The seventh investigation by Montalbano on the disappearance of a Sicilian Madoff who ruined a few dozen savers, some of whom, perhaps, were a little vindictive.2021-readings e-3 italian-literature ...more37 s Justo Martiañez447 165

3/5 Estrellas

Este es el que menos me ha gustado hasta ahora.

Un conocido personaje de Vigata, realiza una estafa piramidal entre los vecinos y desaparece con la pasta. El fino instinto de Montalbano le lleva a mirar donde nadie se lo espera: ¿Mafia, asesinato pasional, simple desaparición a un paraíso del Pacífico? La resolución es previsible y se mezcla con una especie de "deja vu" onírico de Montalbano, que no se sabe muy bien a qué viene.

Un poco más de lo mismo, pero un poco menos disfrutable que en entregas anteriores. Montalbano sigue siendo el mismo cabrón con el corazón de oro. Un poco cansino esto de que todas las tías buenas que desfilan por los libros pasen por la piedra del subcomisario Augello y que se queden con las ganas de hacer lo mismo con nuestro comisario, menos mal que está Livia con su carácter transalpino que lo tiene recto como un palo. Un poco de machismo le rezuma por las costuras al bueno de Camilleri.
En fin esperemos que la siguiente entrega por esa Sicilia "hecha de tierra avara de verdor y de hombres avaros de palabras", vuelva por sus fueros.34 s Richard Derus3,185 2,102

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: The number of Inspector Montalbano fans will continue to grow with this ingenious new novel featuring the earthy and urbane Sicilian detective. Half the retirees in Vigàta have invested their savings with a financial wizard who has disappeared, along with their money. As Montalbano investigates this labyrinthine financial scam, he finds himself at a serious disadvantage: a hostile superior has shut him out of the case, he’s on the outs with his lover Livia, and his cherished Sicily is turning so ruthless and vulgar that Montalbano wonders if any part of it is worth saving. Drenched with atmosphere, crackling with wit, The Smell of the Night is Camilleri at his most addictive.

My Review: Salvo Montalbano and the Vigàta police force have a strange case, one that's not their case and not particularly important seeming as the Common Knowledge has already given it an ending: A Ponzi-scheme swindler comes home to Vigàta after being away most of his life, seemingly to answer the greediest prayers of the Vigatese by providing huge returns on the investment of their life savings. One fine day, he fails to appear and disburse the income due, and is never seen again. A major investigation by Montalbano's wretchedly political and horrifically petty bosses has led to the conclusion that Mr. Ponzi's follower was offed by the Mafia, either for taking the wrong widow's life savings or plowing fields they felt were their own. After getting involved due to a ludicrous hostage standoff, Montalbano can't help but keep worrying at the threads not in their proper places. In the end, to no one's surprise, the Ponzi schemer is found dead, but not where, or how, anyone could have expected at the beginning of the case.

I am on record as a fan of the series, and I've given plenty of reasons I feel the books are superior. But one idea has occurred in multiple places and from multiple sources: These books reek, to some, of the corruption and wickedness that mysteries, as distinct from thrillers or noirs, seek to combat. Montalbano doesn't shy away from rule-breaking, he flirts with and even goes far afield with some of the beauteous women Camilleri clearly thinks we all want to read about; his world contains those who aren't morally upright but are valued friends.

Yeah, so? As does your own life, nine bets in ten. Camilleri's character is flawed, and knows this about himself, but he's always motivated by the need to fix things and help people and make the world run right, even if it means breaking rules and going outside the system. I don't sense that this is a problem in other cop-centered series. I have wondered why that seems off-putting in this series.

I think it's because the Mafia is invoked so often, and that makes Americans very tense. It's very much a part of our national conversation even yet, and has entered English as a term of opprobrium for any group or team that's opposed to your own. (I treasure a mention of the Bush Mafia made in Austin's newspaper, later retracted and apologized for. THAT was a good day!)

It's all I can figure, anyway. I am so NOT in love with the current fashion for Scandinavian crime writers that I think I may have reacted histaminically by heading for Sicily. Something more exciting, please, no reserved and tortured souls trying to make amends for their misdeeds, thank you. And as these books don't have revolting, violent depictions of things I don't want to think about (yes, that's Lisbeth in my crosshairs), perhaps the ghoul crowd isn't tempted in. Taste being inarguable, granted, I still wonder at the reason for uninterest or dis that I've seen mention far more than once.

Guess that's why there'll always be chocolate and vanilla.27 s Dave SchaafsmaAuthor 6 books31.8k

Andrea Camilleri said he got the idea to write his sixth Commissario Montalbano mystery series novel from a news article about financial fraud. So, itÂ’s a Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, eh, my least favorite crime so far in the series. Oh, yes, thereÂ’s terrific food, beautiful women, and goofy colleagues. The tension with lover Livia, continues, check. ThereÂ’s a touching moment where Montalbano reunites briefly with Francois, the orphan he and Livia might (have?) adopt(ed?), but thereÂ’s (again) no real movement on that front yet.

I it that Montalbano breaks rules, has a bad temper, and has an almost erotic relationship to Sicilian food. I that he can also be tender and empathetic. I it that he makes lots of references to his favorite literary works. I do him a lot, and I the series a lot. And this volume is good, but for me not special. Okay, what makes this book a little special, the highlight, is the connection Montalbano makes in the resolution of the case to the William Faulkner short story, “A Rose for Emily;” and the surprising glimpse we get at the end into madness. The ending is strong and well done. I recommend the series, for sure.
mystery-detective-thriller22 s Peter340 181

Ein Montalbano-Krimi mit allem was das Herz begehrt (und von Montalbano erwartet): ein mürrischer Kommissar, der damit hadert älter zu werden, eine Fernbeziehung zu Livia, die ihm immer wieder Gewissensbisse verursacht, aber ohne die er nicht leben kann, der Reiz einer jungen, attraktiven Zeugin ("Sie könnten meine Tochter sein" - "Ja, Papa") und natürlich die unvergleichliche sizilianische Küche mit Gerichten, deren Namen allein schon die Geschmacksnerven anregen. Dass sich vor diesem Setting ein Kriminalfall abspielt, den Montalbano letztendlich mit einem gehörig Maß an Intuition löst, rückt dabei beinahe in den Hintergrund.italy mystery-crime16 s Simona B909 3,082

If something about this series does get lost in the translation into tv series (which I love), it's the books' intertextuality and Montalbano's own love and knowledge of literature. Each of these books (and the short stories as well) contains myriad references about some work of literature that he loves, rereads, stumbles into during the investigation, or uses as a key to unlock the mystery he is working on. I love that. It's unfortunate though that those who know only the tv series don't know this side of our beloved commissario.2000-present in-italian mystery-and-crime16 s Metodi Markov1,487 363

?????? ?? ????? ? ?? ??????????? ???????? ????? - ?????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????, ??? ?? ???????? ?????? ??. ? ??????????, ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ? ?? ???? ???? ? ?????...

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P.S. ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????????? ???????...2021 crimy italian11 s Liviu SzokeAuthor 35 books418

N-am mai avut r?bdare ?i-am citit-o ?i pe-asta, a?a c? iar am r?mas f?r? Montalbano. Asta e, nu m-am putut ab?ine, pentru c? deja a devenit ca un drog. Din p?cate, îns?, Emanuel Botezatu nu poate traduce toate romanele cu Montalbano într-un singur an, Nemira nu le poate scoate pe toate într-un an, iar cu dialectul sicilian nu am nimic în comun. A?a c? va trebui s? a?tept cuminte pân? la anul, când sper c? vor ie?i m?car dou? noi romane cu detectivul meu preferat. O anchet? tenebroas?, miliarde de lire italiene disp?rute în neant, un escroc de talie mondial? ?i mult umor, iat? re?eta unui nou roman de succes. Ce p?cat c? autorul deja a împlinit frumoasa vârst? de nou?zeci de ani ?i c? nu va mai putea scrie m?car vreo dou?zeci de volume în aceast? serie. Asta e, esen?ele tari se ?in în sticlu?e mici. Mai multe, pe Blogul FanSF: http://wp.me/pz4D9-2jC.1996-books 2015-reads crime-comedy ...more10 s F.R.Author 32 books207

So I was joking to a friend the other week about how I was going to try and get into Italian crime fiction. After all, I said, this fashion for gruesome stuff from Scandinavia canÂ’t go on for other, other countries/regions will have to have their turn and as such I could try to get to the front of the queue on the next trend. Then, a few days later, I saw that BBC4 were broadcasting a documentary about the new wave of Italian crime writers and I realised this was yet another bus IÂ’d missed.

Anyway I watched the documentary and this brings me to: ‘The Scent of the Night’ by Andrea Camilleri.

Sometimes when you review novels translated from other languages, you wonder whether you’re reviewing the work itself or the translation. For example, some of the prose is pretty pedestrian in this, but is that the fault of Camilleri, or is it some scribe who has not made the effort to properly render some colourful Italian descriptions? Similarly, the menial characters in this book seem to speak in a very cod ‘itsa lika this’ style Italian. That’s a bit distracting as everyone else’s dialogue is in normal English, and then someone arrives who seems to be doing a Joe Dolce impression. But again, who should I blame for that?

The plot is diverting enough and the style is very gossipy (certainly more so than all that stuff pumped out of Sweden), while Montalbano – our hero detective – is an intriguing and interesting character. But in the end this is a moderately diverting read, rather than a gripping one.8 s Mark1,442 154

Another day another Montalbano story and I have got quite a few to read in my personal library, I seem to have bought quite a few instalments of this series in hardcover. What happened is found this series on Netflix and found these TV movies very enjoyable and made me laugh quite a lot, and enjoyed the gorgeous ladies that made Montalbano's life so much fun, even if he is in a long steady relationship with Livia. And I do get upset when he is not fully involved with her but another dame fatale. But in the TV show those ladies are really breath-taking beautiful women who play their own game opposed to the commissioner's.

Montalbano gets involved in a case originally investigated with his aide Mimi, when an old pensioner tries to take a woman hostage who is as much a victim of deceitful swindler who has taken off with a lot of savings of ordinary folks who believed they could get richer quick. He saves the innocent lady in distress and everything about the disappearance of this money swindler does look off to Montalbano and that never sits well with him.
We get some culinary escapades, Livia based discussions about love and relationships, the hard lives of Sicilians who prove to be just a susceptible to a golden pot at the end of a rainbow. And of course something from Montalbano's past comes to haunt him due to some anonymous letter delivered to his chef.

And excellent tale from the early days of the series that is quite good and fun to read, Montalbano is quite wicked but a policeman that believes in justice. 2021 camilleri italian-writer ...more7 s Cudeyo1,057 57

Libro sexto de la serie protagonizada por el comisario más irascible, insoportable y carismático que pueda haber, Salvo Montalbano.

En este caso Montalbano investiga la desaparición de un estafador que trae de cabeza a media Vigàta, mientras soporta los primeros fríos y le entra la crisis de los cuarenta.

El libro está bien, pero no sé si es porque hacía poco que había visto este caso en la serie TV que tan bien refleja los libros, o porque Montalbano está más llorica que nunca, el caso es que le doy un aprobado alto, pero no sobresaliente como en anteriores ocasiones.
7 s Ellie Spencer (catching up from hiatus)280 344

CamilleriÂ’s writing is effortless and enjoyable. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Montalbano series so far and this is no exception. What struck me most, was the deeply empathetic and human side of the Inspector that was shown in this novel. I admit that the plot line surrounding a financial adviser isnÂ’t my favourite of the series. But the endings is one I will certainly remember most! 6 s The Frahorus877 92

Ed eccomi giunto alla sesta indagine di Montalbano, L'odore della notte. Ritroviamo un Montalbano cupo, che fa incubi, con ferite aperte e rapporti burrascosi con Livia. Gli capita fra le mani un caso forse troppo banale: un tizio che ha truffato dei vecchietti si è portato via i loro soldi ed è sparito. Ma indagando scoprirà una realtà più complessa, fino al tragico epilogo.

Ripeto Camilleri scrive bene, è piacevole, e le indagini di Montalbano sono ambientate a casa mia potrei dire, visto che abito in un piccolo borgo di mare siciliano. La storia non mi è dispiaciuta, ma manca quel qualcosa in più rispetto alle altre indagini.
P.S. povero maglione!giallo italiana montalbano ...more4 s Eduardo Boris Muñiz 441 19

Octavo libro del comisario Montalbano. El pueblo está alborotado, un inversor que hace un año llegó al pueblo desapareció misteriosamente junto al dinero que le había dado la mitad del pueblo para invertir. Unos lo buscan para matarlo, otros para encontrar el dinero y otros sólo quieren saber que pasó.
Salvo Montalbano decide inmiscuirse en la investigación por simple curiosidad y para molestar al jefe de policía (un ser de pocas luces y muy malicioso) y al encargado de la investigación (un comisario de estafas que fue estafado hace un año...).
Entre medio Salvo debe luchar con la verdad inexorable de que esta envejeciendo, los 50 le pegan fuerte. Se encuentra solo, con una novia que vive en la otra punta de Italia y cada vez recordando más a sus padres muertos.
Los libros de Camillieri siempre dan lo que prometen, una ambientación de Sicilia espectacular, mucho humor, un buen toque de drama y personajes super sólidos y entretenidos.
Uno lee sus libros y se siente viviendo en esos pueblitos italianos, siente que a la vuelta de la esquina se encuentra con el comisario de mal humor, o el recepcionista de la comisaría iletrado que se conduce como una tromba o con el subcomisario que es un mujeriego y en que todos los libros se está por casar con una mujer distinta para decidir no hacerlo.
Son personajes humanos que más allá del estereotipo tienen muchas emociones que pujan por salir, y que muchas veces la represión de las mismas hacen que exploten.
Es de esos libros que seguro una buena parte te la pasas riendo, ya solo por eso vale la pena leerlo.5 s DeAnna KnipplingAuthor 160 books270

One of my favorite mystery series. A con artist runs a financial scheme that might have gotten him killed by the Mafia...leaving his loyal secretary behind to deal with an entire island's worth of angry retirees. Inspector Montalbano inestigates...even though it's not his case.

Perfect.5 s Mack 1,498 55

A wonderful comment that I cannot make, and you will understand. 5 s Libros.olvidados120 44

(reseña conjunta con El miedo de Montalbano)


“Admiración. No, mucho más que eso: respeto. Por la serena valentía, por la tranquila determinación de aquel hombre. Una vez había leído un verso que decía más o menos que lo que ayuda a vivir es el pensamiento de la muerte. Ya, el pensamiento puede que sí, pero la certeza de la muerte, su cotidiana presencia, su diaria manifestación, su atroz tictac (…), todo eso ¿no habría tal vez provocado en él, Montalbano, un indecible e insoportable terror? ¿De qué estaba hecho el hombre que tenía delante? ”

A golpe de martes os traigo las reseñas de los libros de bolsillo de Montalbano 8 y 9, una novela y una antología de relatos que siguen siendo toda una delicia para los seguidores del comisario:


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