A Review of The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

 

Cover

A little bit different of a detective book than what I am used to reading in the sense that Inspector Montalbano is a fleshed out character already. He is a police inspector in the fictional town of Vigata (inspired by Camileri's hometown of Porto Empedocle in Sicily).

When a dead man in found in "the pasture" an outcrop near an abandoned factory where prostitutes and drug dealers practice their trade by trash collectors, Inspector Montalbano is assigned the case. After being told that the man, Silvio Luparello, died of natural causes due to a weak heart Inspector Montalbano decides to fully flesh out what happened. What unfolds is a case of political power strives, mafia practices, and incestious affairs.

I enjoyed this book. I think Inspector Montalbano is a good character and has certain values that pair well with being a detective. This case was one that didn't follow the usual detective book formula and was very enjoyable. I think that the only things that was a little confusing was all of the names. Of course I am not complaining that I, as an American, had a hard time with the Italian names, but I think that the next book in the series I read I'll make a list of the names and who they are while reading.