August Heat: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery
by Andrea Camilleri
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Book Reviews of August Heat: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery
Book Review: Another Gem from Camilleri
Summary: 5 Stars
Andrea Camilleri has delivered yet another fine read in the Inspector Montalbano series.
Montalbano's love of Sicilian food, his tweaking of bureaucratic noses, as well as the idiosyncratic characters which populate this book, bring texture, color, and even some humor to a plot which revolves around Montalbano's discovery of the body of a young girl. Camilleri takes us for a ride through a heat-drenched Sicilian landscape (caught in an August heatwave) -- a ride in which we encounter corruption, a house that seems possessed, and a beautiful young woman. It is only at the very end of the book that we realize, as we discover ourselves falling, that Camilleri has driven us off a cliff.
Again, another excellent job of translation by Stephen Sartarelli, who deserves great credit for providing us a text which reads effortlessly in English.
And a quick note on the cover art, too -- the washed-out pastels nicely capture the sense of summer heat which is soon encountered within the book's pages.
Book Review: Perplexing Case
Summary: 4 Stars
The Sicilian Inspector Salvo Montalbano likes to eat, but the sweltering August heat, for the most part, keeps him mainly sticking to cold dishes. His girlfriend, Livia, pressures him to find a seaside house in which she and her friend Laura, her husband and son, can spend a two-week vacation. Oh, he does as he's told.
Unfortunately, the vacation is ruined when the boy disappears. Salvo finds him in an illegal apartment beneath the house. Moreover, he discovers a corpse. It turns out the victim was a beautiful 15-year-old girl, who was apparently murdered six years before. And there is no shortage of possible culprits, leading Montalbano on a perplexing investigation.
The series in as interesting for its observations as Montalbano is for his philosophical musings and humorous asides. The characters are well-drawn. The translation, once again, is superb, and the book is recommended.
Book Review: another terrific mystery from Inspector Montalbano
Summary: 5 Stars
I discovered this series by chance earlier this year and rapidly read through all the previous books in the series. I have begun to feel like Montalbano and his cronies in Vigata are real people, and despite some less than enthusiastic reviews from other fans, I found this newest adventure to be translated into English to be just as good as the past volumes. True, it shows us a darker side of our favorite detective, but I felt his actions rang true to the character (I don't want to give anything away here!) These novels are a perfect escapist read; I really feel like I am in Sicily when I am reading. In this one, I could even feel the extreme heat of the summertime. If you haven't read this series, this may not be the best one to start with because the author assumes some familiarity with his cast of characters.Book Review: Ending is amazing.
Summary: 5 Stars
I love all of the books I have read in this series (the 1st 10), but this one has to be one of my favorites, in part, due to the ending. After feeling like I have come to know Inspector Montalbano, that I can appreciate his humor, and absolutely revel in his gastronomic endeavors, I truly understand his fight with the aging process. I love his letters to himself, and I think Camilleri does an amazing job of illustrating the emotions most humans go through when they reluctantly realize they are no longer at the top of their game. I thought the ending was very strong, and I felt as bereft as Montalbano did as he swam in the sea. Oh life (sigh). What am I going to do when Camilleri dies, and naturally, Montalbano dies along with him?Book Review: August Heat
Summary: 3 Stars
"August Heat" is very much a Camilleri detective novel, with the usual set of characters and the overriding presence of the Sicilian landscape and its people. Inspector Montealbano is investigating a several-year-old murder in an isolated house, and the whole is suffused by the dreadful heat of a Sicilian summer. It is this heat which -- probably unintentionally -- affects the book, for the climax (in the house, naturally) is visible through the heat haze from some way off, and involves a thoroughly improbable occurrence (no giveaways!) that would be total anathema to any police officer of Montealbano's stature. Too much August heat, perhaps, though the charms of Camellieri's writing still make up for a lot.