Une voix dans l'ombre

Commissario Montalbano #20

by Andrea Camilleri, Serge Quadruppani (Translator)

Lorsque pouvoir politique et mafia s'unissent dans le crime, Montalbano dépasse ses limites.

Rude journée pour le commissaire Montalbano : d'abord agressé dans sa cuisine par un poulpe haineux, il l'est ensuite dans sa voiture, à coups de clé à molette, par un jeune chauffard. Étrange coïncidence, la compagne de son agresseur est retrouvée assassinée peu après.

Pendant ce temps, un directeur de supermarché est victime d'un cambriolage, mais ce dernier paraît surtout terrorisé par la possible réaction de ses propriétaires – en l'occurrence la mafia. Derrière ces deux affaires que rien ne réunit, de puissants hommes politiques semblent vouloir la peau du Maigret sicilien. Malgré l'aide de toute la tribu du commissariat de Vigàta, et celle d'une mystérieuse voix dans la nuit, Montalbano parviendra-t-il à venir à bout des pièges qu'on lui tend ?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Italy, Italian Literature, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2012

About the author

Andrea 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.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this just a little better than the average Camilleri, though some things are wearing on me as I race through the series. As with most of these latest books, the book begins with a dream by main . character Inspector Salvo Montalbano of Vigata, Sicily. He tells Livia, they have the usual fight, and then we learn of a grocer store burglary; he and Mimi Arguello interview the owner, who seems almost comically afraid of the detectives and their questioning, and (spoiler alert) that very night is discovered dead, hanging by a rope.

A local media guy who seems to have it in for Salvo--though we suspect it is the fact he has been bought by the mafia-- blows up a theory that Salvo's intense questioning post-burglary made him commit suicide. Next, a woman is murdered, sort of connected to a local politician. As with all the Camilleri novels, which are as short as the novels of his inspiration, Georges Simenon, we know these two crimes are connected, and we learn that certain politicians and media figures are linked to mafia corruption. The resolution is well and efficiently done, and entertaining, especially as we like Salvo so much.

Just as with any long term relationship, early charming traits can get grating (as this is #20 in the series): Cat's "personally in person," Salvo's expressions such as "cursing the saints," or people "breaking his balls," his endless fights with Livia; his "falling in love" with a beautiful woman in each novel, though his love of Sicilian cuisine never tires me, and I do think the story is well done, over all.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another decent Inspector Montalbano story. A grocery store owned by the Cuffaro's is robbed, and the manager ends up committing suicide is one plot line. The other involves the son of the local politician, whose gorgeous girlfriend is butchered. Montalbano is awfully cranky, probably because there is no beautiful girl having sex with him and his daily calls with Livia are frustrating. Caterella continues to butcher words: impty tree for MP3 being the funniest. Camilleri's views of political corruption and the Mafia remain quite obvious.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library heaven.
A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri. An Inspector Montalbano mystery #20.
Many have come to these books through the excellent TV series and the great thing is they are even better than the BBC episodes or DVD you watch; although they are so good in themselves they can perhaps be seen to enhance the written word.
The great thing about these stories is they are so human and completely rooted into the Sicilly of the time they were written. Like no other author perhaps Camilleri makes an extra effort to reflect the good and the ill in Italy's society. Never more than in a novel like this that smacks of Mafia involvement and political corruption.
None of this is boring or written from an intellectual perspective but through two crimes which have people with more power even than the police force orchestrating events to ensur the real truth is never revealed.
Firstly following a robbery of a supermarket the manager commits suicide as a result of police harassment and since it involves Montalbano and his men and reflects bad upon the Commissioner the case appears to be beyond their means to bring any conclusion to any investigation. Because of the Mafia links even the coroner doesn't want to go on record as to some bruising that might raise doubts about it not being a suicide at all.
Secondly, a young head strong lad seems to have been set up for a murder he didn't commit yet despite previous dealings with him it is clear he has be set up as the fallguy to protect someone else. Again the Vigata police seem to be dancing to another's tune as pressure is brought to bear to arrest the young man and no defence council will support him. Montalbano even if he is to be removed from the investigation will not be fed this contrieved evidence and despite his initial dislike of the suspect will strive to find out the truth.
Full of humour and strong relationships between the main characters. The author plays with the inspectors mood and sense of aging. He depairs when he starts speaking like Catarella and bickers on the phone with Livia. He finds confort in eating as usual but then struggles with integestion and getting off to sleep.
Unlike most crime fiction but simple engaging prose that wins based on the clevr plots and wonderful stories told.
A given for a desert island stay as reading this leaves a smile on your face.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αν και 20ο στη σειρά το Μία φωνή τη νύχτα είναι η πρώτη μου αναγνωστική επαφή με τον συγγραφέα Andrea Camilleri και τον ήρωα του Σάλβο Μονταλμπάνο!

Κατά τη γνώμη μου είναι ένα καλά δομημένο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα με ισορροπημένη αναλογία ως προς τις εξελίξεις των υποθέσεων και τα προσωπικά θέματα του ντετέκτιβ!
Έχει γρήγορο ρυθμό και σου κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον και αυτό που με εξέπληξε πολύ ευχάριστα είναι οι δόσεις χιούμορ που ήταν αρκετές και σπάνια συναντάμε σε βιβλία του είδους!

Ο κεντρικός ήρωας και η ομάδα του αρκετά συμπαθείς και καθημερινοί άνθρωποι της διπλανής πόρτας που άνετα κάποιος ταυτίζεται μαζί τους!

Σίγουρα θα συνεχίσω με τη σειρά και αυτή τη φορά σωστά... από την αρχή!

4.5/5*****

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 20th novel in Andrea Camilleri’s Salvo Montalbano series, A Voice in the Night, begins with a burglary at a supermarket in Vigàta. But not just any supermarket — one that serves as front for the Cuffaro crime syndicate. When the supermarket’s manager, Guido Borsellino, turns up dead, TV reports declare it a suicide; however, Inspector Montalbano knows it’s murder and that he better tread carefully, caught as he is between the Mafia and an unscrupulous politician in the Mafia’s pocket.

Montalbano also faces the delicate case of the murder of a beautiful blonde girlfriend of a well-connected, but volatile young man, a young man whose violent outbursts have already brought him to the attention of the law. The fear of that young man’s father, provincial President Michele Strangio, lurks everywhere, especially in the mind of Montalbano’s superior, the patrician Police Commissioner Bonetti-Alderighi, who puts politics before justice at every turn.

As has been increasingly true in his novel, Camilleri dwells on the creep of old age and its maladies, particularly forgetfulness. Montalbano waxes eloquent on the anxiety of wondering whether one is losing one’s edge. But age cannot wither our inspector, and, as is his custom, Montalbano neatly wraps up both these politically charged cases without sacrificing his career or his life. Camilleri’s novels are getting darker, but I still really enjoy his cynicism, humor, and clever plots and characters as much as ever.

Now the hard wait for another year until No. 21, A Nest of Vipers, is translated.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to keep up with Andrea Camilleri. This Inspector Montalbano mystery was an excellent read. He gets dragged into this by trying to be tuff guy and following a crazed motorist confronts him. He gets his car bashed in by the person and arrests him. Little did he know that he was the son of the head of the government party. The twists, turns, the characters, all Andrea's stops are out for a fun read.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montalbano gets two cases one is the robbery of a Mafia owned supermarket and the manager wants Montalbano himself on the case and thus it happens. When the manager commits suicide the Italian policeman's' instincts tells him all is not as it seems.

The second case involves the son of an influential politician who deals out a wee bit of road rage and does so against the commissioner from Vigata which he finds out is not a smart thing to do. However the father cries havoc and Montalbano's boss fears for his own career. However when the girlfriend of then is found killed in a most obscene and violent way it seems that the son is no longer so protected.

In both cases Montalbano has to do some serious tightrope dancing and some creative policing, having friendly and less friendly with his beau for a long time Livea, trying to understand Catarella his bumbling policeman, Fazio and Mimi his great policeman who clearly do not understand the plays made by their chief but they trust him completely. Of course this book does not lack any culinary moments as Montalbano would never function without his food on his lovely Island of Sicily.

Another great tale from a wonderful writer about his beloved Sicily.

[Jaksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won through the Goodreads Giveaway program, thank you!

A quick, satisfactory read. Recommended for those who prefer the witty-acerbic style writing of Mr. Camilleri. In this book everyone is a foil for Inspector Montalbano as he undertakes a investigation into - the suicide of a supermarket manager and the savage murder of a young woman. Much of this book is dialogue, with quick back-and-forths between the inspector and his superiors, witnesses to the crime(s), potential suspects, and of course, the men - did I say men, yes MEN - he works with. As for women, there's hardly a one to be seen unless you count Montalbano's girlfriend/lover/whatever with whom he squabbles over the phone. Women are to be HEARD, not seen. (Or murdered.)

Yeah, that's a complaint, a rather small one. A writer is entitled to write any way he wants and if he gets the readers, he gets them and who am I to complain? I do believe Camilleri has a fairly decent following and I can imagine many a reader enjoying this book over two-three nights in a comfortable chair with low music playing and a glass of wine at hand. It's easy; it's funny; it's fairly lightweight.

One BIG quibble though: the use of slang dialogue to denote the accent of one of Montalbano's staff. Really, come on. I could barely read this and even when read aloud, it's ridiculous. If an American writer did this, well come on, it'd be a huge insult to Italians and those of Italian descent everywhere. I really hate it when any writer does this. I had to skip those parts and kind of guess later what this - important character, and he is - had to say.

Regardless, I can see the appeal of this book. Montalbano is an engaging and interesting character and the strength of this book. Everything else is sort of window-dressing.

Three stars.

[Rosalba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gli intoccabili….


Il film di Brian De Palma entra nei sogni del nostro quasi sessantenne Montalbano (quanto mi piace!) alle prese con due intricate indagini che richiedono tutta la sua abilità e quella della sua sempre scattante squadra, Catarella in testa, per muoversi fra le maglie del potere politico colluso con la mafia. Un argomento quanto mai attuale, anche se questo libro appena pubblicato è stato scritto diversi anni fa. Ma come si sa in Italia non è cambiato niente, anzi…


http://youtu.be/XAo3arJsYng

[Procyon Lotor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non male, pur se lontano dai massimi, buon intreccio risolto senza la purtroppo oramai abituale strafiga - ad onta del solito diniego di responsabilità sembra cronaca nera reale - ottimi interrogatori realistici - Augello purtroppo inutilizzato come Livia per fortuna.

***

Stupisce chi dice che "con questo giallo Camilleri risale" in quanto scritto diversi anni fa, quindi casomai la discesa è riconfermata, come si deduce sia dal fatto che qui Montalbano nato nel 1950 compie cinquantotto anni e i romanzi con Montalbano sono sempre contemporanei, che dall'ammissione di Camilleri stesso in postfazione per sconosciute alchimie editoriali.

***

Credo d'aver capito comunque il perché del ritardo. Montalbano e non solo - l'opinione sembra assai condivisa tra magistratura e le FF OO con l'assenza del pusillanime signori e quistori - qui è duro, per nulla politically correct - assai più vicino a "io ti spacco" che a "porgi l'altra chiappa" e ben conscio che la ratio dell'art 27 della Costituzione è applicabile ai ladri di polli (rarissimi oggidì), quando invece per l'artefice di gravi delitti in connessione con interessi mafiosi, sia un politico o in ogni caso un membro potente della società, l'unica rieducazione possibile è la morte.

Nella sbobba giulebbatica buonista pensiomammista e cullabarista in cui siamo stati immersi per decenni, dove la durezza è aumentata a dismisura solo contro i meno forti, era opinione censurabile quindi pubblicazione sospesa.

Evidentemente hanno capito che il sentimento del tempo sta cambiando.

Curioso, no?

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fully 3.5 stars and rounded up for the usual verve.

Before I do a reaction, you should know something. I have only read 3 of these Montalbano books. But I saw all of the film from Sicily played on European television. That series is phenomenal. Perfect actors. Livia is beyond perfect (both were but especially the older version Sonia Bergamasco). Montalbano, Enzo, Mimi and Fazio are 6 stars. I'm not kidding. Angelo Russo who plays Caterella? OMG, he is 7 stars.

But reading Caterella's speech patterns (screaming and entreating directions too), trying to decipher them in print with these approximate sound spellings and accents? It's difficult. Very. Much easier to view visuals than read the print versions of this excellent material.

Regardless, see the series filmed in Sicily if you can access them. My view was from library CD's. There are something like 37 or 38 episodes ending in 1921. They started in the last 1990's. So they DO age. Everyone does as they do in the print, as well. And the Montalbano's meals are just as delicious. OMG, the rice balls episodes! Adelina's supreme. Vigata in the books is a fictional town, but filming is in Ragusa, Scicli (police station street) and in Punta Secca (Montalbano's house on the beach)- all done in Sicily. GORGEOUS.

This particular book is a good pursuit of the local and strongest Mafia family embedded mess. And there are innocents swallowed up in the carnage. Fazio was especially tongue in cheek here too. EXCELLENT reaction for being criticized about the paper in his pocket with birth dates, status, address etc. Good one, Fazio.

But as good as these books are in humor, the film is better. Mimi is in particular. You never get his always on the lookout for another girlfriend on the side vs his wife's schedule for him here as you do in the visuals. What an actor. No one can ever look that repentant so often ever again.

I'll read a few more of these in the latter variety. No one tells the truth. In Sicily, you just can't. And the relationship of work hours as they are is close to real. Some days you do. Others you might.

I liked the ending here. I doubt he will lose the station. Who else wants the responsibility?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* The Shape of Water (Inspector Montalbano, #1)
4* The Terra-Cotta Dog (Inspector Montalbano, #2)
3* Excursion to Tindari (Inspector Montalbano, #5)
4* The Smell of the Night (Inspector Montalbano, #6)
3* Rounding the Mark (Inspector Montalbano, #7)
4* The Patience of the Spider (Inspector Montalbano, #8)
3* The Wings of the Sphinx (Inspector Montalbano, #11)
3* Acqua in bocca (Inspector Montalbano, #16.5)
4* Treasure Hunt (Inspector Montalbano, #16)
4* Una voce di notte (Montalbano, #20)
TR The Snack Thief (Inspector Montalbano, #3)
TR Voice of the Violin (Inspector Montalbano, #4)
TR Un mese con Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #4.5)
TR Gli arancini di Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #4.7)
TR La paura di Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #6.5)
TR Storie di Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #6.7)
TR La prima indagine di Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #8.5)
TR The Paper Moon (Inspector Montalbano, #9)
TR August Heat (Inspector Montalbano, #10)
TR The Track of Sand (Inspector Montalbano, #12)
TR The Potter's Field (Inspector Montalbano, #13)
TR The Age of Doubt (Inspector Montalbano, #14)
TR Racconti di Montalbano (Inspector Montalbano, #14.5)
TR The Dance of the Seagull (Inspector Montalbano, #15)
TR Il sorriso di Angelica (Montalbano, #17)
TR Il gioco degli specchi (Montalbano, #18)
TR Una lama di luce (Montalbano, #19)
TR Un covo di vipere (Montalbano, #21)
TR La piramide di fango (Montalbano, #22)
TR La giostra degli scambi (Montalbano, #23)

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a pleasure to be back in Sicily with Montalbano: in this episode, he's increasingly irascible due to mentions of his age, but his investigative powers don't fail as he unravels two complicated cases of murder that bring to light high-level corruption and politicians in alliance with the mafia.

As ever, Catarella is utterly adorable, Fazio gets lots of little pieces of paper out of his pocket, and Adina and Enzo don't fail to provide meals to make us salivate!

Number 20 and this series is still a delight for me.

[Camilla tra le righe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sempre una certezza (e uno dei più belli).

[Marcello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm under the impression that Camilleri started sounding like a broken record, and that's arguably the worst thing that can happen to a writer.
Moreover, the novel was written 4 years ago, so it's out of sync with the latest ones about Montalbano (kind of annoying: I suppose this delay must have been due to the critics he moves to the political party governing the Country between 2008 and a few months before the novel's release date).

I also suspect that the increasing repetitivity of Camilleri can be explained, at least in part, with his late, stubborn obsession with giving his book a fixed size and length: they end up with the same structure, the same number of chapters and pages, and above all the same plot (starting with a dream of the police chief and ending with some kind of trap thought up by Montalbano himself, all alone).

It's still sufficiently enjoyable to read these late novels, but the freshness and quality of the first ones, that is long long gone.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love reading the Montalbano books, but this one was less interesting in its scope of crime investigations undertaken. There were some quiet chuckles for me as the inspector is faced with yet another birthday that he is not so happy about with the medical examiner accusing him of old age and in need of immediate retirement -- at the age of 58?!
The major focus is Mafia activity with its long tentacles reaching the judiciary and parliament, and it certainly must have been a very real concern during the period Camilleri was writing this, published in 2012 in Italy and then the translation delay getting it to the English readers four years later. I believe many major arrests took place in 2016.
Livia's phone calls are even boring, so I guess one cannot always please all the people all the time.
Some of Montalbano's meals are quite interesting including the great octopus the book starts out with, a gift from his fisherman friend.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Inspector Montalbano's 58th birthday, and he's trying to use what we might call the Sicilian equivalent of GOP economics to persuade everyone -- especially himself -- that it's really only his 57th.

Meanwhile, he's got two cases to solve -- three, really, though two seem obviously to be part of the same case. One involves the apparent suicide of a supermarket manager whose mob-owned supermarket has just been robbed of the day's takings; a nightwatchmen who worked for the next-door premises is later found murdered in a traditional-style mafia "execution," presumably because he saw the burglary in progress. The other case is that of a brutally murdered young architecture student whose live-in boyfriend just happens to be the son of a prominent local politician.

I much enjoyed this book, as I generally do when reading Camilleri's Montalbano novels. At the same time, as I put it down after turning the final page, I realized I was doing so not with a sense of satisfaction but instead with a feeling of slight disappointment. I haven't read all of the books in the series, not by any means -- perhaps half a dozen of them at the outside -- but it doesn't seem as if they're in any way progressing. Yes, they have chronological indicators -- such as Montalbano's 58th birthday -- but really they're all very much of a muchness. By chance today I noticed two of the ones I'd already read sitting close to each other on the shelf and realized I couldn't remember much if anything about either. I could recall the feel of reading them, but it was just the generic feel of a Montalbano novel, not anything specific to each of the two books and nothing to distinguish them from the one I'd just finished.

I suppose there are lots of detective series about which one could say something similar, and yet the first two that popped into my mind -- Sue Grafton's alphabetical tales, Ian Rankin's Rebus stories -- both do show progression. I don't mean just progression in the series character's life, although that can be handy, but progression in the writer's approach to the material. Grafton's Kinsey Milhone books were each distinct in spirit from its predecessor; Rebus's tales became deeper and dourer and more claustrophobic -- more noirish, in fact -- until, after a break, Rankin seemingly having concluded he'd gone as far as he could in that direction, they became by comparison almost light-hearted. (Only by comparison, yunnerstan!) The Commissario Montalbano novels, by contrast, seem stuck forever in the same place.

Which is in a sense okay, and if these were mysteries of a different stripe it wouldn't matter at all. John Dickson Carr's Gideon Fell mysteries didn't need to evolve much because what was constantly new and inventive were the puzzle and its resolution. You could say the same about the Ellery Queen series, except that those, even though remaining at heart puzzle mysteries, did evolve over time, and quite radically so.

Maybe I'm making too much of this -- not just on the page but in my own mind -- because, as I said at the outset, I did enjoy reading A Voice in the Night. But then I enjoyed the breaded tilapia and fresh vegetables I ate for my supper yesterday; I just wouldn't want that same meal every single flipping time.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that this is Camilleri's best work in this series -- August Heat is my favorite because of the great mystery and the fact that it made me laugh --but he's back with another good one.

I don't think I've ever kept up with a crime fiction/mystery series for as long as I have with this one, but A Voice in the Night is the 20th (!) installment in Camilleri's series featuring Salvo Montalbano. To say that I love this series is an understatement -- it's light but not too light, funny, and yet at the same time, Camilleri never fails to draw attention to some aspect of political or social issues in his own country. More importantly, though, Montalbano and his cohorts are like old friends at this point; they are people I enjoy revisiting every now and then. I don't think that there is another crime fiction series out there (and I've read TONS) that has given me so much pleasure, which is another reason that I love these books.

There are two cases at work here, both of which have the dubious distinction of setting Montalbano (and his superiors) between the proverbial rock and a hard place. First, there is what seems to be an ordinary supermarket robbery, which turns out to be anything but ordinary. Second, a young man who a) turns out to be the son of the provincial president, and b) pushes Montalbano's road-rage buttons by driving erratically turns up again to report the murder of his girlfriend. Both cases have to be handled with kid gloves and Montalbano has to come up with some clever workarounds to ensure that justice is served. Around the action, once again we find Salvo in his own head, musing about old age (the book starts on his 58th birthday), politics, the media, and lack of respect for the elderly among other things.

For me to stick with a series for so long is unheard of -- what I've discovered over the years is that some authors would be better served letting their series run take a rest or just die off completely. As someone once told me when I was very upset with the end of the excellent Wallander series, sometimes it's better to go out gracefully and leave your readers with good memories rather than to drag something out long enough that it becomes stale. After 20 books by this author, I can honestly say that I don't see how Montalbano and his motley crew can go down that second road -- I have so much fun with Montalbano that I've already pre-ordered the next one (due out in August), A Nest of Vipers. As long as Camilleri's novels continue to be published, I'll continue to read them. If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is.

[Fernando Gonzalo Pellico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy interesante esta entrega del Comisario más famoso de Italia. Las presiones de sus superiores y algunos cambios de estrategia hacen de esta novela una de las más interesantes de la saga.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit better than the previous 2. Montalbano is still worrying about getting older & arguing with Livia over the phone but he's also still capable of out-thinking and out-maneuvering the politics & strategems of the beaurocrats and the Mafia!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camilleri is definitely a 5 star author. His Sicilian crime/mystery series starring the feisty, ageing Inspector Montalbano is, without a doubt, unique in the genre. Montalbano regularly flies off the handle with his staff, his long distance paramour, Livia, crazed Sicilian drivers and his archnemesis, the forensic coroner who would rather be out gambling. And the meals at Enzo's, seafood dishes that are out of this world! Ahhh, such is life in Vigata.
In A Voice in the Night, Montalbano comes up against two Mafia families, one of which has killed one man to cover a supermarket burglary and sets up the manager who hangs himself...or does he? There is a murder of a beautiful young woman, an unrelated case (yes?), and then a third body is found, a man whose wife does not report missing as that would endanger her life.
Typical crime scenes in the lovely seaside island setting; typical nonsense between Montalbano and Catarella, between Montalbano and Livia (always on the phone, of course), typical clever. crime solving between Fazio and Augello, Montalbano's right and left hand guys.
We begin with Montalbano lamenting the death of courtesy in his fellow Sicilians, and an enraged driver taking a wrench to Montalbano's windshield. This sets the course, a snowball gathering speed downhill as that driver is the boyfriend of the dead woman, followed closely by the supermarket crime and hanging. And the chase is on in the many clever convoluted ways this character and his team has endeared themselves to so many avid readers.
Mafia crime carries on regardless, Montalbano notes, but it is how they work around it to find the whodunnit that is the most enjoyable part of this often gruesome tale. In a bit of a crazy scene, Montalbano goes over the top to flush out the perp and the result shocks him. This passage tells us a lot, "One thing is certain. the intention of those who put this whole plot together was to make it look as if Borsellino was complicit in the burglary...The Mafia, however, normally just kills without making such a production out of it. But here we're looking at some very fine stage direction."
Crime will out, as Will put it, and in this tale, the finales are quite surprising, and sad.
If you haven't tried a book of Camilleri's Montalbano, do so now!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un altro Montalbano alle prese con i soliti nemici da combattere: “Uno, la sdilinquenza comuni, dù, gli omicidi occasionali; tri, la mafia; quattro, i deputati collusi con la mafia”. I casi da risolvere in questo ultimo romanzo camilleriano sono due: un suicidio (vero o falso?) del direttore di un supermercato di proprietà di una famiglia mafiosa, i Cuffaro, che a Vigata controlla ogni tipo di attività, e l’omicidio di una bella ragazza di ventitré anni, trovata morta nella casa dove abitava con il compagno, il figlio del Presidente della Provincia. All’interno della trama in cui sono inserite le solite macchiette che fanno sorridere il lettore, quali Catarella ed i suoi errori, Fazio e i suoi pizzini o lo scorbutico dottor Pasquano che questa volta è ancora più antipatico del solito, si svolgono le indagini, non sempre con mezzi leciti (“ma la merda come la levi di ‘n mezzo alla strata se non hai paletta e sacchetto? Devi per forza usari la mano e allordaritille”), del commissario, sempre in pensiero per gli anni che passano, sempre sdegnato verso la casta politica che ci governa, sempre in lite telefonica con Livia… Insomma, non c’è niente di nuovo nel nuovo Camilleri, che crea storie tagliate addosso al commissario ma che rispecchiano la triste realtà italica in modo così reale da porsi come una voce di protesta, “la voce degli onesti cittadini” che si sentono inutili nei confronti di quanto accade sopra le loro teste. Una voce, quella di Montalbano, che disturba “i ciriveddri in sonnolenza perenni” degli italiani.

[Spuddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable visit to Vigata, Italy and environs with my favorite curmudgeon, Inspector Montalbano. As usual, there is murder and mayhem occurring in the countryside, and often things are not what they seem. There's often Mafia involvement of one sort or another, and corrupt politicians or higher-ranking police, and this book is no exception.

One of my favorite aspects of the books are the foods. Montalbano is a connoisseur of gustatory delights, and should the author publish a book called "Enzo and Adelina's Cookbook: Montalbano's Favorite Dishes" I would snap it up in a heartbeat. Always makes my mouth water, being on a case with Montalbano. :)

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Camilleri novel is the latest translation featuring the hilarious police force of a fictitious seaside Sicilian community. Inspector Montalbano is as irascible as ever, eats as well as ever, and one of the mysteries involves, as usual, some sort of Mafia connection. His relationship with his long distance girlfriend who lives in Milan provides comic relief as does his attempts to decypher reports from Catarella. Since these novels are in translation, part of Cat's malapropisms lie in his butchering of English (e.g., an attorney named Nero Duello who he calls Ne'er-Do-Well), so I don't know how they read in the original Italian, whether that humor comes through.

[Vasilis Kalandaridis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ας εχεις διαβάσει ολα του τα βιβλια,δεν εχει καμία σημασία τελικά.Αν ειναι κάτι να σου αρεσει,θα σου αφεσει.Και μένα τα βιβλια του παππού μου αρέσουν πολύ.Δεν εχει νόημα να μιλήσω για το στορι του συγκεκριμένου βιβλίου,μια ληστεία,δυο δολοφονίες,ο Σαλβο τρώει τα μπαρμπούνια και αγκομαχά.Η ζωή κυλά όπως πρέπει στη Βιγκατα.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good addition to the series. A supermarket is robbed and a young woman butchered. It could be because after a few lacklustre outings I had stayed away from Inspector Montalbano but what was becoming schtick in the series burst with new comic vigour. The politicians, mafia, cooks and colleagues all conspire to buffet Montalbano who delights.

[Erika Mager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine Stimme in der Nacht / Una Voce di Notte
Das Phänomen Andrea Camilleri
Zum ersten Mal kam ich 1999 mit Andrea Camilleri und seiner Figur Salvo Montalbano in Kontakt. Seine Krimis liefen im italienischen Fernsehen im ersten Teil des Abendprogramms, das regelmäßig nach 21 Uhr beginnt. Unser Italienisch war damals schon so gut, dass wir fast ohne Mühe den schönen Krimis folgen konnten und nebenbei die sizilianischen Drehorte genießen konnten.

Wir wurden Montalbano-Fans wie viele Italiener auch.

Die zweite Begegnung hatte ich mit Camilleri bei Feltrinelli in Rom, als ich kurz vor unserer unweigerlichen Rückkehr nach Deutschland noch etwas Lesestoff kaufen wollte. Ich hatte die Absicht, mich mit schönen, sonnigen Geschichten aus Süditalien über eine zu befürchtende Winterdepression zu retten. Schließlich musste ich nach drei langen sonnigen Jahren im November zurück nach Deutschland ziehen. Und da standen sie. Eine lange Reihe schmaler Bücher mit jeweils einem Montalbano-Krimi. Ich war entzückt. Noch bevor in Deutschland das Genre Regionalkrimi bekannt war, konnte ich ein Stück Sizilien mit nach Hause nehmen. Aber – oh weh: Camilleri schreibt in einer eigens erfundenen Sprache, dem Vigatese.

Während die Filme in einer gemäßigten Version mit einzelnen sizilianischen Einsprengseln Wörter gedreht wurden, sind die Bücher eine Mischung aus italienischen Wörtern und solchen aus verschiedenen Dialekten Siziliens.

»Das Ergebnis muss die Konsistenz eines Hefeteigs haben, kurz davor ein Brot zu werden.«

(Il risultato deve avere la consistenza della farina lievitata e pronta a diventare pane.)

( Andrea Camilleri, Tullio De Mauro, La lingua batte dove il dente duole, Editori Laterza, 2013)
Der Schauplatz - Vigàta

Camilleris Montalbano-Krimis spielen in einer von ihm ausgedachten Stadt Vigàta, die seine Heimatstadt Porto Empedocle an der Südküste Siziliens ganz in der Nähe der griechischen Tempel von Agrigento zum Vorbild hat. Im April 2003 änderte die Gemeinde Porto Empedocle sogar ihren offiziellen Namen in Porto Empedocle Vigàta. Dies wurde Anfang 2009 jedoch wieder rückgängig gemacht.

Und für dieses Vigàta erfindet der Autor seine eigene Sprache – das Vigatese, das gerade noch für italienische Ohren verständlich ist. Ich hatte damals gerade erst gelernt, die neapolitanische Sprache zu verstehen. Und so habe ich die Bücher bei Feltrinelli stehen gelassen. Sehr schade.

Um so schöner, dass bei Lübbe mittlerweile 33 Titel erschienen sind. Das 34. erscheint im Januar 2019 (Das Nest der Schlangen).

La voce di notte – Eine Stimme in der Nacht

Das neueste Abenteuer von Commissario Salvo Montalbano auf Deutsch ist „Eine Stimme in der Nacht“, das im Original (La Voce di Notte) schon 2012 erschienen ist. Es scheint aber, dass Camilleri es schon viel früher geschrieben hat. Hier seine Anmerkung am Ende des Buches

»Diesen Roman habe ich schon vor einigen Jahren geschrieben. Der aufmerksame Leser, der mehr oder weniger ausgeprägte Alterskrisen, mehr oder weniger beziehungsbedingte Streitereien mit Livia und dergleichen erkennen wird, möge sich nicht über den Autor ärgern, sondern über die verschlungenen Pfade der verlegerischen Entscheidungsfindung. ...

A.C.«

Warum geht es nun in dieser „Episode“ mit dem berühmten Kommissar und seinem liebenswerten und zuweilen schrulligen Personal? - Beh, niente… wäre die erste Antwort, die mir auf Italienisch einfällt. Es ist ein weiterer Fall, in dem es um seltsame Tode, Mafia, Rache, korrupte Politiker, Bestechung der Medien geht. Und wie immer geht es um das Privatleben des Kommissar, seiner Vorliebe für gutes und üppiges Essen und seine Liebe zu seiner ewigen Verlobten Livia.

Im sizilianischen Vigàta verschwindet eine stattliche Summe aus der Geldkassette eines Supermarkts, der von der Mafia kontrolliert wird. Tags darauf findet man den Geschäftsführer erhängt. Wenig später erhält Commissario Montalbano Besuch von Giovanni Strangio, dem Sohn eines einflussreichen Lokalpolitikers. Strangio hatte nach der Rückkehr von einer Geschäftsreise seine Lebensgefährtin ermordet in der Wohnung aufgefunden.
Während der Polizeipräsident aus Furcht vor einem Skandal manchem Schwur nur allzu gerne Glauben schenkt, bleibt Montalbano unbeirrt von wasserdichten Alibis. Und läuft zur Bestform auf, wenn es darum geht, skrupellose Mörder mit seinen ganz eigenen Methoden in die Falle zu locken … (Verlagstext)

Wer eine Erholung von den sadistischen und brutalen Krimis aus Skandinavien sucht, findet hier den kleinen Nervenkitzel und einen Ausflug in südliche Gefilde, in denen sogar die Polizeiarbeit sich mit der italienischen Lebensart des „kommst du heut‘ nicht, kommst du morgen“ vereinbaren lässt.

Über den Autor
Andrea Camilleri wird dieses Jahr 93 Jahre alt. Er hat sein Abitur der Form halber bekommen, da in den Wirren des zweiten Weltkriegs keine Abschlussprüfung mehr möglich war. Weil er als Student in zwei kalten Zimmern in der Stadt Enna hausen musste, entdeckte er die Stadtbibliothek als Wärmestube. Dort hat er Kontakt zur Literatur sowohl in Buchform als auch in leibhaftigen Menschen gefunden. Seine erste Liebe galt der Poesie, doch schon bald fand er im Theaterspielen und im Theatermachen seine wahre Berufung. Daneben hat er schon früh geschrieben, vor allem Bücher zur Geschichte Süditaliens. Mit der Erfindung seines Kommissars Montalbano, dessen Namen eine Hommage an den spanische Krimiautor Manuel Vázquez Montalbán ist, wird Camilleri einem breiten Publikum bekannt. Sein Verleger Sellerio drängt ihn, einen Krimi nach dem anderen zu schreiebn, denn dadurch werden auch seine älteren Bücher immer wieder nachgefragt. Er wird ein "Autore cult"

Die Übersetzung
Für das Übersetzerduo Rita Seuß und Walter Kögler war es nicht der erste Montalbano-Krimi. Ich habe sieben gemeinsame Titel gefunden. Es ist sicherlich nicht einfach, einen Text zu übertragen, der gerade von der Mischung Dialekt und Hochsprache lebt. Glaubt man den Umfragen unter italienischen LeserInnen, lässt sich der große Erfolg der Monatalbano-Krimis gerade dadurch begründen. Die meisten geben an, das Italienische sei für die Informationen und Fakten zuständig, der Dialekt aber für die Emotionen, das Gefühl. Leider ist das ja nun gerade nicht mit einer Übersetzung ins Hochdeutsche nachzuahmen. Ansatzweise findet man es in der wörtlichen Rede wieder. Vor allem in der Figur Catarellas, des einfältigen Telefonisten im Kommissariat.

»Im Kommissariat stürzte Catarella gerührt und mit ausgestreckter Hand auf Montalbano zu, wie immer an diesem Tag des Jahres.
»Aus ganzem Herzen die allerbestesten Glückwünsche für ein langes, gesundes und glückliches Leben, allerwertester Dottori!«

Und so sieht es aus, wenn Andrea Camilleri die italienische Sprache ins Vigatese umformt:

»S’arrisbigliò che erano appena le sei e mezza del matino, arriposato, frisco, e perfettamenti lucito di testa. Si susì, annò a rapriri le pirsiane, taliò fora. Mari carmo, ’na tavola, e un celo sireno, cilestre con qualichi nuvoletta bianca che pariva pittata da un pittori dilettanti e mittuta lì per fari billizza. ’Na jornata ’n definitiva anonima che gli piacì propio per questa mancanza di carattiri. Pirchì ci sunno certe jornate che t’impongono fino dal primo lumi d’alba la loro forti pirsonalità, e tu non puoi fari autro che calari la schina, sottomittiriti e sopportari. Sinni tornò a corcari, ’n ufficio non avivano travaglio epperciò se la potiva pigliare commoda. Aviva ’nsognato?«

Mein Fazit: lassen Sie sich vom Montalbano-Fieber anstecken! Es gibt nur zwei Möglichkeiten: entweder es gefällt Ihnen - oder Sie sind immun. Dann sollten Sie doch lieber wieder zu den Skandinaviern greifen 😉

[Miriel68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un volume leggermente migliore di alcuni precedenti, soprattutto grazie ad alcuni dialogi divertenti tra Montalbano e Catarella e Montalbano e Fazio. Ad Augello di nuovo non rimane niente da fare - ho una netta impressione che l'autore si è stufato di questo personaggio, spostando le sue simpatie verso Fazio.
I delitti a prima vista sembrano interessanti, ma come al solito tutta l'indagine è abbastanza ridicola. Il commissario risolve il primo delitto grazie a un sogno (di nuovo...) il secondo perché arriva la testimone che gli spiega sia il motivo che l'identità dell'assassino.
Vorrei sperare che la vera polizia italiana non è incompetente fino al punto che emerge dal romanzo.
Viene commesso un omicidio, ma a nessuno viene in mente di interrogare gli abitanti del palazzo accanto (anche se vedono una signora affacciata comodamente al balcone?) La polizia sequestra la macchina del sospetto omicida, ma si limita a metterla nel garage, non controllando neanche il bagagliaio dove è nascosta la vestaglia inzuppata di sangue? L'omicida, tutto coperto di sangue, cambia i vestiti nel garage e se ne va tranquillo all'areoporto: non avrebbe per caso bisogno di lavarsi almeno le mani e la faccia? la polizia lascia sulla scena del delitto il computer della vittima - insomma, perché potrebbe interessare a qualcuno? E così via, sembra davvero che Camilleri non abbia la minima idea di procedure investigative.

[Laura Amicone · Rating 4 out of 5]

È il compleanno di Montalbano!
Salvo appena sveglio si ritrova a dover fare i conti con una realtà dalla quale spesso fugge, il tempo che passa.
Così si apre questo romanzo: la paura della vecchiaia e la nostalgia per la giovinezza, ormai, passata.
Nonostante i suoi 58 anni, Salvo non ha perso lo smalto da poliziotto e grazie al suo acume, alla sua astuzia e alla capacità di spingersi un po’ al di fuori della linea di legalità, riesce a risolvere un drammatico intreccio di criminalità organizzata e politica, anche grazie alla collaborazione con l’antimafia.
A fare da contorno, come sempre, i fidati collaboratori del Commissario, la verandina di Marinella, il molo e i deliziosi manicaretti di Enzo e Adelina.
Come sempre consigliato per sognare la Sicilia e le ferie. 🪐📚

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A robbery, murder, entangled politics. All this makes a Camilleri book easy to read. Some humour - Montalbano is aging as I am so there is a kinship in that. Fast plot as always, makes the pages fly by.