Excursion to Tindari

Excursion to Tindari (2000) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli

A young man is found dead just outside his front door in what seems to be a mafia killing. This event would have passed almost unnoticed, except that a distraught man calls to report that his parents–who live in the same building as the murdered man–have disappeared.

The coincidence of the two events makes Inspector Montalbano suspicious, and as he looks into the disappearance of the elderly couple, their actions in taking an excursion to Tindari seem stranger and stranger.

The more Inspector Montalbano books I read, the more I like them, and Excursion to Tindari is no exception. Although Montalbano can be harsh and obnoxious, it becomes more and more clear that despite his tendencies, he cares deeply about his men and about how he does his job.

His relationship with Liva is still a strange thing to me, but the more I read, the more than relationship seems to be the type of relationship Montalbano would have–after all, he would be a very difficult man to live with, so that is perhaps why his long distance relationship works so well.

If you have not yet read an Inspector Montalbano mystery, I recommend them. The first book is a little difficult to get into, but the rewards as the series continues are well worth getting to know Montalbano in the first book, where he is not so likable.
Rating: 8/10

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