In Montalbano’s fifth adventure, I’m really getting to love the Sicilian inspector’s eccentricities. It’s quite a joy to see our devil-may-care hero pick locks, break up marriages, sleep under olive trees and lie to his superiors all in the pursuit of true, rather than letter-of-the-law, justice. He demonstrates an admirable contempt for pen-pushers, mafioso bullies, and office hours, while also displaying a personal flaw or two, notably one for delicious Sicilian food, which makes welcome appearances throughout the mystery, this one concerning three murders, pornography and a conspiracy that goes, as you’d expect, right to the top of Sicilian society. Great fare.
No. 33 of 100 books I intend to read and review in 2019.
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Patrick Sherriff publishes a monthly newsletter highlighting good fiction about Japan and featuring an original painting or sketch. He lives in Abiko, Japan, with his wife and two daughters.
Patrick Sherriff 