The Paper Moon (2005)

You can forget about Machiavelli, throw out the Art of War and follow the twisted but very rational mind of Inspector Salvo Montalbano and you will be wiser, smarter and come out on top with a smile on your face and happier than you were before you picked up this book. ( )

The plot was interesting as were the characters at the center of this particular outing (not particularly sympathetic and rather creepy). Montalbano and the returning characters were hella fun as ever. There were scenes in the book I especially liked, one where Montalbano composes a letter to himself and another where he frames a noirish scene in his head to make sense of the mystery. On top of that was Montalbano's worries about getting older. Made for a fun read. ( )

Please don't ask me what the correct order of this series is, as I've got absolutely no idea. I've never found the need to worry about it as each book works on its own, and each book is one of those little pieces of joy that just make you feel good.

Part of it has got to be Inspector Montalbano who is just so gloriously grumpy and idiosyncratic that he leaps alive from each and every page. Part of it is the setting which is woven into the action so seamlessly that you're just there, in that location, beside that ocean, in those restaurants, with those people. But definitely it's that food, which, frankly, I'm starting to think there should be a law against. You simply cannot read one of these books without constant mental references to the decided lack of wonderful meals lurking in your own refrigerator. (Note to self, first sniff of a Lotto win and we're hiring one of those housekeepers that cook like he has!).

Of course, none of the pluses thus far touch on the nature of the plots in these books, which are also extremely good. Almost masterclasses on tight, taut, clever plots in succinct but fully formed stories, decorated brilliantly by all the other aspects.

I dip into this series these days when I want a bit of comfort reading. And when I'm not on a diet.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/paper-moon-andrea-camilleri ( )

Forse il Montalbano migliore dal punto di vista della costruzione psicologica dei personaggi. Il commissario qui pare sprofondato in un film di Almodovar, circondato da donne protagoniste della loro vita e a volte anche di quella degli altri, caratteri forti, seduttive, con la piena coscienza del loro potere. La figura di Michela Pardo ha tutte le caratteristiche per calcare il palcoscenico della tragedia classica, mentre il suo contraltare, Elena, è una figura dei giorni nostri, in cui amore e interesse si miscelano con disinvoltura. Un gran bel libro.

The Paper Moon is Montalbano's ninth adventure, and we find our irascible hero becoming more obsessed with aging and trying to get past thoughts of when his "dying day comes." Actually, Montalbano is only in his fifties, so his worries might be a bit premature, and obviously he may think he's losing it, but his performance on this very odd case leaves the reader begging to differ. Even Livia thinks he's demented.

Sgt. Caterella brings in a woman to see Montalbano at the station. Mimi Augello, on whom Salvo would prefer to dump the visitor, is home with his baby, waiting for the doctor. Fazio is involved in a drug overdose case, so the Inspector is the only one left. As it turns out, the woman, Michela Pardo, is there to report her brother Angelo's disappearance. Because Angelo is an adult and may have gotten it into his head to just go away for a while, Montalbano explains that he can't move on the case right away, but Michela's worries are so intense that he agrees to meet her at her brother's apartment later that evening. When they go into the apartment, there's no sign of Angelo, until Montalbano sees a small recess in the wall with a staircase within. At the top of the stairs is a room on the terrace, to which Michela has no key. Salvo breaks down the door and discovers Angelo's body -- collapsed in the armchair with half of his face blown off, his zipper opened and a certain part of his anatomy hanging out. Right away Michela accuses her brother's girlfriend Elena of the crime, but as the investigation proceeds, Montalbano's not so sure. Angelo has his own secrets that may or may not be relevant to the crime, and the Inspector will leave no stone unturned until he gets to the truth. In the meantime, Salvo continues to stress over growing old, is called to the Commissioner's office several times to find that the meetings are continually postponed, and has to fend off unwanted advances from a woman with carte blanche to have affairs. And there's a delightfully funny moment when of all things, Montalbano dresses a piece of salmon with lemon juice and olive oil.

Again, I have to admit to have sort of figured out parts of this plot midstream -- not all, but a couple of key pieces of the core mystery. I think once you're read so many of these and have got the pattern down, it's less difficult to figure out where Camilleri is going with his crime elements. But as noted above, it's not just the crime that keeps drawing me back. By now Montalbano is more along the lines of an old friend who I feel like checking in on now and then, just to see what he's up to. I also think it makes a big difference as a reader when you read the entire series pretty much back to back in publication order, because there is little variance in the rather formulaic construction of these novel from book to book. I love the political critiques, the food, the characters and I feel like every time I'm reading one of these books, Sicily becomes more and more familiar to me. Most of all, I really like Montalbano -- his humor, his compassion, and everything else.

If anyone reading this is considering Camilleri's books, don't start with this one that is nearing the end -- take the time to go back to the beginning of it all. ( )