Does Montalbano get through his andropaus or is it going to be a permanent drag on the rest of the series? This installment included no real episodes of gustatory enjoyment and seemed scattershot. ( )

Another swell Andrea Camilleri book. Enjoyable mystery, just one instance of real gore (had to stop listening, it was too close to bedtime). Still not sure why the seagull was dancing. Also can't figure out how Livia continues to put up with Montalbano. Catarella amusing as always. Grover Gardner an excellent narrator. Long may he read and Camilleri write! ( )

Livia comes to take Inspector Salvo Montalbano on a three-day holiday, but naturally things go bonkers at work and he completely forgets about her for 24 hours because his deputy Fazio disappears without warning. Bodies start piling up, actually they are pulled from adjacent wells, and Montalbano has to connect the killings and find Fazio, which he does in his usual inimitable style. Fazio is found, but has memory loss and Montalbano has to protect him from unsavory element and find out what is going on at the local port. ( )

Montalbano sees a seagull do an odd dance before dropping dead on the sand outside his house. The image, burned on his mind, actually helps him find a vital clue at the end. In this one, Fazio is missing and a search is made and he's found. He's been shot and has lost his memory of the events leading to his situation. The case leads into some rather gruesome aspects. ( )

law-enforcement, sicily, attempted-murder, murder, murder-investigation, smuggling, situational-humor, verbal-humor

If you've read any of the Montalbano books you know that the men of the station are dependent on each other and respect each other. One of their number, Fazzio, goes missing and it is a hard road to finding out where he is and what he was about. He is found alive but with a head wound and still in danger from those who kidnapped him and murdered his friend. It's a tense novel and filled with suspense despite the humorous stuff. Loved it.
Stephen Sartarelli is the master of Montalbano translations, and Grover Gardner in the voice of Montalbano and the other characters. ( )