Volens

Victor Gallo #2

by Mark Camilleri

Sieħbu kellu dak kollu li hu ma kellux u kien dak kollu li hu ma kienx.

Għax għal Martin Mizzi, wieħed mill-iżjed footballers popolari tal-gżejjer, il-kelma "biżżejjed" ma kinitx fil-vokabularju tiegħu. Sakemm jiltaqa' ma' mewtu, f'ġurnata ta' sħana minn dawk li jħobb isawwatna bihom Awwissu, u tingħata bidu għal katina ta' ġrajjiet illi fil-qalba tagħha jsib ruħu - forsi iżjed fil-fond milli xtaq - l-Ispettur Victor Gallo. U għall-Kap tat-Taqsima tal-Omiċidji l-investigazzjonijiet huma l-kura sabiex jipprova ma jiftakarx fl-imgħoddi.

Akkost li kull pass li jagħmel ikun riskju, volens, li l-istorja tirrepeti ruħha.

318 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2013

About the author

Mark Camilleri twieled fit-30 ta' Lulju 1977 u trabba l-Mosta fejn gћadu jgћix sal-lum. Iggradwat fl-Istorja bil-Baċellerat tal-Edukazzjoni (1999) u għandu Diploma fil-Letteratura Maltija (2018) mill-Università ta’ Malta. Għal ħmistax-il sena kien għalliem fi skejjel primarji, u Assistent Kap ta’ Skola bejn l-2014 u l-2021.

F'Settembru tal-2021 huwa nħatar bħala l-Kap Eżekuttiv tal-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb, entità pubblika fi ħdan il-Ministeru tal-Edukazzjoni li taqdi l-industrija tal-kotba Maltija.

Kittieb tar-rumanzi tas-sensiela Gallo: Prima Facie (2010), Volens (2013), Nex (2016) u Alias (2021); tal-ktieb għat-tfal Mill-Istorja tal-Futbol Malti (2018) u bloggati fuq: http://spetturgallo.blogspot.com/.

Xogħol ippubblikat:

Gallo - f'45 (2009)

Prima Facie (2010)

Volens (2013)

Nex (2016) - finalist tal-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb

Mill-Istorja tal-Futbol Malti (2018) - finalist tal-Premju Terramaxka

Alias (2021)

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the rather good Prima Facie, Inspector Gallo is back, however this is not a sequel to that book, rather a separate adventure. Nonetheless there are the same characters.

This time a famous football player is murdered and it’s up to inspector Gallo to solve the mystery. As, always he manages to take the details and piece everything together, like the last book the reader will notice some details as well and can solve the crime along with Gallo.

For me, although the mystery is fun to solve, it’s the deeper things to look out for and in Volens there’s a commentary on the corruption and racism that is present in football. As more and more foreign players form part of football teams, racist attitudes will prevail.

The other topic is media manipulation. Gallo is a luddite and views social media as exploitative. At one point he is asked to attend a TV discussion which he views negatively as he knows that the questions will not be in good faith and rather be on the gossipy side, in order to pander to the audience. Considering that the book was written 9 years ago, the media and corruption/racist issues are still prevalent today so the Volens still holds well.

On the whole Volens is an improvement when compared to it’s predecessor: The popular culture references which were littered everywhere in PF are down to a minimum, the writing is more confident (Mark Camilleri’s knack for a great simile is still strong) and the reader discovers a bit more about Gallo’s marriage, childhood and a little relationship which crops up.

Although I approach every book with no expectations, I have an inkling that the Gallo books improve upon the last. The third book is called Nex and, to use a cliché, I do have high hopes for it.

[Roberta Bajada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dejjem nieħu gost naqra rumanzi b'karattri daqstant reali u żviluppati, li jġiegħluk tibqa taħseb dwarhom wara li ttemm il-ktieb. Volens, it-tieni fis- sensiela Gallo, joffri proprju dan u iktar, fi sfondi familjari u kuntesti lokali, mhux mingħajr ma jżomm lill-qarrej fuq ix-xwiek sal-aħħar paġna, u ċertament għatxan għal aktar.

[Amy Falzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wara li qrajt l-ewwel ktieb mis-sensiela Gallo fi ftit jiem, ma ħsibthiex darbtejn biex naqbad it-tieni ktieb tas-sensiela, ‘Volens’. Ċertament ngħid b’ wiċċi minn quddiem, li l-kitba ta’ Mark Camilleri ma iddiżappuntatnix għal darb’oħra. Storja li żżommok fuq ix-xwiek sal-aħħar, u li tavvanza b’ mod konsistenti (xi ħaġa li personalment infittex fil-kotba li naqra). Il-karattru tal-ispettur Gallo jkompli jieħu l-ħajja, fejn il-qarrejja jingħataw iċ-ċans jiskopru aktar dwar dan il-karattru, jorbtu qalbhom aktar miegħu, u anke jħossu għal dak li jgħaddi minnu Gallo nnifsu. Tajjeb ukoll insemmi, li jien u naqra dan il-ktieb stajt nagħraf li l-awtur iddedika ammont ta’ ħin sostanzjali fir-riċerka qabel beda jikteb il-ktieb sabiex l-istorja tkun awtentika kemm jista’ jkun, xi ħaġa li ġiet apprezzata mmens minn-naħa tiegħi, u xi ħaġa li verament inqis importanti fil-kitba ta’ ktieb polizjesk bħal dan.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kien hemm zvilupp kbir mill-ahhar ktieb. Ghalkemm kien mexxej hafna, Prima Facie kellu nuqqassijiet fejn jidhol attenzjoni ghad-dettal u l-istilistika kienet tinhass esperimentali. Volens huwa ktieb ferm aktar matur u r-reazzjonijiet u espressjonijiet tal-karattri huma aktar realistici. Interessanti kif Gallo nbidel mill-grajjiet ta' Prima Facie, u l-mod kif jagixxi f'Volens huwa affetwat minn dak li gralu fil-passat.

Ghalkemm logiku, l-andament tal-istorja u l-mod kif spicca hadni b'sorpriza. Kollox ma kollox kuntent li l-ktieb xtrajtu u ma jiddispjacinix li sibt il-hin biex qrajtu.

[Monalisa Vella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volens is an exciting and suspensful book. It kept me thinking who the murderer might be till the last chapters and I must be honest and say that I was very sutprised with the outcome. Once again I loved Gallo's unique character.

I strongly recommend this book to people who love to read a good crime novel. Well done Mark Camilleri.

[Ramona Depares · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been fond of a good, old-fashioned detective story. The real whodunnits, Agatha Christie-style, where you can study characterization and attempt to reach your own (often erroneous) conclusion.
Most of today’s detective stories, sadly, fall short of this, regaling us instead with one-dimensional characters, plenty of gore and an incidental killer whose identity you have no hope in hell of guessing.
Besides writers like Agatha Christie and Ruth Rendell, some Italian polizieski do deliver the goods in the traditional whodunnit manner. ~And happily, it is this tradition that Mark Camilleri follows in his Spettur Gallo series.
Volens, his newest offering, re-introduces us to Gallo’s world after it was torn apart by the events in the first book, Prima Facie. I won’t give away too much detail about these happenings, for those of you who have yet to read the book.
It’s good to point out that Volens is a stand-alone. Although based around the main characters that were introduced in the first book, and although the personal lives of these characters are a continuation of the events therein, Volens is an entirely separate story that you can follow equally well without reading the first one.
This time round, the plot centres around the murder of a famous footballer, Martin Mizzi. But don’t let that put you off if you’re not into footie. I wouldn’t recognise a football if it hit me in the face, yet I enjoyed every single page of the ride.
Actual football-related details are kept to a minimum, and the story is a concoction of mystery, violence (efficiently described), sex (discreetly described), music references (Gallo has surprisingly good taste in music), corruption and...touchingly... a new romance for the inspector. A romance that starts out as a casual encounter, but which then develops into something more. Much more, actually.
Camilleri weaves all these elements seamlessly, combining a number of subplots around the main plot, until you’re truly hooked. The victim’s characterisation is flawless. He is a man with many shades of grey and, as details about his private life continue to emerge, the reader is left guessing till the end about the possible motive for the murder.
The end, when it comes, will be a surprise for many. And yet, there are clues that are cleverly planted for those who care to look for them. Much like Prima Facie, Camilleri gives us a bittersweet ending that is completely in sync with the preceding chapters.
I do not want to give too many details about the story itself. Suffice it to say that there is plenty of action for those who are so inclined. As for those who prefer to enjoy the subtlety of clues and character development, there is plenty of that too. And equally importantly, Gallo is forced to continue facing his personal demons – both those arising from the circumstances in the first book and other rising from new happenings in this one. Camilleri seems not to want to give his hero any peace.
To sum it up: action, sex, corruption and in-depth characterisation make this an ideal summer read.
Roll on the next Gallo adventure.

(This review appeared on http://www.timesofmalta.com)

[Ends of the Word · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Camilleri’s "Volens" is the second instalment in an ongoing crime series featuring Inspector Victor Gallo. Camilleri has written three novels about his creation – Volens is sandwiched between Prima Facie and Nex (both of which I am yet to read). A fourth will, reputedly, be published later this year. Camilleri’s style is clearly influenced by hardboiled crime of the American variety. Gallo is a flawed character plagued by personal demons – a failed marriage behind him and, very often, a drink in front of him. Given the Mediterranean context, there is also the inescapable influence of Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano (referenced in Volens). Like Camilleri’s much-loved inspector, Volens is prone to soliloquys and ruminations about the sad state society is in, and has an idea of justice which sometimes requires bending the rules.

In Volens, Gallo investigates the murder of a leading footballer, Martin Mizzi. Mizzi is much admired in the sports scene, but Gallo soon starts to uncover his more unsavoury traits, all of which might have led to his untimely death. The novel features an array of characters and its plot is complex – perhaps a tad too much – with its mix of drug-dealing, bribery, match-rigging and illicit sexual affairs. What I enjoyed most about Volens is the local context – the familiar and enjoyable pleasures of crime fiction transposed to settings with which I am familiar.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...

[Mark Spiteri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volens is a brilliant book in my opinion, it kept me thinking about who the murderer might be and page-flipping was in vain to get the name I wanted. I had to wait till the last chapter when it was finally revealed to me.

I considered that as a personal defeat :-) I consider myself well acquainted with crime novels and I tend to go close or guess who the culprit is, but not in Volens.

I recommend this book to people who love detail (maybe there is a lot of detail but for me it makes the book more interesting) and people who love crime novels as much as I do (a lot).

Mark

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrattiva b’saħħitha.
Attenzjoni kbira għad-dettal.
Sitwazzjonijiet xi kultant surreali, b’elementi li żgur ma jistgħux jissejħu ortodossi.
L-elementi li jagħmlu lil Volens kapulavur ieħor ta’ Mark Camilleri.

[Mark Anthony Bugeja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrativa dettaljata, ghandu stil mexxej u fuq kollox kapolavur. L-awtur qed jevolvi dejjem aktar fil-kitba tieghu. Barra minn heqq holoq nicca tant mistennija minn hafna ghax dan il-generu huwa nieqes mil-letteratura Maltija. Nisperaw li ha nkomplu nisimghu fuq l-Ispettur Gallo.

[Jessica Falzon]

It has a brilliant touch !

[Tanya Dimech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a great Maltese crime book.One of the few Maltese crime stories..I like the descriptions of places in Malta,and while reading I imagine the whole scene and places Inspector Gallo takes us...

[Roberta Curmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bhal persuna li kitbet qabli Mark Camilleri f'dan il-ktieb impruvja hafna aktar. Ghogobni hafna l-plot u bqajt sa' l-ahhar niprova naqta min kien hemm wara l-qtil ghaliex fl-istorja kien hemm hafna persuni li setghu waslu biex iridu lil player Mizzi mejjet. Il-ktieb mexxej hafna u kunu lesti ghal Malti miftuh hafna u espressjonijiet litteralment Maltin :-) fis-sens li l-awtur ma qghadx lura hu u jikteb. kien hemm mumenti fejn min kapitlu ghal iehor qabez fuq persuni ohra u ma nindundax mill-ewwel ghal min kien qed jirreferi pero' fl-ebda mumenti ma kienet monotona l-istorja anzi l-hin kollu izzommok b'suspens ha tara x'se jigri. Well done Mr. Camilleri. look forward ghal ktieb li jmiss.

[Elizabeth Ebejer · Rating 5 out of 5]

...kudos.Mark Camilleri... hsibt li l-ewwel ktieb PF ma kienx ser ikun hemm iehor tajjeb daqsu...biss VOLENS tani risposta...kudos mill-gdid...

[Rowena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to give a middle rating of 2.5, but I can't, so I'll round up.
One major gripe I had: TOO MANY characters. I still don't know who Ivanka was, for example.
Storyline was good, but had too many tentacles into too many characters' lives. Maybe that's how reality is on the shady side?
And finally, (semi-spoiler), I found it highly implausible that a beauty like that (won't mention names) has an affair with Victor Gallo, who is uncouth, unkempt, overweight and generally unattractive, at least from what I gathered. Mark Camilleri, you need to spice him up a bit! :-P