The Terra Cotta Dog

The Terra Cotta Dog (1996) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartaelli

In the second Inspector Salvo Montalbano book, Montalbano is called by his friend Gege–the head of local prostitution–to meet, because Gege has something he has been asked to discuss with Montalbano.

From here, Montalbano is drawn into organized crime, whether he wants to or not, and also discovers a fifty year old crime that becomes something of an obsession, especially after the current case takes a turn for the worse.

First of all, if you haven’t read a Montalbano mystery before, Montalbano is an asshole. To put it bluntly. He’s an earthy man in a profession that can be extremely dangerous, and because he’s good at his job, he’s arrogant on top of everything else. But he is good at his job, and the mysteries he uncovers are fascinating.

Although I have placed this book on the shelf for my grandmother to read, I have a feeling she won’t much like them or read past the first book, primarily because of the language. Not that the language doesn’t fit the character, but I don’t think she’ll like it. Although she make enjoy all the descriptions of food–even if I’m not so sure about recipes involving squid ink.
Rating: 7/10

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