The Overnight Kidnapper

One of the reasons why I read Andrea Camilleri's series is because of its humor, but I have to admit that the humor has been lacking in the past few books. I am happy to say that the comedy is back in full force in The Overnight Kidnapper, and I enjoyed every second of it. The stories in the past few books seemed a bit lackluster to me as well, and that changed in this book, too. Perhaps it's due to something Camilleri says in the Afterward. Unlike the other recent books, The Overnight Kidnapper was not inspired by a newspaper article that the author read. It could be that giving himself a rest from the real world set him free to get back to the roots of this long-running series.

The story, with its arson case and the strange abductions show more of young women who worked in local banks, also kept me wondering what was going on, and-- as usual-- I enjoyed watching Montalbano figure it all out. Even if he can't find his way out of a hospital, Montalbano is a master (1) at knowing all the major crime figures on his patch, (2) how to work with his contacts in the local media, and (3) even more importantly, how to manipulate his aggravating superior.

If anything was lacking in this book, it was food. There was no real descriptions of the mouth-watering meals Montalbano usually enjoys. He went into his favorite restaurant, he ate, and then he walked along the jetty. Even his housekeeper didn't keep his refrigerator and oven filled with her usual feasts. Ah well. I suppose we all have to go on diets periodically.

With the death of Camilleri in 2019, there are no more new Montalbano mysteries, and I find myself wanting to read these last few even slower, to stretch out my enjoyment for as long as I can. This talented man created a cast of characters, an entire fictional world, that I have lived in happily for many years. It's always sad to have something like this end. show less

TIme goes by...

Molto più dialetto in questo Montalbano, come se si fosse chiuso in sè stesso, come se il tempo avesse prodotto un'involuzione o come avrebbe dovuto essere da principio e invece non è stato, come se il lettore fosse stato portato con la mano all'inizio e poi man mano lasciato camminare sulle sue gambe, oramai ambientato. Note di decadenza serpeggiano in tutta la storia. Ogni cosa viene scambiata per qualcos'altro, per quello che non è, o per quello che crediamo sia quando oramai i riflessi sono appannati. Spesso l'appetito vien meno, le ammazzatine provocano un senso di sconforto in giornate troppo uguali una all'altra. Dov'è l'amore? Di Livia non se ne scorge che il lontano echeggiar del nome. Salvo è preso da una show more routine che a volte lo prende in contropiede. Il dottor Pasquano sottolinea impietosamente le sue perdite di colpi e il suo crollo fisico. Il panorama è sfocato, la scena non ha colore, odore, mare, quel mare nel quale amava mondarsi delle miserie che il lavoro lo costringeva a fronteggiare e nel quale trovava conforto e nuova forza, nel mare non è più tempo di vagnarsi come una volta. Così accade che ci vuole più tempo a mettere a fuoco il circostante, così accade che si inciampa e si diventa prede di menti più lucide... ma poi arriva il lampo che illumina, i meccanismi che prendono a girare nel verso giusto e improvvisamente le cose vengono rimesse al loro posto. Ma per quanto ancora... ? show less

Three female bank employees are flagged down to help a man working on his car; two are chloroformed, but otherwise unharmed, but the third is superficially slashed. Are they related? Is this a vendetta against banks? Montalbano and his team start asking questions as they always do, and Catarella butchers everyone's names. Mix in a nasty case of arson and the shop owner's disappearance after refusing to pay the Mafia's increased protection money. Then for some spice, add in a jilted lover and you have all ingredients for a classic Sicilian mystery by the master, Andrea Camilleri.

I am always happy to spend time with Montalbano and his team. Camilleri continues to amuse me with the strange cases (and awkward situations) that seem to find their way to Montalbano. Always a challenge to read these books on an empty stomach, what with all the wonderful food descriptions (especially the cannoli!). Always fun as Catarella continues to "garble" names, and Fazio continues to exasperate Montalbano by almost always being one step ahead of him. For me, this series is just as much about the lovable, quirky personalities of its repeat characters as it is about the crimes to be solved.

On two separate occasions, two young women are mysteriously kidnapped, rendered unconscious by chloroform and then left, unmolested and unrobbed, to be found some hours later, conscious but unable to identify their assailant. Inspector Montalbano is of course concerned about this strange crime, but he is also in the process of looking into a fire at an electronics store, the owner of which seems to have disappeared. Then a third woman is also kidnapped, but then is found with injuries, and *then* a corpse is discovered wrapped in cellophane….I’ve lost count of how many Montalbano books there are now, but this latest one is just a good as all the rest of them. Better, actually, to my mind because for once there are no beautiful young show more women who fall madly in love with the much older Montalbano, a factor is some of the earlier books that has always annoyed me. The strange kidnappings turn out to be even weirder than they seem, and the larger mystery is handled very well by the author. But as ever, the best thing about a Camilleri novel is the relationships between the main characters; in addition to Montalbano’s usual team of officers, this story introduces a new Prosecutor, Dr. Platania (filling in for Montalbano’s usual nemesis, Dr. Tommaseo) with whom, unusually, Montalbano gets along - a nice touch, that! As always, recommended, but read the series in order (and if you’ve never read any of the Montalbano series, you have many, many hours of enjoyment ahead of you)! show less

Sicily, situational-humor, law-enforcement, kidnapping, verbal-humor

Weirdly good! Camilleri's books are always interesting and populated with characters who truly are, and this is no exception. It's fun to watch Montalbano manipulate both the bureaucracy and the media as well as leaping to unsupported conclusions and getting into ridiculous predicaments. The publisher's blurb is somewhat informative but doesn't know about Catarella!
Blackstone Audio really picked the best man for the job when they chose Grover Gardner for narrator.
Stephen Sartarelli continues to amaze with his ability to translate idioms into relatable English.

The Overnight Kidnapper, the 23rd novel in the series featuring Chief Inspector Salvo Montalbano, isn’t up to author Andrea Camillieri’s usual standards, but that still leaves room for it to be pretty good.

Two 30-something employees from banks are doused with chloroform before being released unharmed, confusing police. But Salvo eventually links these odd kidnappings with the disappearance of a storeowner whose shop is subjected to arson. Camillieri packs some twists and turns, but it’s not as clever or as humorous as Camillieri’s usual fare; still I’m glad I read it, and I look forward to the next one.