Montalbano's Early Cases
Set on the Sicilian coast, a collection of eight short stories featuring the young Inspector Montalbano
In 1980s Vigata, a restless Inspector Montalbano brings his bold investigative style to eight enthralling cases. From jilted lovers and deadly family affairs to assassination attempts and murders in unexpected places, Death at Sea is the perfect collection to escape into Andrea Camilleri's unforgettable slice of Sicily.
Starred review from July 16, 2018
Set in 1980s Vigàta, Sicily, the eight stories in this delightful collection from CWA International Dagger Award–winner Camilleri (The Pyramid of Mud), show a young Salvo Montalbano encountering tricky situations and crimes that can’t always be solved by traditional police work. The cast is familiar, even though Camilleri has not yet rounded the interplay of his main characters into a mature form. Livia is already Salvo’s lover; Insp. Mimi Augello and Detective Fazio are already his able assistants; and office aide Catarella is butchering the language as usual. Highlights include “Room Number 2,” in which Salvo solves an arson case, and “Double Investigation,” in which he has a seminal confrontation with Augello. Salvo’s cleverness derails a complex drug operation in “Death at Sea.” Pamela, an unlikely but sexually voracious barmaid, disappears in “The Stolen Message,” and Salvo figures out the surprising reason why. This is a must for Montalbano fans and anyone else who values superb plotting. Agent: Carmen Prestia, Carmen Prestia Agenzia Letteraria (Italy).
