Published: 14/10/2021
The beloved Inspector Montalbano series concludes in exquisite style, as the irascible detective attempts to solve the murder of the enigmatic Riccardino - despite interference from a local bishop and a fortune teller.
Longlisted for the CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Prize 2022
The twenty-eighth and final novel in the thrilling, wickedly funny Inspector Montalbano Mysteries series by bestselling author Andrea Camilleri.
'Contrary to what you think, I'm carrying out this investigation as best I can. But let's do this: if I get stuck, if I find I can't go forward or back, then I'll let you know, and you can step in. And offer me a way out. You've gained a bit of detective work through me, haven't you? What do you say?'
'I'm game,' said the Author . . .
When Inspector Montalbano receives an early-morning phone call it proves to be the start of a very trying day. For the caller expects Montalbano to arrive imminently at a rendezvous with some friends. But before he can reply the caller announces himself as someone called Riccardino and hangs up.
Later that day news comes in of a brutal slaying in broad daylight by an unknown assassin who makes his getaway on a motorbike. And when the Inspector learns of the victim's identity - a man called Riccardino - his troubles are only just beginning. For soon he must contend with the involvement of a local bishop and a fortune teller who reports some strange goings-on in her neighbourhood.
All roads soon lead to a local salt mine but the case proves stubbornly intractable until Montalbano receives another unexpected call . . .
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529073300
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 416 g
Dimensions: 222 x 143 x 33 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Reading it feels like taking a restful and invigorating holiday, in the company of an infallibly amusing author who is also sufficiently wise . . . Reflecting now on the pleasure Camilleri’s body of work has given me, I’m moved to break a reviewing convention and offer to his shade a sentiment that even the most delighted critics never express: thank you - The Daily Telegraph
The concluding instalment in the late Italian writer's beloved Inspector Montalbano series is a chance to savour the sardonic Sicilian's company, the vivid landscape of his region and Camilleri's distinctive voice as he unravels his final mystery - The i
Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb - Sunday Times
Montalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today - Guardian
One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers - Daily Mail
Camilleri has contrived a fitting goodbye to a dear old friend who operates, to the very last, on his own terms - Guardian
With Riccardino, Montalbano signs off in glorious style - Crime Fiction Lover
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“The perfect swansong for the singular Italian detective.”
Around five o’clock in the morning, Inspector Montalbano’s phone rings. The caller identifies himself only as Riccardino and says, “We’re all here already, outside the Bar Aurora, and you’re the only one missing!”... More
“The perfect swansong for the singular Italian detective”
Around five o’clock in the morning, Inspector Montalbano’s phone rings. The caller identifies himself only as Riccardino and says, “We’re all here already, outside the Bar Aurora, and you’re the only one missing!”... More
“A quirky farewell to Inspector Montalbano”
“‘Can’t you see that you’re presently unwilling, in this Riccardino story, to set the investigation on a specific, welldefined path? I offer you a lead, and you start joking around, and as a result I find myself in a... More
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