Quintessential Camilleri, complete with romantic squabbles and great food. The only minor complaint: I guessed the murderer almost immediately. But then, I knew what these books are like, and Montalbano doesn't. ( )

Very weak effort by Camilleri. A man is found by his son shot to death at his breakfast table, but he was already dead from being poisoned when he was shot. As Inspector Montalbano investigates, his son and daughter reveal that he was disliked by most, and loathed by the rest so the list of suspects is long, including a number of women in their 20s being blackmailed for sexual liaisons. Unfortunately, the killers were way too obvious, and there was little mystery in this one, other than the vagrant on the hill. Even Catarella's butchering of names and language generally is growing a bit old now. ( )

In a series that has run as long as Andrea Camilleri's has, not every installment is going to be a barnburner. That is the case with A Nest of Vipers. In his Author's Note, Camilleri admits that the plot of this book is very similar to that of The Paper Moon, the difference being that he became stronger in writing about a certain topic in A Nest of Vipers. I could tell you what that topic is, but it would give away too much of the story. Personally, I think it's one that doesn't need multiple covers due in part to the fact that it can be too easily deduced.

Speaking of deduction, Salvo Montalbano is never at his best when confronted with beautiful young women. One after another, he is brought face to face with drop-dead gorgeous young things as he tries to work his way through all the dead man's mistresses. They are prime suspects after all. Also, in previous reviews I've made it very clear that I don't like Montalbano's longtime girlfriend, Livia. She can't cook. She's vindictive. She hates Montalbano's housekeeper. And--worst of all in my book-- she lives to pick fights with the inspector. But... if you are one of the many who believe fighting adds spice to any romance, this relationship will be right in your wheelhouse.

For me, the saving grace of A Nest of Vipers is its humor. From the gold standard dialogue of Catarella to the coroner whose aspiration in life is to perform Montalbano's autopsy to the inspector's finding a new home for his mountains of paperwork, there are plenty of smiles, chuckles, and outright laughs to be found.

If only there hadn't been an overload of estrogen. Poor Montalbano has so much trouble dealing with it. ( )

Oh my: Such a twisted tale, love, hate, sex, obsession, blackmail, loan sharking, & perversion.

Montalbano is called to investigate the murder of a fiend... The man's son, claiming to have found his father shot in the back of the head while drinking his morning coffee; problem is a definite lack of blood & brain matter. In the remnants the man's coffee cup is something more than sugar, suggesting that he was poisoned first. There are long blond hairs found in the corpse's bed...

The man's daughter & son had reason to want their father dead, they were his heirs, but the old lecher had finally fallen in love and had plans to change the will in favor of his new lover, he was murdered before he could do so.

I figured out the murderers..... Wow, what an intense story!

I marked this down 1 Star; Livia, as always is a haranguing bitch, continually provoking arguments. She is the one character I loath & as she took such a large part in this book I found myself distracted. ( )

After reading 20 earlier installments in the series, I did not think that Camilleri could surprise me, but surprise me he did. Not with the characters. They remain the loyal, unwavering, unique personalities that are a big part of the reason I continue to enjoy the Inspector Montalbano books. That, and the interesting mind games that Montalbano plays on some of the suspects (not always by the book, if you know what I mean). No, the surprise was in the unveiling of the crime(s) this go around. As the clues are uncovered, and disturbing layers to the case are revealed, I kept saying in my head, “No, it cannot be that… say it isn’t that”. Every now and then Camilleri takes readers, like me, outside of our comfort zone, making me squirm uncomfortably. He sure did this time! Some readers may be tiring of the “bickering” relationship between Salvo and Livia, but I can see where Camilleri uses that relationship as a foil for some of Montalbano’s frustrations.

Another wonderful installment in an entertaining series. ( )