The Dance of the Seagull (The Inspector Montalbano Mysteries Book 15)

From Booklist There’s not quite as much careening chaos in Salvo Montalbano’s latest adventure as there was in The Age of Doubt (2012), but that’s not to say matters move logically from crime to investigation to solution. Not hardly. That’s not how the impetuous Sicilian police inspector operates, and frankly, we wouldn’t want it any other way. The charm of a Montalbano mystery derives in large part from the way the inspector’s helter-skelter approach to investigation mirrors the inherent messiness of life. Rather than standing on shore and observing the swirling riptides of human behavior, Montalbano dives right into the murky waters and lets himself be thrown about in the current until the passing flotsam and jetsam form a pattern. So it goes here, in a typically convoluted case that begins with a seagull’s dance of death and moves quickly to the disappearance of Montalbano’s friend and colleague, Fazio, and zooms from there to a smuggling scheme, a honey trap, and a particularly ugly murder. By the time Montalbano climbs out of the muck this time, he’s a bit more battered than usual, but that’s nothing a very large bowl of caponata won’t fix. --Bill Ott --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. ANDREA CAMILLERI is the internationally bestselling author of the 'Inspector Montalbano' mystery series and several historical novels set in nineteenth-century Sicily. His books have been translated into eight languages. He lives in Rome. --This text refers to the audioCD edition. Praise for The Dance of the Seagull “Montalbano's 15th case features more hilarious bark and some satisfying bite.”— Kirkus Reviews “Fifteen books into his Inspector Salvo Montalbano series, Andrea Camilleri manages both to offer readers the pleasures they've come to expect, and to vary the ingredients and add enough emotional depth to keep the series from growing tired… an increasingly empathetic touch makes the Montalbano books one of the rare long-running crime series that grow stronger with time, and almost certainly the most affecting.”— Philadelphia Inquirer Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano Series “There’s a deliciously playful quality to the mysteries Andrea Camilleri writes about a lusty Sicilian police detective named Salvo Montalbano.” – The New York Times Book Review “The novels of Andrea Camilleri breathe out the sense of place, the sense of humor, and the sense of despair that fills the air of Sicily.”—Donna Leonxa0“Hailing from the land of Umberto Eco and La Cosa Nostra, Montalbano can discuss a pointy-headed book like Western Attitudes Towards Death as unflinchingly as he can pore over crime-scene snuff photos. He throws together an extemporaneous lunch…as gracefully as he dodges advances from attractive women.”— Los Angeles Times “In Sicily, where people do things as they please, Inspector Montalbano is a bona fide folk hero.” – The New York Times Book Review “Camilleri as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator.” – The Washington Post “Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily’s mean streets.” – USA Today “Camilleri can do a character’s whole backstory in half a paragraph.” – The New Yorker “The books are full of sharp, precise characterizations and with subplots that make Montalbano endearingly human… Like the antipasti that Montalbano contentedly consumes, the stories are light and easily consumed, leaving one eager for the next course.”— New York Journal of Books “This series is distinguished by Camilleri’s remarkable feel for tragicomedy, expertly mixing light and dark in the course of producing novels that are both comforting and disturbing.” – Booklist “Sublime and darkly humorous…Camilleri balances his hero’s personal and professional challenges perfectly and leaves the reader eager for more.” –starred Publishers Weekly “…the humor and humanity of Montalbano make him an equally winning lead character.” – Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more