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Commissario Montalbano #7
Rounding the Mark
The earthy and urbane Sicilian detective Inspector Montalbano casts his spell on more and more fans with each new mystery from Andrea Camilleri.Two seemingly unrelated deaths form the central mystery of Rounding the Mark. They will take Montalbano deep into a secret world of illicit trafficking in human lives, and the investigation will test the limits of his physical, psychological, and moral endurance. Disillusioned and no longer believing in the institution he serves, will he withdraw or delve deeper into his work?
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
264 people are currently reading
1718 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Camilleri
469 books2,435 followersAndrea Camilleri was an Italian writer. He is considered one of the greatest Italian writers of both 20th and 21st centuries.
Originally from Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Camilleri began studies at the Faculty of Literature in 1944, without concluding them, meanwhile publishing poems and short stories. Around this time he joined the Italian Communist Party.
From 1948 to 1950 Camilleri studied stage and film direction at the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts, and began to take on work as a director and screenwriter, directing especially plays by Pirandello and Beckett. As a matter of fact, his parents knew Pirandello and were even distant friends, as he tells in his essay on Pirandello "Biography of the changed son". His most famous works, the Montalbano series show many pirandellian elements: for example, the wild olive tree that helps Montalbano think, is on stage in his late work "The giants of the mountain"
With RAI, Camilleri worked on several TV productions, such as Inspector Maigret with Gino Cervi. In 1977 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Arts, holding the chair of Movie Direction, and occupying it for 20 years.
In 1978 Camilleri wrote his first novel Il Corso Delle Cose ("The Way Things Go"). This was followed by Un Filo di Fumo ("A Thread of Smoke") in 1980. Neither of these works enjoyed any significant amount of popularity.
In 1992, after a long pause of 12 years, Camilleri once more took up novel-writing. A new book, La Stagione della Caccia ("The Hunting Season") turned out to be a best-seller.
In 1994 Camilleri published the first in a long series of novels: La forma dell'Acqua (The Shape of Water) featured the character of Inspector Montalbano, a fractious Sicilian detective in the police force of Vigàta, an imaginary Sicilian town. The series is written in Italian but with a substantial sprinkling of Sicilian phrases and grammar. The name Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán; the similarities between Montalban's Pepe Carvalho and Camilleri's fictional detective are remarkable. Both writers make great play of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences.
This feature provides an interesting quirk which has become something of a fad among his readership even in mainland Italy. The TV adaptation of Montalbano's adventures, starring the perfectly-cast Luca Zingaretti, further increased Camilleri's popularity to such a point that in 2003 Camilleri's home town, Porto Empedocle - on which Vigàta is modelled - took the extraordinary step of changing its official denomination to that of Porto Empedocle Vigàta, no doubt with an eye to capitalising on the tourism possibilities thrown up by the author's work.
In 1998 Camilleri won the Nino Martoglio International Book Award.
Camilleri lived in Rome where he worked as a TV and theatre director. About 10 million copies of his novels have been sold to date, and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK and North America.
In addition to the degree of popularity brought him by the novels, in recent months Andrea Camilleri has become even more of a media icon thanks to the parodies aired on an RAI radio show, where popular comedian, TV-host and impression artist Fiorello presents him as a raspy voiced, caustic character, madly in love with cigarettes and smoking (Camilleri is well-known for his love of tobacco).
He received an honorary degree from University of Pisa in 2005.
Originally from Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Camilleri began studies at the Faculty of Literature in 1944, without concluding them, meanwhile publishing poems and short stories. Around this time he joined the Italian Communist Party.
From 1948 to 1950 Camilleri studied stage and film direction at the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts, and began to take on work as a director and screenwriter, directing especially plays by Pirandello and Beckett. As a matter of fact, his parents knew Pirandello and were even distant friends, as he tells in his essay on Pirandello "Biography of the changed son". His most famous works, the Montalbano series show many pirandellian elements: for example, the wild olive tree that helps Montalbano think, is on stage in his late work "The giants of the mountain"
With RAI, Camilleri worked on several TV productions, such as Inspector Maigret with Gino Cervi. In 1977 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Arts, holding the chair of Movie Direction, and occupying it for 20 years.
In 1978 Camilleri wrote his first novel Il Corso Delle Cose ("The Way Things Go"). This was followed by Un Filo di Fumo ("A Thread of Smoke") in 1980. Neither of these works enjoyed any significant amount of popularity.
In 1992, after a long pause of 12 years, Camilleri once more took up novel-writing. A new book, La Stagione della Caccia ("The Hunting Season") turned out to be a best-seller.
In 1994 Camilleri published the first in a long series of novels: La forma dell'Acqua (The Shape of Water) featured the character of Inspector Montalbano, a fractious Sicilian detective in the police force of Vigàta, an imaginary Sicilian town. The series is written in Italian but with a substantial sprinkling of Sicilian phrases and grammar. The name Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán; the similarities between Montalban's Pepe Carvalho and Camilleri's fictional detective are remarkable. Both writers make great play of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences.
This feature provides an interesting quirk which has become something of a fad among his readership even in mainland Italy. The TV adaptation of Montalbano's adventures, starring the perfectly-cast Luca Zingaretti, further increased Camilleri's popularity to such a point that in 2003 Camilleri's home town, Porto Empedocle - on which Vigàta is modelled - took the extraordinary step of changing its official denomination to that of Porto Empedocle Vigàta, no doubt with an eye to capitalising on the tourism possibilities thrown up by the author's work.
In 1998 Camilleri won the Nino Martoglio International Book Award.
Camilleri lived in Rome where he worked as a TV and theatre director. About 10 million copies of his novels have been sold to date, and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK and North America.
In addition to the degree of popularity brought him by the novels, in recent months Andrea Camilleri has become even more of a media icon thanks to the parodies aired on an RAI radio show, where popular comedian, TV-host and impression artist Fiorello presents him as a raspy voiced, caustic character, madly in love with cigarettes and smoking (Camilleri is well-known for his love of tobacco).
He received an honorary degree from University of Pisa in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 421 reviews
July 22, 2023
3/5 Estrellas
En esta nueva entrega se manifiestan más claramente algunas facetas de nuestro comisario, que antes quedaban bastante ocultas bajo su sus gustos de gourmet y su personalidad cabrona, vacilona y faltona.
Tenemos un comisario preocupado por la falta general de ética y de comportamiento cívico en la sociedad que le rodea. Un comisario preocupado por las políticas de los dirigentes que están al frente del país en esos momentos. Un comisario que abre los ojos ante la terrible realidad de la inmigración clandestina en el Mediterráneo y ante algo todavía más terrible: el trafico de niños.
Un planteamiento original y atractivo, como siempre, pero que se va diluyendo, con un desenlace surrealista y bastante poco convincente. ¿Qué hace este hombre metiéndose en todos los fregados sólo y sin decir a nadie donde va? Por cierto, ¿Qué le pasa a Montalbano, está enfermo?
Los años pesan, los achaques aparecen, pero no sé cómo la hace, pero las mujeres siguen metiéndose en su cama sin tener que mover un dedo...pero ojo, con su fuerza de voluntad férrea sigue siendo fiel a su querida y ausente Livia...otro tema bastante insostenible.
Los achaques y los conflictos internos llevan al comisario a una espiral depresiva y piensa en la retirada...¿pero cómo va a abandonar a sus hombres que le idolatran, pese a sus formas, y a esa sociedad que confía en él para resolver estos crímenes inverosímiles?
Seguimos, sin relatos excelsos, pero suficientemente entretenidos.
En esta nueva entrega se manifiestan más claramente algunas facetas de nuestro comisario, que antes quedaban bastante ocultas bajo su sus gustos de gourmet y su personalidad cabrona, vacilona y faltona.
Tenemos un comisario preocupado por la falta general de ética y de comportamiento cívico en la sociedad que le rodea. Un comisario preocupado por las políticas de los dirigentes que están al frente del país en esos momentos. Un comisario que abre los ojos ante la terrible realidad de la inmigración clandestina en el Mediterráneo y ante algo todavía más terrible: el trafico de niños.
Un planteamiento original y atractivo, como siempre, pero que se va diluyendo, con un desenlace surrealista y bastante poco convincente. ¿Qué hace este hombre metiéndose en todos los fregados sólo y sin decir a nadie donde va? Por cierto, ¿Qué le pasa a Montalbano, está enfermo?
Los años pesan, los achaques aparecen, pero no sé cómo la hace, pero las mujeres siguen metiéndose en su cama sin tener que mover un dedo...pero ojo, con su fuerza de voluntad férrea sigue siendo fiel a su querida y ausente Livia...otro tema bastante insostenible.
Los achaques y los conflictos internos llevan al comisario a una espiral depresiva y piensa en la retirada...¿pero cómo va a abandonar a sus hombres que le idolatran, pese a sus formas, y a esa sociedad que confía en él para resolver estos crímenes inverosímiles?
Seguimos, sin relatos excelsos, pero suficientemente entretenidos.
September 10, 2021
One of my favorite entries in the series so far. Why? I'm getting to better know Inspector Salvo Montalbano, and liking him more and more. He's both down-to-earth and sophisticated in the right balance for me. He cites literature he likes (author Camilleri was an esteemed director of plays, his favorite playwright Pirandello). I like my detectives to be amusing, seriously good at what they do, and vulnerable, and toward the latter, Montalbano is clearly feeling is age, post 50.
I also like it when mystery writers deal with real global and/or local issues, and in this one we see Sicily encountering what the world is grappling with, massive immigration/refugee issues. And a related one, child trafficking.
This one begins with Salvo out for a swim, doing the dead man float, and encountering an actual dead man. When he takes off his suit and uses it to bring the body to shore he is comically shot at by a woman who thought he had killed the guy, and then the media photograph him naked. This is a comics set up for the most serious novel in the series so far. At one point Montalbano inadvertently allows for the death of a kid, which sends him into fits of rage and despair and self-loathing, in part informed by his own memory of interaction with an orphan boy he and Livia nearly adopted.
The writing here seems richer, more engaging, more meaningful than previous books. My kinda thing.
I also like it when mystery writers deal with real global and/or local issues, and in this one we see Sicily encountering what the world is grappling with, massive immigration/refugee issues. And a related one, child trafficking.
This one begins with Salvo out for a swim, doing the dead man float, and encountering an actual dead man. When he takes off his suit and uses it to bring the body to shore he is comically shot at by a woman who thought he had killed the guy, and then the media photograph him naked. This is a comics set up for the most serious novel in the series so far. At one point Montalbano inadvertently allows for the death of a kid, which sends him into fits of rage and despair and self-loathing, in part informed by his own memory of interaction with an orphan boy he and Livia nearly adopted.
The writing here seems richer, more engaging, more meaningful than previous books. My kinda thing.
September 14, 2024
Рядко книгите в една серия са толкова равностойни, както тези за комисаря Монталбано. Но Камилери продължава изкусно да бродира историята на съвременна Сицилия през съдбата и случаите си, без да спестява неприятното на читателите си.
Малко престъпления са по-гнусни от трафика на деца и Салво се заема с новия си случай по-решително от всякога!
Чудесна кримка, препоръчвам!
Моята оценка - 4,5*.
Малко престъпления са по-гнусни от трафика на деца и Салво се заема с новия си случай по-решително от всякога!
Чудесна кримка, препоръчвам!
Моята оценка - 4,5*.
July 21, 2019
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: The earthy and urbane Sicilian detective Inspector Montalbano casts his spell on more and more fans with each new mystery from Andrea Camilleri. Two seemingly unrelated deaths form the central mystery of Rounding the Mark. They will take Montalbano deep into a secret world of illicit trafficking in human lives, and the investigation will test the limits of his physical, psychological, and moral endurance. Disillusioned and no longer believing in the institution he serves, will he withdraw or delve deeper into his work?
My Review: Montalbano, over fifty and not liking it One Little Bit, decides to take an early-morning, out-of-season swim...and runs smack-dab into a dead guy who's clearly been in the water for a long time. He improvises a tow rope out of his swimsuit for the poor bastard, and begins a long, tiring naked swim in the cold water to bring him to shore. He's exhausted and feeling very lightheaded after his exertions and collapses on the sand...where he is attacked and vilified by a crazy old couple from the North who're renting a neighbor's house, photographed au naturel by the paparazzi they've summoned, and generally made a figure of fun...fifty yards from his own home. Thus begins Montalbano's misadventure into the seamiest-yet part of Sicily's underbelly. The dead guy proves to be a murder victim, identified in an extremely surprising way by an extremely unexpected source; Montalbano's interference in an illegal-immigrant bust results in the death of a young child; and in the end, both are revealed to be major pieces in a puzzle that bedevils Italy, with its immense amounts of coastline and huge population of coastal islands, most among European nations: How can you prevent a flood-tide of economic migrants from sheltering the vilest, most despicable members of our species from profiting off the misery of their masses? True to life itself, the question is posed, the answer left unknown. But Montalbano, now, he solves his piece of the puzzle, and a few...not many, just a few...of the scumbags meet a just end.
Well, in the seventh book of the series, there is a bit of sagging to report: A few promising threads are left dangling here, especially the whole North-vs-South cultural divide so present in every facet of Italian life. Camilleri fails to exploit some delightful possibilities, and I think that it's inevitable to do so in a long-for-him book crammed with major plot points and huge moral questions. Part of the charm of these books is their conciseness: seldom over 230pp in translation, they are models of taut storytelling. Then along comes a story like this one, replete with opportunities to explore Italy and Italianness, and it's too much for the format of the series. It's unwise to change formats mid-series, so some things will fall off the radar a little too quickly.
So what, the nigglers say, you still give the book four stars...what's that about, fanboy? Not just about being a fanboy, though I admit that I am just that. It's about the layers of well-executed prose, conveying piece by piece the existence of and resolution to a problem previously hidden, in concert with a storyteller's greatest gift or lack: The ability to create, in a few deft verbal strokes, a sense of a character as a real person. The ability to evoke in the reader a new response to an old situation. The ability to bring a place to life using nothing more than a few lighting effects and your own sense of smell.
These qualities, mes vieux, are amply on display in this book and deployed in service of a story that, even though it's resolved, isn't in any way over. And that should keep you awake nights.
The Publisher Says: The earthy and urbane Sicilian detective Inspector Montalbano casts his spell on more and more fans with each new mystery from Andrea Camilleri. Two seemingly unrelated deaths form the central mystery of Rounding the Mark. They will take Montalbano deep into a secret world of illicit trafficking in human lives, and the investigation will test the limits of his physical, psychological, and moral endurance. Disillusioned and no longer believing in the institution he serves, will he withdraw or delve deeper into his work?
My Review: Montalbano, over fifty and not liking it One Little Bit, decides to take an early-morning, out-of-season swim...and runs smack-dab into a dead guy who's clearly been in the water for a long time. He improvises a tow rope out of his swimsuit for the poor bastard, and begins a long, tiring naked swim in the cold water to bring him to shore. He's exhausted and feeling very lightheaded after his exertions and collapses on the sand...where he is attacked and vilified by a crazy old couple from the North who're renting a neighbor's house, photographed au naturel by the paparazzi they've summoned, and generally made a figure of fun...fifty yards from his own home. Thus begins Montalbano's misadventure into the seamiest-yet part of Sicily's underbelly. The dead guy proves to be a murder victim, identified in an extremely surprising way by an extremely unexpected source; Montalbano's interference in an illegal-immigrant bust results in the death of a young child; and in the end, both are revealed to be major pieces in a puzzle that bedevils Italy, with its immense amounts of coastline and huge population of coastal islands, most among European nations: How can you prevent a flood-tide of economic migrants from sheltering the vilest, most despicable members of our species from profiting off the misery of their masses? True to life itself, the question is posed, the answer left unknown. But Montalbano, now, he solves his piece of the puzzle, and a few...not many, just a few...of the scumbags meet a just end.
Well, in the seventh book of the series, there is a bit of sagging to report: A few promising threads are left dangling here, especially the whole North-vs-South cultural divide so present in every facet of Italian life. Camilleri fails to exploit some delightful possibilities, and I think that it's inevitable to do so in a long-for-him book crammed with major plot points and huge moral questions. Part of the charm of these books is their conciseness: seldom over 230pp in translation, they are models of taut storytelling. Then along comes a story like this one, replete with opportunities to explore Italy and Italianness, and it's too much for the format of the series. It's unwise to change formats mid-series, so some things will fall off the radar a little too quickly.
So what, the nigglers say, you still give the book four stars...what's that about, fanboy? Not just about being a fanboy, though I admit that I am just that. It's about the layers of well-executed prose, conveying piece by piece the existence of and resolution to a problem previously hidden, in concert with a storyteller's greatest gift or lack: The ability to create, in a few deft verbal strokes, a sense of a character as a real person. The ability to evoke in the reader a new response to an old situation. The ability to bring a place to life using nothing more than a few lighting effects and your own sense of smell.
These qualities, mes vieux, are amply on display in this book and deployed in service of a story that, even though it's resolved, isn't in any way over. And that should keep you awake nights.
November 28, 2019
Seven books in and I am enjoying the Montalbano series so far.
This book, look the previous ones, had vivid descriptions of food and scenery that leave me wanting to board a plane to Italy.
The subject matter of this book is particularly dark, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and found myself laughing out loud in some parts.
I’m looking forward to reading book number 8!
This book, look the previous ones, had vivid descriptions of food and scenery that leave me wanting to board a plane to Italy.
The subject matter of this book is particularly dark, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and found myself laughing out loud in some parts.
I’m looking forward to reading book number 8!
October 23, 2014
È forse uno dei romanzi della serie che più mi ha colpito, perché non mi aspettavo la questione del G8 e una reazione così forte ed emotiva da parte di Montalbano, che tradisce di certo la posizione dell'autore, ma che tocca sempre. Io sono genovese e, anche se ero troppo piccola nel 2001 per essere partecipe degli avvenimenti del G8, credo che per certi versi sia una ferita tutt'ora aperta per il paese ma soprattutto per la mia città. E ho arezzato l'analisi che fa Camilleri attraverso Montalbano, perché troppo spesso ci si concentra su Giuliani mettendo in secondo piano cos'è successo alla Diaz. La reazione emotiva da galantuomo e da poliziotto offeso del protagonista mi ha colpito e commosso, ed è una reazione che avrei voluto sentire più spesso anche nella realtà.
Anche la questione principale del romanzo mi ha colpito molto; sicuramente, come chiunque avrà notato prima di me, il punto di forza dei romanzi di Montalbano è la capacità di legare nella narrativa elementi di finzione e problemi criminali reali della Sicilia e del paese tutto. La costruzione del romanzo in particolare che mi ha convinto, con la storia del bimbo che tocca emotivamente Montalbano, sempre più in crisi, e solo in un secondo momento diventa il tema e il problema principale, legandosi con il primo morto. Mi ha preso molto, un bel libro.
Anche la questione principale del romanzo mi ha colpito molto; sicuramente, come chiunque avrà notato prima di me, il punto di forza dei romanzi di Montalbano è la capacità di legare nella narrativa elementi di finzione e problemi criminali reali della Sicilia e del paese tutto. La costruzione del romanzo in particolare che mi ha convinto, con la storia del bimbo che tocca emotivamente Montalbano, sempre più in crisi, e solo in un secondo momento diventa il tema e il problema principale, legandosi con il primo morto. Mi ha preso molto, un bel libro.
December 5, 2018
i love reading camilleri thrillers. he is smart, funny . he have a great sense of sicily with all the beauty cruelty and lough in this amazing island
October 18, 2021
Il commissario Montalbano si imbatte in un doppio caso: il ritrovamento di un cadavere a mare e la sparizione di un bambino. E mai come in questa indagine troviamo un Montalbano così deciso a rinunciare alla sua carriera (ebbene sì, vuole dare la dimissioni per la corruzione che c'è nella polizia!) e così pieno di umanità. Ancora una volta il buon Camilleri si ritrova in uno stato di grazia e ci regala una storia indimenticabile e piena di tristezza, che ha come sfondo la tratta degli immigrati provenienti dall'Africa.
Divorato in poche ore.
Divorato in poche ore.
January 4, 2018
Highly entertaining. The plots are sometimes a little forced and weak but the humorous writing invariably wins the day for me!
January 24, 2024
Easy to read with an interesting story involving illegal immigrants and the trafficking of children with one of the grumpiest detectives around. As usual there are way too many coincidences in the mystery which I can forgive as the main focus of my attention is on how handsomely Salvo dines. Always mouthwatering.
June 3, 2021
As Montalbano enjoys his morning swim he comes across a drowned person which he then takes along to the beach where he is waited upon by some Italian tourists who wait armed for him, armed because of the lack of laws on Sicily.
The Italian commissioner is quickly blamed for not being that much interested in the identity of the victim he found as the Italian water are ripe with drowned refugees. Something Montalbano strongly disagrees to. When he is in the harbour he sees how the Coastguard do their best to bring refugees safely on land saving hem from drowning. He meet a young man who tries to escape from the clutches of the Italian government and as it turns out his so-called mother.
A short while later Montalbano finds the young man again this time dead from a hit and run "accident". It is here that Montalbano has his eye on the huge operation called trafficking of people and then especially the smuggle of children and of course his sea corpse did play a part in the story. He was just more than a dead man walking or swimming in this case.
Another great Montalbano which shows us that the human trafficking is more than pictures on the TV set, it is a big problem with few workable solution and a big cash cow for the traffickers. Sicily and its people come alive once again under the pen strokes of Camilleri
The Italian commissioner is quickly blamed for not being that much interested in the identity of the victim he found as the Italian water are ripe with drowned refugees. Something Montalbano strongly disagrees to. When he is in the harbour he sees how the Coastguard do their best to bring refugees safely on land saving hem from drowning. He meet a young man who tries to escape from the clutches of the Italian government and as it turns out his so-called mother.
A short while later Montalbano finds the young man again this time dead from a hit and run "accident". It is here that Montalbano has his eye on the huge operation called trafficking of people and then especially the smuggle of children and of course his sea corpse did play a part in the story. He was just more than a dead man walking or swimming in this case.
Another great Montalbano which shows us that the human trafficking is more than pictures on the TV set, it is a big problem with few workable solution and a big cash cow for the traffickers. Sicily and its people come alive once again under the pen strokes of Camilleri
March 1, 2020
This may be my least favorite in the Montalbano series to date. Inspector Montalbano discovers a corpse while swimming. It ends up being about a small boy Montalbano encounters who is later murdered. He investigates on the side without authorization and without letting his superiors or his team know what he's up to. In fact, Fazio comes across as a more competent detective than Montalbano in many ways for without him and Mimi, there would not have been a next installment in the series. Grover Gardner's narration was excellent, as usual, but the ending of this one felt a bit abrupt as I listened.
March 20, 2024
Al momento uno dei migliori della serie.
Trama e temi trattati molto toccanti e purtroppo attuali.
Trama e temi trattati molto toccanti e purtroppo attuali.
July 1, 2024
Benim gibi "polisiye denince Kuzey Avrupa polisiyesinden ötesini tanımam", havalarında olan bir okuru Sicilyalı komiser Montalbano nasıl bu kadar sardı, valla ben de anlamadım. Fakat bilhassa sıcak yaz günlerinde Akdeniz'in göbeğinde geçen Montalbano maceralarını okumak müthiş keyifli. Metnin Türkçe çevirisi fena değil, fakat İngilizce çevirileri okurken Montalbano espirilerine nedense daha çok güldüm. Galiba daha başarılı çeviriler. Fakat eminim Sicilya aksanına hakim bir İtalyanca ile bölgenin diline ve argosuna hakim bir okur Montalbano serisinden bambaşka keyif alıyordur.
Galiba biraz da her ne kadar karanlık suçlar işlense de hukuk devletinin tıkır tıkır işlediği, basının işini yaptığı kuzey Avrupa polisiyelerinden sonra, Sicilya'nın suç ve cinayet ortamını Türkiye'dekine daha yakın buldum.
Savcı-basın-mafya işbirliği sıradan, evler yazlıklar kaçak ve sıklıkla imar affı geliyor, ortam yoğun kaçak göçmen akımı altında, faşizm sempatizanı gani... eh, daha ne benzerlik var mı diye soruyorsunuz?
Dahası da var aslında: Akdeniz mutfağı! Montalbano yaşamak için değil, yemek için yaşayanlardan ve olay örgüsü sıklıkla Montalbano'nun hazdan hazza sürüklendiği öğle ve akşam yemeklerinin ayrıntılı tasvirleriyle kesiliyor, ki bence bunda hiç sakınca olmadığı gibi, bu ayrıntılara bayılıyorum. Bu sadece zeytin ekmek peynir olsa bile! Çünkü komiser ekmeğinden ya da yediği çörekten tabağına düşen susam vs.yi, parmağını ıslatıp onları toplayarak yiyor. Bu da Akdeniz kardeşliği değilse nedir? İşte kesinlikle Kuzey Avrupa romanlarında bulamayacağınız bir şey!
Serinin olayları 1990larda, komiser 40'lı yaşlarındayken başlıyor ve 2000lerin başına kadar sürüyor. Bu arada Montalbano yaşlanıyor. Seride Sicilya internetli bilgisayar sistemli dünyaya geçiş özenle ve ilginç bir şekilde işleniyor. Öncesinde cep telefonu olmayan komiserimiz, zaman zaman karakolu Sicilya'nın hemen daima bozuk olan ankesörlü telefonlarından aramak zorunda kalıyor, sonra seride yavaş yavaş cep telefonları hayata giriyor. Tabii DNA testleriyle suçlu bulmak da henüz yok. Adamımız tüm bu koşullar altında, soğukkanlılıkla iki yemek arası cinayetleri çözmeye çalışıyor. 1990ların İtalyan haber kuşağının Reha Muhtar'lı haber bültenlerine benzerliği beni ayrıca pek güldürdü.
Montalbano polisiye romanların biraz ara geçiş karakteri gibi. 1950-60lar sonrasında sıklıkla gördüğümüz ağır maço, yatağından güzel kadınların ille ki her macerada geçtiği, genellikle alkol problemleri yaşayan Mike Hammergillerden değil. Öte yandan başarısını ille ki en az bir kadın karakterle paylaşan, her macerada ille dezavantajlı bir grubun hikayesine dokunan ağır politik doğruculuğu kafamıza vuran bir karakter de değil.
Fakat 68 kuşağından. Enternasyoneli duyunca gençliğini hatırlayıp duygulanıyor, Sicilya'ya akın eden Afrikalı mültecilerle empati kurabiliyor. Uzaktan yürüttüğü düzenli bir ilişkisi var, hemen her macerada nefes kesici kadınlar Montalbano'nun da karşısında çıkıyor, ama bir türlü evlenemediği uzatmalı sevgilisi aldatmamak gibi kaygılar da taşıyor. Zaten seride giderek yaşlanan Montalbano için hoşlandığı bir kadınla yatağa girmektense, onunla hiç konuşmadan, sadece önündeki yemeğin hazzına vararak, karşılıklı yemek yemek -ki o sofrada ille ki deniz ürünleri olacak- daha keyifli.
Tam bir centilmen olduğunu söylemek güçse de çok dozunda bir duygusallığa sahip, empatisi yüksek, zeki, çok kararında ve komik şekilde söven okudukça daha çok sevdiğim bir karakter Andrea Camilleri'nin Sicilyalı komiseri Montalbano. Henüz kendisiyle tanışmamış olan polisiye severlere tavsiye ederim.
Galiba biraz da her ne kadar karanlık suçlar işlense de hukuk devletinin tıkır tıkır işlediği, basının işini yaptığı kuzey Avrupa polisiyelerinden sonra, Sicilya'nın suç ve cinayet ortamını Türkiye'dekine daha yakın buldum.
Savcı-basın-mafya işbirliği sıradan, evler yazlıklar kaçak ve sıklıkla imar affı geliyor, ortam yoğun kaçak göçmen akımı altında, faşizm sempatizanı gani... eh, daha ne benzerlik var mı diye soruyorsunuz?
Dahası da var aslında: Akdeniz mutfağı! Montalbano yaşamak için değil, yemek için yaşayanlardan ve olay örgüsü sıklıkla Montalbano'nun hazdan hazza sürüklendiği öğle ve akşam yemeklerinin ayrıntılı tasvirleriyle kesiliyor, ki bence bunda hiç sakınca olmadığı gibi, bu ayrıntılara bayılıyorum. Bu sadece zeytin ekmek peynir olsa bile! Çünkü komiser ekmeğinden ya da yediği çörekten tabağına düşen susam vs.yi, parmağını ıslatıp onları toplayarak yiyor. Bu da Akdeniz kardeşliği değilse nedir? İşte kesinlikle Kuzey Avrupa romanlarında bulamayacağınız bir şey!
Serinin olayları 1990larda, komiser 40'lı yaşlarındayken başlıyor ve 2000lerin başına kadar sürüyor. Bu arada Montalbano yaşlanıyor. Seride Sicilya internetli bilgisayar sistemli dünyaya geçiş özenle ve ilginç bir şekilde işleniyor. Öncesinde cep telefonu olmayan komiserimiz, zaman zaman karakolu Sicilya'nın hemen daima bozuk olan ankesörlü telefonlarından aramak zorunda kalıyor, sonra seride yavaş yavaş cep telefonları hayata giriyor. Tabii DNA testleriyle suçlu bulmak da henüz yok. Adamımız tüm bu koşullar altında, soğukkanlılıkla iki yemek arası cinayetleri çözmeye çalışıyor. 1990ların İtalyan haber kuşağının Reha Muhtar'lı haber bültenlerine benzerliği beni ayrıca pek güldürdü.
Montalbano polisiye romanların biraz ara geçiş karakteri gibi. 1950-60lar sonrasında sıklıkla gördüğümüz ağır maço, yatağından güzel kadınların ille ki her macerada geçtiği, genellikle alkol problemleri yaşayan Mike Hammergillerden değil. Öte yandan başarısını ille ki en az bir kadın karakterle paylaşan, her macerada ille dezavantajlı bir grubun hikayesine dokunan ağır politik doğruculuğu kafamıza vuran bir karakter de değil.
Fakat 68 kuşağından. Enternasyoneli duyunca gençliğini hatırlayıp duygulanıyor, Sicilya'ya akın eden Afrikalı mültecilerle empati kurabiliyor. Uzaktan yürüttüğü düzenli bir ilişkisi var, hemen her macerada nefes kesici kadınlar Montalbano'nun da karşısında çıkıyor, ama bir türlü evlenemediği uzatmalı sevgilisi aldatmamak gibi kaygılar da taşıyor. Zaten seride giderek yaşlanan Montalbano için hoşlandığı bir kadınla yatağa girmektense, onunla hiç konuşmadan, sadece önündeki yemeğin hazzına vararak, karşılıklı yemek yemek -ki o sofrada ille ki deniz ürünleri olacak- daha keyifli.
Tam bir centilmen olduğunu söylemek güçse de çok dozunda bir duygusallığa sahip, empatisi yüksek, zeki, çok kararında ve komik şekilde söven okudukça daha çok sevdiğim bir karakter Andrea Camilleri'nin Sicilyalı komiseri Montalbano. Henüz kendisiyle tanışmamış olan polisiye severlere tavsiye ederim.
January 20, 2023
La memoria me entrevera, son tantos libros del querido Montalbano que tengo que recurrir a la web para que aparezca un chispazo de recuerdo.
Un cadáver aparece en el agua y el tema de la inmigración se hace presente. Se mezcla el deseo de justicia de Salvo con los intereses políticos. El mundo le disgusta, como a a la mayoría de nosotros.
Un cadáver aparece en el agua y el tema de la inmigración se hace presente. Se mezcla el deseo de justicia de Salvo con los intereses políticos. El mundo le disgusta, como a a la mayoría de nosotros.
June 17, 2011
Continuing the Salvo Montalbano series in order, Rounding the Mark is number seven, leaving me six more to go. Five if you don't count the newest one, The Potter's Field, which won't get here until September.
It's not a good night for Montalbano. He is unable to sleep, and even more telling, unable to eat. He's decided to turn in his resignation, feeling betrayed by the news about a raid on the Diaz School in Genoa during the G8 meetings there, in which evidence had been found to be planted, the stabbing of a policeman by an "antiglobalist" had been discovered to have been self inflicted, and that ultimately there was no legitimate reason that the raid needed to have taken place. As he often does when he's restless, he decides to take a naked swim in the ocean in the early morning hours. As he turns on his back and does a stroke, he bumps into something that turns out to be a foot. He apologizes to the unseen person, only to discover that it is really a corpse.
Some days later, he goes to deliver a pair of glasses to a cop friend at the scene of the landing of illegal immigrants, when a little boy runs off the boat and away from everyone. Montalbano goes after him, captures him and delivers him to his mother. But he can't help but notice that the boy looks petrified and is highly agitated. After some time, the boy's body is later discovered -- someone has hit him with a car and killed him. Wondering if perhaps his own actions were linked to the boy's death, he begins investigating and will not let up until he finds out the truth.
Despite Montalbano's disgust at his government, the corrupt policemen and his ongoing battle with what he feels might be old age creeping up on him, there are some really funny episodes that made me laugh out loud. First, Salvo's naked "rescue" of the corpse is caught on television. Then there's an ongoing gag about a cop named Torretta, who seems to have opened an "emporium" in the station, always ready with anything that anyone could possibly need. Catarella's mangling of Italian leads Montalbano to a vital clue through someone Catarella insists is named Pontius Pilate. But there is nothing funny at all about the way Camilleri depicts an ongoing and growing problem in Italy, one that is shared by many countries around the world.
Here we find Montalbano at his most intense so far, and although the overall mystery wasn't as satisfying as it might have been, it was still quite good; it is yet another excellent entry in the series. Camilleri's regular characters are so well developed and well portrayed that I feel like I know these people well by this point, yet I'm always surprised by the twists and turns in Montalbano's life. Even though at times these books become formulaic and often rely on odd coincidences, and although these traits are not ones I particularly care for in any mystery or crime fiction novel, Camilleri's writing keeps me reading. It's easy to overlook the flaws because I'm having such a great time reading.
It's not a good night for Montalbano. He is unable to sleep, and even more telling, unable to eat. He's decided to turn in his resignation, feeling betrayed by the news about a raid on the Diaz School in Genoa during the G8 meetings there, in which evidence had been found to be planted, the stabbing of a policeman by an "antiglobalist" had been discovered to have been self inflicted, and that ultimately there was no legitimate reason that the raid needed to have taken place. As he often does when he's restless, he decides to take a naked swim in the ocean in the early morning hours. As he turns on his back and does a stroke, he bumps into something that turns out to be a foot. He apologizes to the unseen person, only to discover that it is really a corpse.
Some days later, he goes to deliver a pair of glasses to a cop friend at the scene of the landing of illegal immigrants, when a little boy runs off the boat and away from everyone. Montalbano goes after him, captures him and delivers him to his mother. But he can't help but notice that the boy looks petrified and is highly agitated. After some time, the boy's body is later discovered -- someone has hit him with a car and killed him. Wondering if perhaps his own actions were linked to the boy's death, he begins investigating and will not let up until he finds out the truth.
Despite Montalbano's disgust at his government, the corrupt policemen and his ongoing battle with what he feels might be old age creeping up on him, there are some really funny episodes that made me laugh out loud. First, Salvo's naked "rescue" of the corpse is caught on television. Then there's an ongoing gag about a cop named Torretta, who seems to have opened an "emporium" in the station, always ready with anything that anyone could possibly need. Catarella's mangling of Italian leads Montalbano to a vital clue through someone Catarella insists is named Pontius Pilate. But there is nothing funny at all about the way Camilleri depicts an ongoing and growing problem in Italy, one that is shared by many countries around the world.
Here we find Montalbano at his most intense so far, and although the overall mystery wasn't as satisfying as it might have been, it was still quite good; it is yet another excellent entry in the series. Camilleri's regular characters are so well developed and well portrayed that I feel like I know these people well by this point, yet I'm always surprised by the twists and turns in Montalbano's life. Even though at times these books become formulaic and often rely on odd coincidences, and although these traits are not ones I particularly care for in any mystery or crime fiction novel, Camilleri's writing keeps me reading. It's easy to overlook the flaws because I'm having such a great time reading.
July 17, 2024
I bought 3 books from this series at an antique shop the other day, honestly - because I was drawn to the covers and in search for some old school mystery /crimes for the summer.
And this did not disappoint!
It is a perfect summer read, I read this at the beach, by myself, sipping on two coffees, taking swims in between, napping... and it was just marvelous!
I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how interesting the mystery murder turned out to be. Montelbano is really funny, actually - just the entire setting in Sicily + the characters make it seem somehow familiar and funny and just.. I don't even know how to explain it, but it was such a comfort read - even though I'm reading it for the first time, and even though there are dead bodies.
A sense of nostalgia is definitely present, at least for me personally, and I absolutely loved the little descriptions of the sea, the humid afternoons and coffees after coffees that were added.. And I'm so excited I have two more at home to go through.
And this did not disappoint!
It is a perfect summer read, I read this at the beach, by myself, sipping on two coffees, taking swims in between, napping... and it was just marvelous!
I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how interesting the mystery murder turned out to be. Montelbano is really funny, actually - just the entire setting in Sicily + the characters make it seem somehow familiar and funny and just.. I don't even know how to explain it, but it was such a comfort read - even though I'm reading it for the first time, and even though there are dead bodies.
A sense of nostalgia is definitely present, at least for me personally, and I absolutely loved the little descriptions of the sea, the humid afternoons and coffees after coffees that were added.. And I'm so excited I have two more at home to go through.
January 20, 2018
Inspector Montalbano investigates the death of a corpse that he found while out swimming. Another great entry in the series.
April 27, 2019
Enjoyed this one, in spite of the dark subject.
March 5, 2020
Después de haber leído nueve libros sobre Montalbano, ya no se como puntarlos. Me siguen gustando igual que al principio, están bien escritos, los casos son sencillos y creíbles. Puede que alguno sea un poco más interesante que otro, pero siempre tienen algo bueno que contar. Ya siento como si hubiera estado en Sicilia muchas veces y creo que todos los meses voy a seguir tomando un avión (un libro mejor dicho) para visitarla.
March 17, 2023
(Reseña conjunta con el libro El primer caso de Montalbano)
“¿Cuánta melancolía, cuánta soledad escondía detrás de aquella aparente alegría de vivir?”
Hoy os traigo mis dos últimos libros de Camilleri, que en la edición de bolsillo son el número 10 y 11: Un giro decisivo es novela y me ha hecho sentir tantas cosas que se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos hasta la fecha. El primer caso de Montalbano son 3 relatos largos, los dos primeros me han gustado más que el último (prefiero aquellos donde la mafia se queda en segundo o tercer plano).
🫂 - Un giro decisivo: fuera el mar con la misma furia que por dentro el comisario. En este libro nos encontramos con un Salvo enfadado con el cuerpo que él representa en medio de dos casos (cada uno peor que el anterior) que podrían estar relacionados. Un cadáver anónimo en el mar disipa sus ganas de mandarlo todo a tomar por saco, necesitando llegar como sea hasta el final del camino. El título que le dio Camilleri a este libro -un giro decisivo- le viene al pelo: las políticas migratorias, clandestinos ahogados sin nombre que no importan a nadie, los miserables que se aprovechan de la gente, resignación y mirar a otro lado, el horror que te cambia para siempre como persona, un comisario cansado de la propia policía al que él pertenece…
un Montalbano y un Camilleri enfadados con un mundo que les disgusta. Y no es para menos
🌊- El primer caso de Montalbano: 3 relatos largos -más de 120 páginas cada uno- en momentos diferentes de la vida del comisario. En uno de ellos, la muerte violenta de diferentes animales (aumentando cada vez su tamaño) y unas extrañas notas lo traerán de cabeza. En el que da el nombre a este libro, tenemos un comisario que aún es subcomisario, en Mascalippa con el ambiente de una Sicilia de tierra quemada y parda (que morriña del perfume de las algas…) que llega a su nuevo destino. En este primer caso, ¿corazonada o seguir la ley?. En el último relato, el secuestro de una niña no convence al comisario.
Otros dos libros de la serie que muestran las mejores facetas del comisario que más nos gusta :)
“¿Cuánta melancolía, cuánta soledad escondía detrás de aquella aparente alegría de vivir?”
Hoy os traigo mis dos últimos libros de Camilleri, que en la edición de bolsillo son el número 10 y 11: Un giro decisivo es novela y me ha hecho sentir tantas cosas que se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos hasta la fecha. El primer caso de Montalbano son 3 relatos largos, los dos primeros me han gustado más que el último (prefiero aquellos donde la mafia se queda en segundo o tercer plano).
🫂 - Un giro decisivo: fuera el mar con la misma furia que por dentro el comisario. En este libro nos encontramos con un Salvo enfadado con el cuerpo que él representa en medio de dos casos (cada uno peor que el anterior) que podrían estar relacionados. Un cadáver anónimo en el mar disipa sus ganas de mandarlo todo a tomar por saco, necesitando llegar como sea hasta el final del camino. El título que le dio Camilleri a este libro -un giro decisivo- le viene al pelo: las políticas migratorias, clandestinos ahogados sin nombre que no importan a nadie, los miserables que se aprovechan de la gente, resignación y mirar a otro lado, el horror que te cambia para siempre como persona, un comisario cansado de la propia policía al que él pertenece…
un Montalbano y un Camilleri enfadados con un mundo que les disgusta. Y no es para menos
🌊- El primer caso de Montalbano: 3 relatos largos -más de 120 páginas cada uno- en momentos diferentes de la vida del comisario. En uno de ellos, la muerte violenta de diferentes animales (aumentando cada vez su tamaño) y unas extrañas notas lo traerán de cabeza. En el que da el nombre a este libro, tenemos un comisario que aún es subcomisario, en Mascalippa con el ambiente de una Sicilia de tierra quemada y parda (que morriña del perfume de las algas…) que llega a su nuevo destino. En este primer caso, ¿corazonada o seguir la ley?. En el último relato, el secuestro de una niña no convence al comisario.
Otros dos libros de la serie que muestran las mejores facetas del comisario que más nos gusta :)
January 13, 2019
Forse in assoluto il Montalbano che mi ha coinvolto di più finora.
Camilleri prende spunto da alcuni fatti di cronaca del 2002 per raccontare una nuova indagine del commissario.
Montalbano, pronto a presentare le dimissioni dopo i fatti del G8 di Genova, rimane turbato quando assiste a uno sbarco di migranti.
Diciamo che più di questo non si può dire ma che, più di sempre, Camilleri tiene incollati alla sedia, questa volta anche con un po' di fiatone e con il cuore a tratti piccolo piccolo.
La mia nuova libreria ostenterà lo scaffale dei Camilleri.
Camilleri prende spunto da alcuni fatti di cronaca del 2002 per raccontare una nuova indagine del commissario.
Montalbano, pronto a presentare le dimissioni dopo i fatti del G8 di Genova, rimane turbato quando assiste a uno sbarco di migranti.
Diciamo che più di questo non si può dire ma che, più di sempre, Camilleri tiene incollati alla sedia, questa volta anche con un po' di fiatone e con il cuore a tratti piccolo piccolo.
La mia nuova libreria ostenterà lo scaffale dei Camilleri.
February 19, 2020
Il più bello letto fino ad ora.
July 11, 2024
★★★☆☆ 3.75 stars
July 29, 2024
Salvo Montalbano está pasando por una crisis debido a que empieza a notar su envejecimiento, siente que ya no es tan bueno como antes en lo que hace y que ya no tiene la misma capacidad. Por eso decide renunciar a su trabajo en la policía.
En medio de una de estas crisis sale a nadar al mar, y le pasa lo que nunca le pasó, se cansa y tiene que hacer la plancha para no ahogarse. Mientras va flotando en el agua choca con algo... Un cuerpo a medio descomponer.
Esto detiene momentáneamente su deseo de renunciar y se abocará a descubrir quién era el "cadáver que salió a nadar".
La historia se apoya mucho en la crisis migratoria que sufre esa zona de Italia gracias a la cercanía geográfica que hay con África.
Esta parte del libro es retratada con más crudeza de la habitual por el autor.
Los libros de Camilleri siempre tienen un fuerte trasfondo social, el cambio que pasa la sociedad italiana, los cambios políticos, las diferencias sociales, la inmigración y la corrupción. Aquí se toca la inmigración en una profundidad y una crudeza que nunca lo había realizado, se muestra lo racista que son los italianos y sobre todo los isleños.
También se habla de la trata de niños y la corrupción que hace posible estas cosas.
Los que conocen a Montalbano entenderán como estos temas lo afectan, y como le duelen. Por eso este libro es tan bueno, Salvo lo sufre y lo siente como algo personal, hace que este sea una de sus mejores historias (y más dramáticas).
A pesar de contar cosas bastante terribles al ubicarlo en la ciudad de Vigata, y rodearlo de personajes como Cattarela (un eterno torpe de buen corazón), Mimi (el don Juan de la comisaria) o Fazio (el fiel colega de Montalbano) se logra que la historia no sea un golpe bajo, sino algo lleno de momentos cómicos y divertidos.
Es decir, se aproxima a algo muy malo por caminos que lo hace más fácil de digerir.
Libro totalmente recomendable, y con un final que si o si tenes que seguir leyendo porque te deja con el corazón en la boca (cosa que no pasó con ninguno de los anteriores libros de la saga).
En medio de una de estas crisis sale a nadar al mar, y le pasa lo que nunca le pasó, se cansa y tiene que hacer la plancha para no ahogarse. Mientras va flotando en el agua choca con algo... Un cuerpo a medio descomponer.
Esto detiene momentáneamente su deseo de renunciar y se abocará a descubrir quién era el "cadáver que salió a nadar".
La historia se apoya mucho en la crisis migratoria que sufre esa zona de Italia gracias a la cercanía geográfica que hay con África.
Esta parte del libro es retratada con más crudeza de la habitual por el autor.
Los libros de Camilleri siempre tienen un fuerte trasfondo social, el cambio que pasa la sociedad italiana, los cambios políticos, las diferencias sociales, la inmigración y la corrupción. Aquí se toca la inmigración en una profundidad y una crudeza que nunca lo había realizado, se muestra lo racista que son los italianos y sobre todo los isleños.
También se habla de la trata de niños y la corrupción que hace posible estas cosas.
Los que conocen a Montalbano entenderán como estos temas lo afectan, y como le duelen. Por eso este libro es tan bueno, Salvo lo sufre y lo siente como algo personal, hace que este sea una de sus mejores historias (y más dramáticas).
A pesar de contar cosas bastante terribles al ubicarlo en la ciudad de Vigata, y rodearlo de personajes como Cattarela (un eterno torpe de buen corazón), Mimi (el don Juan de la comisaria) o Fazio (el fiel colega de Montalbano) se logra que la historia no sea un golpe bajo, sino algo lleno de momentos cómicos y divertidos.
Es decir, se aproxima a algo muy malo por caminos que lo hace más fácil de digerir.
Libro totalmente recomendable, y con un final que si o si tenes que seguir leyendo porque te deja con el corazón en la boca (cosa que no pasó con ninguno de los anteriores libros de la saga).
February 11, 2019
It's been a while since I read one of these and the tone of it is quite different to what I remembered. They are certainly not as dour and depressing as other detective series - Montalbano is miserable but not in the destructive way of so many fictional detectives - although I'm not sure the mixture of eccentric characters and comedy always blends well with the more grisly aspects. Either way, it was a solid, short mystery that ticks all the boxes I look for. If you're also a fan of crime fiction then this will be one for you to enjoy, too.
July 8, 2019
The only hard copy book I grabbed while on vacation in Sicily, to read on the trip home. I can see how Montalbano has become a beloved continuing character for many people. He’s human, he has flaws and weaknesses but a strong moral center. In this one, things wrapped up a little neatly and quickly for my tastes, but otherwise I enjoyed the read and it was a pleasure to get a little final hit of the amazing culture and food of Sicily, as I was leaving it behind.
June 16, 2017
I do enjoy this series. It is not a literary masterpiece, but rather an entertaining poke at Italian politics and Sicily in particular. Tongue in cheek humour but dealing with topical issues - this book deals with illegal immigration and people traffickers. A good read!
September 19, 2023
In one place, reminds me of James Bond.
March 16, 2025
Libro carino anche se molto meno avvincente rispetto ad altri della collana. Nel complesso ho trovato i personaggi secondari presentati nel corso della storia poco interessanti, ciò che mi ha tuttavia più colpito è stato sicuramente il modo in cui Camilleri sia riuscito a trattare una tematica così raccapricciante come quella del traffico dei bambini.
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