Book Review: Excursion to Tindari

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Excursion to Tindari     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Andrea Camilleri
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Inspector Montalbano # 5
Penguin 2005 295 pages

Camilleri's delightful protagonist Inspector Montalbano is back, with a further installment in this wonderful series.

A devil-may-care young man is found dead on the steps of his apartment house, shot in the face. As the investigation begins a distraught man appears looking for news of his elderly parents. When the Inspector learns that the couple lived in the same apartment house as the murdered man, he strives to make a connection between the two tenants.

In contrast to a standard police procedural, Camilleri's style is to take the reader into the persona of the Inspector. We follow his convoluted thinking processes, his gourmand appreciation of Sicilian cuisine, his deep affection for his supporting police team, his love of the Sicilian countryside, and a long list of other delightful idiosyncracies.

In notes appearing at the back of the text, translator Sartarelli provides insightful comments on Italian idioms and phrases. On at least one occasion, his comments on one six word phrase take an entire paragraph to explain. This method of discussion in the notes is very effective, rather than burdening the text with a laborious attempt to convey in English the nuance of the Italian.

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM