Patience of the Spider
Inspector Montalbano [8]
Andrea Camilleri
Viking Press (2003)
Rating:
****
Tags:
Mystery, Andrea Camilleri, Thriller
### From Publishers Weekly
Camilleri's agreeable eighth contemporary police procedural featuring the crotchety but insightful Inspector Montalbano finds the Italian detective at home in Marinella enjoying the ministrations of his wife, Livia, after he was shot by a child trafficker in 2006's *Rounding the Mark*. But his recuperation is hampered by the demands of a new case: the abduction of Susanna Mistretta, an attractive university student and daughter of a geologist. Unable to trust his colleagues to handle the case properly, Montalbano focuses on subtle anomalies—such as the direction the missing girl's motorbike was pointed—that suggest the kidnapping is more than the simple extortion attempt it appears to be. The witty writing and acerbic protagonist should appeal to fans of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse. *(May)*
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
### From Booklist
On the mend from the gunshot wound he sustained at the conclusion of *Rounding the Mark *(2006), police inspector Salvo Montalbano is called back to work when the kidnapping of a young woman rocks the insular Sicilian community of Vigata. As Montalbano becomes intrigued with the case, he gradually feels himself start to reengage with the rest of humanity, though the almost metaphysical lethargy that has been weighing on his soul will not dislodge easily. Camilleri seems more interested here in Montalbano's inner turmoil--including the inspector's reactions to his strained relationship with his lover, Livia--than he is with the kidnapping story. That's just as well, really, because the main plot this time is not nearly as meaty as in past episodes. But the focus of this consistently entertaining series has always been more on character than mystery, and although this installment is, at best, a transitional episode, it still delivers what fans have come to expect: a perfectly blended mix of comedy and melancholy, and a hero whose joie de vivre is perpetually under siege from an absurd world. *Bill Ott*
*Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved*
Patience of the Spider
Inspector Montalbano [8]
Andrea Camilleri
Viking Press (2003)
Rating:
****
Tags:
Mystery, Andrea Camilleri, Thriller
### From Publishers Weekly
Camilleri's agreeable eighth contemporary police procedural featuring the crotchety but insightful Inspector Montalbano finds the Italian detective at home in Marinella enjoying the ministrations of his wife, Livia, after he was shot by a child trafficker in 2006's *Rounding the Mark*. But his recuperation is hampered by the demands of a new case: the abduction of Susanna Mistretta, an attractive university student and daughter of a geologist. Unable to trust his colleagues to handle the case properly, Montalbano focuses on subtle anomalies—such as the direction the missing girl's motorbike was pointed—that suggest the kidnapping is more than the simple extortion attempt it appears to be. The witty writing and acerbic protagonist should appeal to fans of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse. *(May)*
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
### From Booklist
On the mend from the gunshot wound he sustained at the conclusion of *Rounding the Mark *(2006), police inspector Salvo Montalbano is called back to work when the kidnapping of a young woman rocks the insular Sicilian community of Vigata. As Montalbano becomes intrigued with the case, he gradually feels himself start to reengage with the rest of humanity, though the almost metaphysical lethargy that has been weighing on his soul will not dislodge easily. Camilleri seems more interested here in Montalbano's inner turmoil--including the inspector's reactions to his strained relationship with his lover, Livia--than he is with the kidnapping story. That's just as well, really, because the main plot this time is not nearly as meaty as in past episodes. But the focus of this consistently entertaining series has always been more on character than mystery, and although this installment is, at best, a transitional episode, it still delivers what fans have come to expect: a perfectly blended mix of comedy and melancholy, and a hero whose joie de vivre is perpetually under siege from an absurd world. *Bill Ott*
*Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved*
Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano series
“The idiosyncratic Montalbano is totally endearing.”
—The New York Times
“Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can’t stay out of trouble. . . . Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outbursts, fumbles, or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth.” —The Nation
“Once again, violence is muted, complications rule, politics roil, but humor . . . prevail[s] in the end. Italy is good to visit, even if only in print. And what better way to shorten a flight to Palermo than by gobbling this tasty snack along the way?” —Los Angeles Times
“[Camilleri’s mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling—and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engag-ing protagonists in detective fiction. . . . Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily’s mean streets.” —USA Today
“The Montalbano mysteries offer cose dolci to the world-lit lover hankering for a whodunit.”
—The Village Voice
“The reading of these little gems is fast and fun every step of the way.”
—The New York Sun
“Wittily translated from the savory Italian, Camilleri’s mysteries . . .
feature the sardonic Inspector Salvo Montalbano, whose gustatory adventures are at least as much fun as his crime solving.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Camilleri once again thrills with his fluid storytelling and quirky characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
Also by Andrea Camilleri
The Shape of Water
The Terra-Cotta Dog
The Snack Thief
Voice of the Violin
Excursion to Tindari
The Smell of the Night
Rounding the Mark
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a pe ng u i n myste ry
rginanni
a Gio
Elvir
T H E PAT I E N C E O F T H E S P I D E R
Andrea Camilleri is the author of many books, including his Montalbano series, which has been adapted for Italian television and translated into nine languages. He lives in Rome.
Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator and the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Open Vault.
THE PATIENCE OF THE SPIDER
A N D R E A CA M I L L E R I
Translated by Stephen Sartarelli
P E N G U I N B O O KS
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