily agrees to let the local harbor police do the leg-work. He is intrigued by the elevator murder, all the more so as his investigation reveals that the old man was involved in some sort of affair with a young Tunisian cleaning woman who regularly cleaned the man's office. The woman flees Vigata, leaving her young son, the snack thief of the title, behind. As the story lines progress there is some indication that there is much more to each case than meets the eye and, in fact, there may be some connection between the two murders. Although this story is particularly plot-driven, perhaps more so than his earlier stories, The Snack Thief is most enjoyable for the portrayal of the many characters and the local flavor of the (fictional) town of Vigata. Montalbano grows on you, as does Livia. The ending of the book was particularly noteworthy in this regard. Although the story is self-contained I recommend that the prospective reader begin with the earlier books in the series. I think that would enhance the reader's enjoyment of this book. I do not often recommend an entire series but I've now read three and I've enjoyed each one. L. Fleisig.

These are all really great reads. Kudos to the translator too. Once you pick up the book you just can't put it down. A bit rougher language at times than you'd find in an Agatha Christie novel. Would also recommend the dvd series Il Commissario Montalbano volume 1. Italian with english subtitles. Got hooked on the series on MHZ worldwide networks ( where I got the dvds). The actor who plays Montalbano in this series is terrific too.

Inspector Montalbano has two cases competing for his attention. In one, an Italian fishing boat was fired upon by a Tunisian gunboat, killing a fisherman. In the second, a retired man was found murdered in his apartment elevator. As Montalbano investigates (without missing a single meal), he discovers a bizarre connection between the deaths--a connection that includes the ever-present official corruption Sicily suffers from and that ties into all of Montalbano's hidden issues. With his usual style (apparently bumbling but barely hiding a sharp wit), Montalbano is able to 'solve' the mysteries. But knowing the answer and bringing some sort of justice are very different things. Montalbano has to dig deep into his bag of tricks to pull out a solution that satisfies his own peculiar sense of morality. Worse, from his perspective, it isn't only himself involved. A little boy and Montalbano's longtime lover, Livia are also at risk. Author Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series combines humor, solid sleuthing; a wonderful view of small town life in Sicily that is alien but fascinating to most of its readers, and charming to everyone; with compelling social commentary. Although the setting is in Italy, the issues that Montalbano faces are universal. I have enjoyed the entire Inspector Montalbano series but so far, THE SNACK THIEF is the most powerful of a very strong series. Well done, Andrea Camilleri.

Andrea Camilleri is one fine author that you've got to read. Yes, he's Italian, and yes, his books have a definite Italian prose but the writing is so intriguing how can you resist? Much like the Inspector Montalbano enjoys his good food and wine, you'll find yourself savoring each and every page. In this, his 3rd book about life in Sicily and Inspector Montalbano, we are presented with the mysterious death of an older gentleman in an elevator, and the murder of a Tunisian sailor off the coast on a fishing boat, and a series of snack robberies, which are seemingly unrelated, but later find out to be seriously connected. Of course there is the usual banter between the inspector and his collegues and his girlfriend, Livia, and the usual surprising personality of the good inspector, and often genuinely humorous situations. His first book, "The Shape of Water", which I read was at first a little difficult to follow; ie; names and names of places in Sicily and too the way it's written, not American english or English english, but different. But his stories are so interesting that after a few pages it really doesn't matter that it's different, in fact it makes reading them that much more entertaining because they are different. His descriptions of places and peoples are right on spot. In Snack Thief you'll be amazed and entertained by the manner in which Inspector Montalbano goes about solving the crimes but too how he manipulates the press, and his superiors and other higher ups in the government. Montalbano who isn't perfect has faults and some striking traits that makes him very real and makes Camilleri's novels that much more interesting. There's really no one to compare Camilleri to, he's in a class all by himself. If you're looking for something a little different, or just something intriguing, then read Snack Thief. Trust me, you won't stop here, you'll read all of Camilleri's books, finding yourself like me; spellbound.

At about the same time a Tunisian patrol boat kills a worker on an Italian fishing trawler, an unknown assailant stabs to death a retiree, Mr. Lapecora, in the elevator of his apartment building. Montalbano is assigned the local homicide while his Lady Macbeth-like ambitious superior Mimi Augello takes "public" charge of the international incident.Montalbano seeks Mr. Lapecora's house cleaner, Karima, who supplements her income with prostitution and the lady's son. When the Inspector catches up to the lad, he begins to understand the elevator homicide and it's surprisingly link to the trawler killing. Though warned to stay out of the Tunisian murder by both sides of the law and others, Montalbano digs deep into cases filled with government corruption packed tighter than a can of sardines.Even though this is a translation from the original Italian, fans of police procedurals will appreciate this tight sans Mafia Sicilian mystery. The story line never slows down as the hero investigates one crime that takes him to the second murder and much more. Montalbano is a delightful protagonist who sub-genre readers will want to follow. Hopefully more of Andrea Camilleri's novels are translated into English rather quickly or many Anglo-speaking fans will learn Italian rather soon.Harriet Klausner