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Commissario Montalbano #10
Ardores de agosto
Un calor asfixiante arrasa Sicilia como una llamarada; durante el día el aire se vuelve irrespirable las piedras queman y ni siquiera un baño en el mar ofrece algo más que alivio momentáneo. Con la ciudad sumida en un letargo incandescente Salvo aguarda la llegada de Livia que viene con unos amigos a pasar las vacaciones en una solitaria casita frente a la playa. Pero el idílico plan se tuerce cuando oculto en los sótanos de la casa aparece un baúl con un cadáver dentro. El macabro hallazgo desata los instintos investigadores del comisario que muy pronto se ve envuelto en una maraña criminal de múltiples facetas que involucra a políticos, banqueros y empresarios todos bajo la omnipresente tutela de la mafia. Y como si la canícula no fuera suficiente para causar estragos en el comportamiento de los personajes la presencia casi mágica de una bellísima veinteañera hace flaquear la proverbial lucidez del propio Montalbano hasta el punto de tentarlo a dar ese paso trascendental que había evitado hasta el momento. Décima aventura de Salvo Montalbano en la que el inimitable comisario sigue haciendo gala de ese vitalismo socarrón y melancólico mientras se asoma a los abismos mas profundos del ánima humana.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
207 people are currently reading
1684 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Camilleri
433 books2,470 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 547 reviews
November 30, 2025
My third Inspector Montalbano mystery. I previously read The Terra-Cotta Dog and The Voice of the Violin. This is a police procedural translated from the Italian.
It’s a fun read as the Inspector is known for his love of good food both at a local (Sicilian) trattoria and that cooked for him by his maid/cook. His excessive hours and his obsession with his cases tries the patience of his woman friend, so the relationship in on again/off again. He writes letters to himself that help the reader follow the twists and turns of the case. He hates bureaucracy and likes pulling the chain of his idiot superiors as much as they like pulling his.
His underlings speak dialect that sounds almost like a Sicilian Brooklyn accent that can get annoying at times. “Says Gasparino Manzella was getting on ‘is noives since it was rilly hot ‘n all an’ a fly was walkin on ‘is head which rilly bugged ‘im an’ so he shot ‘im.”
The story starts on a humorous note when his woman friend asks him to find a rental vacation home for her friends. Montalbano finds what looks like a great place for the younger couple with a young boy but it is soon invaded by roaches, then mice, then spiders. The couple starts to believe that the house is cursed. Then their boy disappears after sliding down a hole into a hidden basement apartment. Montalbano find the missing boy and is momentarily the hero until he announces that there is a trunk down there with a decomposed body in it! Needless to say, their vacation ends.
The body is that of a 16-year old girl who went missing six years ago. The hidden basement is simply the way things were done in Sicily – building a big home with a buried basement saves time and money due to complex building codes, permits and taxes. It’s much easier to hide it and dig it up later – mea culpa. The construction crew, the foreman, the mafia-affiliated contractor all become suspects. All are reluctantly dragged in for interviews, one by one, by Montalbano and his crew.
Meanwhile, while toying with the mafia-affiliated contractor, Montalbano becomes suspicious of a death in an unrelated case. It looks like an Arab construction worker, an illegal immigrant, fell off an unprotected scaffold at a work site and the crew covered up their responsibility in his death by installing railings after the fact and dousing his clothing with alcohol to make it appear he was drunk. This incident provides a second case that the Inspector’s department is working simultaneously.
It turns out that the deceased girl had a twin sister. The Inspector interviews her – she’s 22 years old and drop-dead gorgeous. Suddenly she’s in full pursuit of Montalbano (who’s 55) and whose woman friend took off on her own vacation. Is this simply the fantasy of a 55-year old man? (Or the author, 81 at the time this book was written.) But it turns out that her pursuit of the Inspector is tied in with the plot and provides a surprising and shocking twist at the end of the book.
A good story with a lot of local color of Sicily. And you have to love the mouth-watering food scattered throughout the book: antipasto di mare; passuluna olives, calamari salad and pappanozza (spiced onions and potatoes in a mash), and fine wines. (There are sites featuring recipes from the Montalbano series on both Wordpress and Pinterest)
I have read a dozen of the Inspector Montalbano series. I won’t list my reviews of all of them but below are links to my reviews of some of the ones I most enjoyed.
The Smell of the Night #6
The Safety Net #25
The Terra-Cotta Dog #2
The Patience of the Spider #8
The Other End of the Line #24
The Voice of the Volin #4
The author died in 2019 at age 94. He was best known for this Inspector Montalbano series, I think twenty-six in all, although some of the most recent ones do not yet appear to have been translated into English. The stories were made into a popular TV series in Italy. His hometown, featured under a fictitious name in his novels, has officially appended that name to attract tourists. (See photo)
Photo of the author's hometown, Porto Empedocle -Vigata from grandangoloagrigento.it
Statue in honor of the author in his hometown from infoagrigento.it
Pappanozza from montalbanosfood.files.wordpress.com
It’s a fun read as the Inspector is known for his love of good food both at a local (Sicilian) trattoria and that cooked for him by his maid/cook. His excessive hours and his obsession with his cases tries the patience of his woman friend, so the relationship in on again/off again. He writes letters to himself that help the reader follow the twists and turns of the case. He hates bureaucracy and likes pulling the chain of his idiot superiors as much as they like pulling his.
His underlings speak dialect that sounds almost like a Sicilian Brooklyn accent that can get annoying at times. “Says Gasparino Manzella was getting on ‘is noives since it was rilly hot ‘n all an’ a fly was walkin on ‘is head which rilly bugged ‘im an’ so he shot ‘im.”
The story starts on a humorous note when his woman friend asks him to find a rental vacation home for her friends. Montalbano finds what looks like a great place for the younger couple with a young boy but it is soon invaded by roaches, then mice, then spiders. The couple starts to believe that the house is cursed. Then their boy disappears after sliding down a hole into a hidden basement apartment. Montalbano find the missing boy and is momentarily the hero until he announces that there is a trunk down there with a decomposed body in it! Needless to say, their vacation ends.
The body is that of a 16-year old girl who went missing six years ago. The hidden basement is simply the way things were done in Sicily – building a big home with a buried basement saves time and money due to complex building codes, permits and taxes. It’s much easier to hide it and dig it up later – mea culpa. The construction crew, the foreman, the mafia-affiliated contractor all become suspects. All are reluctantly dragged in for interviews, one by one, by Montalbano and his crew.
Meanwhile, while toying with the mafia-affiliated contractor, Montalbano becomes suspicious of a death in an unrelated case. It looks like an Arab construction worker, an illegal immigrant, fell off an unprotected scaffold at a work site and the crew covered up their responsibility in his death by installing railings after the fact and dousing his clothing with alcohol to make it appear he was drunk. This incident provides a second case that the Inspector’s department is working simultaneously.
It turns out that the deceased girl had a twin sister. The Inspector interviews her – she’s 22 years old and drop-dead gorgeous. Suddenly she’s in full pursuit of Montalbano (who’s 55) and whose woman friend took off on her own vacation. Is this simply the fantasy of a 55-year old man? (Or the author, 81 at the time this book was written.) But it turns out that her pursuit of the Inspector is tied in with the plot and provides a surprising and shocking twist at the end of the book.
A good story with a lot of local color of Sicily. And you have to love the mouth-watering food scattered throughout the book: antipasto di mare; passuluna olives, calamari salad and pappanozza (spiced onions and potatoes in a mash), and fine wines. (There are sites featuring recipes from the Montalbano series on both Wordpress and Pinterest)
I have read a dozen of the Inspector Montalbano series. I won’t list my reviews of all of them but below are links to my reviews of some of the ones I most enjoyed.
The Smell of the Night #6
The Safety Net #25
The Terra-Cotta Dog #2
The Patience of the Spider #8
The Other End of the Line #24
The Voice of the Volin #4
The author died in 2019 at age 94. He was best known for this Inspector Montalbano series, I think twenty-six in all, although some of the most recent ones do not yet appear to have been translated into English. The stories were made into a popular TV series in Italy. His hometown, featured under a fictitious name in his novels, has officially appended that name to attract tourists. (See photo)
Photo of the author's hometown, Porto Empedocle -Vigata from grandangoloagrigento.it
Statue in honor of the author in his hometown from infoagrigento.it
Pappanozza from montalbanosfood.files.wordpress.com
November 1, 2025
3/5 Estrellas.
Pues no ha sido la entrega que más me ha gustado de las que he leído hasta ahora de Montalbano. Dejémosla en aceptable.
Como indica el título, la trama transcurre en plena canícula de Agosto. Quién haya estado en Sicilia en verano, sabrá lo que es esto, calor abrasador por el día y noches insoportables. Todo ello aderezado por una humedad muy alta, que hace que sea bastante difícil sobrevivir si no es metido en el agua o con un buen aire acondicionado.
Pues el bueno de Montalbano intenta sobrellevarlo, entre sudores y disputas continuas con Livia. Nada nuevo.
Todo cambia cuando aparece un cadáver añejo en la villa donde pasan el verano unos amigos de Livia. Una chica joven y guapa. Parece que violada y asesinada con saña hace al menos 6 años....y tiene una hermana gemela, joven y despampanante.
La chica es muy guapa, Montalbano tiene que interrogarla. Montalbano está sólo, Livia ha salido por patas, de resultas de su última discusión.....A Montalbano no se le resiste ni una, qué tendrá Montalbano??? A qué ya vamos entendiendo lo de los "ardores de Agosto??
Pues entre calentones, las gracias típicas de Catarella, los desplantes a la autoridad a que nos tiene acostumbrados, las comilonas en casa Enzo o en Marinella de la mano de Adelina, transcurre la historia, que no tiene demasiada enjundia. Al final entre tramas inmobiliarias y tráfico de influencias está la cosa. Nada sorprendente y bastante predecible.
Disfrutable si te gusta el universo Montalbano, pero no es el mejor ni mucho menos.
En mi opinión, ya con 55 tacos, la historia con Livia no se sostiene.....veremos que pasa.
Seguimos con la serie.
Pues no ha sido la entrega que más me ha gustado de las que he leído hasta ahora de Montalbano. Dejémosla en aceptable.
Como indica el título, la trama transcurre en plena canícula de Agosto. Quién haya estado en Sicilia en verano, sabrá lo que es esto, calor abrasador por el día y noches insoportables. Todo ello aderezado por una humedad muy alta, que hace que sea bastante difícil sobrevivir si no es metido en el agua o con un buen aire acondicionado.
Pues el bueno de Montalbano intenta sobrellevarlo, entre sudores y disputas continuas con Livia. Nada nuevo.
Todo cambia cuando aparece un cadáver añejo en la villa donde pasan el verano unos amigos de Livia. Una chica joven y guapa. Parece que violada y asesinada con saña hace al menos 6 años....y tiene una hermana gemela, joven y despampanante.
La chica es muy guapa, Montalbano tiene que interrogarla. Montalbano está sólo, Livia ha salido por patas, de resultas de su última discusión.....A Montalbano no se le resiste ni una, qué tendrá Montalbano??? A qué ya vamos entendiendo lo de los "ardores de Agosto??
Pues entre calentones, las gracias típicas de Catarella, los desplantes a la autoridad a que nos tiene acostumbrados, las comilonas en casa Enzo o en Marinella de la mano de Adelina, transcurre la historia, que no tiene demasiada enjundia. Al final entre tramas inmobiliarias y tráfico de influencias está la cosa. Nada sorprendente y bastante predecible.
Disfrutable si te gusta el universo Montalbano, pero no es el mejor ni mucho menos.
En mi opinión, ya con 55 tacos, la historia con Livia no se sostiene.....veremos que pasa.
Seguimos con la serie.
October 5, 2021
The opening of this, the tenth in the series featuring the cynical Inspector Salvo Montalbano, set in Sicily, is at a seaside rental Salvo and his girlfriend Livia are hosting for their friends Laura, her husband, and their three-year-old son, who falls down a well. Laura is convinced the place is haunted, as they are besieged by cockroaches, and then this well incident, and then other stuff that happens throughout the book. Dark magic? Salvo saves the boy, and while digging finds an illegal apartment under their rental property. With two corpses in it, of a mason and a 16-year-old girl. Livia and Laura and the gang are disgusted to learn Salvo has for a day not informed them that he had discovered the corpse (they're on a vacation!), so they leave.
Salvo's wild goose chase involves the identical twin of this girl, who is now 22, and all men in the book seem to be crazy about her. I was not initially pleased with the lust all of the men direct toward this young woman (though Salvo remains chaste [Livia!]), but over time I sort of forgive Camilleri for his depiction of this woman as "hot," (generating some of that August heat) who has, after all, lost her sister (okay, though six years ago, but still), as we observe Salvo, with the help of this twin, solves the crime. The woman has some deep psychic identical-twin connection to her dead sister; at the point of death, she knew it was happening, felt the terror. Maybe three and half stars, maybe a little more for this police procedural, though the story has some sensational aspects to it that will make it memorable.
August is always hot, and it was like a blast furnace in this novel, set in hot August Sicily, and almost everywhere on the planet. Then, yeah, this sort of dark heat, the persistent lust in the book for this young woman (who invites it). It's a bit steamy, yep.
The appendix mentions Camilleri's efforts to support the victims of Mafia violence, political work he admires in other authors, though he isn't all that political in this series (except taking on the mafia, which is a big deal, of course).
Salvo's wild goose chase involves the identical twin of this girl, who is now 22, and all men in the book seem to be crazy about her. I was not initially pleased with the lust all of the men direct toward this young woman (though Salvo remains chaste [Livia!]), but over time I sort of forgive Camilleri for his depiction of this woman as "hot," (generating some of that August heat) who has, after all, lost her sister (okay, though six years ago, but still), as we observe Salvo, with the help of this twin, solves the crime. The woman has some deep psychic identical-twin connection to her dead sister; at the point of death, she knew it was happening, felt the terror. Maybe three and half stars, maybe a little more for this police procedural, though the story has some sensational aspects to it that will make it memorable.
August is always hot, and it was like a blast furnace in this novel, set in hot August Sicily, and almost everywhere on the planet. Then, yeah, this sort of dark heat, the persistent lust in the book for this young woman (who invites it). It's a bit steamy, yep.
The appendix mentions Camilleri's efforts to support the victims of Mafia violence, political work he admires in other authors, though he isn't all that political in this series (except taking on the mafia, which is a big deal, of course).
October 8, 2017
“Voliva annarci prima, ma quanno niscì dalla porta di casa vinni assugliato da una tali vampata di caluri che sinni trasì nuovamente 'n casa. Si spogliò, inchì la vasca da bagno d'acqua fridda e ci stetti dintra un'orata.”
Questo focoso romanzo di Camilleri è consigliato per le letture autunnali/invernali.
E’ dunque estate tra queste pagine e il caldo imperversa senza pietà per nessuno.
Un bambino sparisce nella villetta di vacanza degli amici di Livia dando avvio mistero da risolvere. Sullo sfondo la pesante scenografia delle logiche mafiose, dell’abusivismo e dello sfruttamento degli immigrati nei cantieri.
Tanta carne al fuoco (“ “Foco diavolisco è!”) per passare piacevolmente in lettura qualche ”orata”.
Ritrovo Montalbano dopo circa vent’anni ed è con piacere riscoprire che non ci sono tradimenti di sorta:
Vigàta è sempre lì con Fazio, il mitico Catarella (di pirsona pirsonalmenti”) e la trattoria da Enzo;
Marinella pure con la nota casa del commissario proprio vicino al mare, la solita verandina e poi i piatti speciali di Adelinache invadono i ripiani del frigorifero…
Non fa tanto piacere ritrovare l’antartica Livia: é un vero peccato che Montalbano non abbia trovato di meglio!
Insomma tutto appare immutato.
Poi scopro, però, che gli anni non sono passati solo per me.
E se entrerete in questa vampa scoprirete che Montalbano certamente non cede ma qualcosa scricchiola:
” Mi capita che sono addivintato vecchio - pinsò amaro il commissario - e voglio arrivare presto a concludere un'indagine che mi pisa.”
Questo focoso romanzo di Camilleri è consigliato per le letture autunnali/invernali.
E’ dunque estate tra queste pagine e il caldo imperversa senza pietà per nessuno.
Un bambino sparisce nella villetta di vacanza degli amici di Livia dando avvio mistero da risolvere. Sullo sfondo la pesante scenografia delle logiche mafiose, dell’abusivismo e dello sfruttamento degli immigrati nei cantieri.
Tanta carne al fuoco (“ “Foco diavolisco è!”) per passare piacevolmente in lettura qualche ”orata”.
Ritrovo Montalbano dopo circa vent’anni ed è con piacere riscoprire che non ci sono tradimenti di sorta:
Vigàta è sempre lì con Fazio, il mitico Catarella (di pirsona pirsonalmenti”) e la trattoria da Enzo;
Marinella pure con la nota casa del commissario proprio vicino al mare, la solita verandina e poi i piatti speciali di Adelinache invadono i ripiani del frigorifero…
Non fa tanto piacere ritrovare l’antartica Livia: é un vero peccato che Montalbano non abbia trovato di meglio!
Insomma tutto appare immutato.
Poi scopro, però, che gli anni non sono passati solo per me.
E se entrerete in questa vampa scoprirete che Montalbano certamente non cede ma qualcosa scricchiola:
” Mi capita che sono addivintato vecchio - pinsò amaro il commissario - e voglio arrivare presto a concludere un'indagine che mi pisa.”
November 26, 2018
Ίσως το πιο υπερβολικό και 'παραφορτωμένο' βιβλίο του Καμιλλέρι, το οποίο ενώ ξεκινά με ενδιαφέρον, θίγοντας το πρόβλημα των αυθαίρετων σπιτιών στην Ιταλία καταλήγει να μην μπορεί να πείσει τον αναγνώστη για την αληθοφάνεια της ιστορίας και τα κίνητρα των δολοφονιών. Το 1ο μέρος περιλαμβάνει πάρα πολλά και επιτηδευμένα στοιχεία θρίλερ, ένα στοιχείο που δεν είναι και το δυνατότερο σημείο του συγγραφέα.
Το πιο, όμως, αδύναμο σημείο του μυθιστορήματος είναι κάποιες χιουμοριστικές ατάκες στο 2ο μέρος που φαίνονται 'αμήχανες', όπως και το πολύ προβλέψιμο τέλος που δημιουργεί αμφιβολίες στον αναγνώστη για τις επαγγελματικές ικανότητες του Μονταλμπάνο. Σύμφωνα καί με τον τίτλο του βιβλίου, κατάλληλο ως καλοκαιρινό ανάγνωσμα, αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Οι αναγνώστες που επιθυμούν να 'γνωρίσουν' τον συγγραφέα, καλό θα ήταν να ξεκινήσουν με το 1ο βιβλίο της σειράς 'Το σχήμα του νερού' και πάει λέγοντας.....
Βαθμολογία: 3,2/5 ή 6,4/10.
Το πιο, όμως, αδύναμο σημείο του μυθιστορήματος είναι κάποιες χιουμοριστικές ατάκες στο 2ο μέρος που φαίνονται 'αμήχανες', όπως και το πολύ προβλέψιμο τέλος που δημιουργεί αμφιβολίες στον αναγνώστη για τις επαγγελματικές ικανότητες του Μονταλμπάνο. Σύμφωνα καί με τον τίτλο του βιβλίου, κατάλληλο ως καλοκαιρινό ανάγνωσμα, αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Οι αναγνώστες που επιθυμούν να 'γνωρίσουν' τον συγγραφέα, καλό θα ήταν να ξεκινήσουν με το 1ο βιβλίο της σειράς 'Το σχήμα του νερού' και πάει λέγοντας.....
Βαθμολογία: 3,2/5 ή 6,4/10.
March 18, 2020
I whizzed through this in about three hours enjoying an easy read. By chance the only other book i can remember reading in this series was the first one, just a week ago. The Montalbano character hadn't fully taken shape in the first book, but he has here and he feels a bit over-worked to me. And the secondary police characters seem to have become more stereotypes, perhaps as a consequence of the television series.
Perhaps writerly fatigue set in with the endless repetition of the enervating effects of high summer heat in Sicily. Some parts of the story telling were unbelievable - like the lack of a fan anywhere in the police station or any one's home. If you live in a climate where summer heat goes over 40 degrees C, you have fans around somewhere to haul out when the heat goes up. It's not just a short term demand with an acute lack of supply.
Do I sound a bit grumpy? It's just been 38 degrees here and is going to be around the 40s for the rest of the week. And this is only mid December. It is an El Niño year and we know it will be a bad summer. So the fans are out of storage and the hot weather daily regime of closing and opening windows and doors is well and truly underway.
Perhaps writerly fatigue set in with the endless repetition of the enervating effects of high summer heat in Sicily. Some parts of the story telling were unbelievable - like the lack of a fan anywhere in the police station or any one's home. If you live in a climate where summer heat goes over 40 degrees C, you have fans around somewhere to haul out when the heat goes up. It's not just a short term demand with an acute lack of supply.
Do I sound a bit grumpy? It's just been 38 degrees here and is going to be around the 40s for the rest of the week. And this is only mid December. It is an El Niño year and we know it will be a bad summer. So the fans are out of storage and the hot weather daily regime of closing and opening windows and doors is well and truly underway.
March 23, 2020
3.5
While I love classic detective fiction because it focuses entirely on the puzzle, I love Montalbano precisely because he is so inextricably involved with every crime he investigates, with every witness he questions and every crime scene he inspects. So, while La vampa d'agosto expands on Montalbano's personal demons (specifically his anxiety about growing old), I think it leaves unanswered more questions than usual as regards the crime, and even though I understand that the details I'm referring to are entirely incidental, this feeling of incompleteness is somewhat annoying.
While I love classic detective fiction because it focuses entirely on the puzzle, I love Montalbano precisely because he is so inextricably involved with every crime he investigates, with every witness he questions and every crime scene he inspects. So, while La vampa d'agosto expands on Montalbano's personal demons (specifically his anxiety about growing old), I think it leaves unanswered more questions than usual as regards the crime, and even though I understand that the details I'm referring to are entirely incidental, this feeling of incompleteness is somewhat annoying.
February 18, 2019
Para Salamandra es la décima entrega, según mi registro es la decimotercera ya que cuento los libros de relatos que la misma editorial ha publicado antes de este tomo.
Más allá de que numeral sea, esta novela trae nuevamente el cruce de policial negro con cierto grado de humor. Buenos diálogos y los personajes de siempre de la mano de Camilleri. Si te gusta la serie dale para adelante, sino hay policiales mejores.
Más allá de que numeral sea, esta novela trae nuevamente el cruce de policial negro con cierto grado de humor. Buenos diálogos y los personajes de siempre de la mano de Camilleri. Si te gusta la serie dale para adelante, sino hay policiales mejores.
July 23, 2019
Always a pleasure to read a Moltabano adventure by the great (and much missed already) Andrea Camilleri (RIP). There will be many more this summer! :)
August 5, 2020
La Sicilia asfixiante del mes de agosto, el refugio de mar, la buena comida y la compañía del comisario Montalbano. Siempre socarrón, siempre irónico, siempre entrañable. Un lugar al que acudir cuando no sabemos qué leer.
October 4, 2021
It was a huge relief to return to the world of Montalbano after reading a couple of thrillers that didn't work for me. The world that Camilleri has created is hardly an idyllic one -- there's a lot of gore -- but we get a masterfully curated view with a gentle, mocking voice. I heard this on Libby and it was a great performance. As always, one has to salute the translator for taking Catarella's speech and many other idiosyncrasies to the world outside Italy. Of course, these days I can't read or hear a Montalbano book without imagining the superb TV show.
Montalbano is ageing, but he continues to eat well, treat bureaucracy with the scorn it deserves, struggle with his girlfriend... and be a great policeman, though he expresses doubts about his faculties quite often in this story. On the subject of story, it's probably no secret that story isn't Mr. Camilleri's strong point. There are some books that I read in which the coincidences were humongous and some additional details get tossed in at the last minute. In August Heat, one could be forgiven for wondering why some obvious angles weren't explored much earlier... But the thing to do for Montalbano fans seems to be to continue to overlook minor matters of detail and soak in the wonderful world of this series.
I was happy to note that I figured the reference in the book to Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö of The Laughing Policeman fame. This review, from a blog that seems very interesting makes an interesting point about Camilleri being a successor to Sciascia. I don't fully agree but that's not the point.
I slowed down the speed to make this last longer.
Montalbano is ageing, but he continues to eat well, treat bureaucracy with the scorn it deserves, struggle with his girlfriend... and be a great policeman, though he expresses doubts about his faculties quite often in this story. On the subject of story, it's probably no secret that story isn't Mr. Camilleri's strong point. There are some books that I read in which the coincidences were humongous and some additional details get tossed in at the last minute. In August Heat, one could be forgiven for wondering why some obvious angles weren't explored much earlier... But the thing to do for Montalbano fans seems to be to continue to overlook minor matters of detail and soak in the wonderful world of this series.
I was happy to note that I figured the reference in the book to Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö of The Laughing Policeman fame. This review, from a blog that seems very interesting makes an interesting point about Camilleri being a successor to Sciascia. I don't fully agree but that's not the point.
I slowed down the speed to make this last longer.
January 30, 2020
I adored Andrea Camilleri’s writing in this book. It showed a side of inspector Montalbano that I haven’t seen in the previous works.
The description of the heat had me feeling ready for summer. There was no plot twist that made this book a staple for me. Instead it was written beautifully from start to finish. I didn’t want to put it down!
The description of the heat had me feeling ready for summer. There was no plot twist that made this book a staple for me. Instead it was written beautifully from start to finish. I didn’t want to put it down!
![Profile Image for Anna [Floanne].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1566911038i%2F4459724._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 28, 2023
Credo che questo sia uno dei migliori capitoli della saga che ho letto finora. In una Vigàta bruciata dal caldo, Montalbano si trova suo malgrado a scoprire il cadavere di una giovane uccisa molti anni prima in un villino abusivo. Ne deriva un’indagine difficile, che lo farà sudare ben più di sette camicie, complici anche una canicola insopportabile e una bellissima ragazza. Sempre arguto e diretto nella sua critica al malcostume diffuso, in cui l’abusivismo edilizio va a braccetto con collusioni mafiose a tutti i livelli, il commissario deve scontrarsi però anche con la propria età che avanza e che sembra, a tratti, annebbiarne le capacità deduttive. Alla fine, ne esce sfinito, umiliato ma anche tremendamente umano.
Voto: 4,5 stelle
Voto: 4,5 stelle
November 14, 2020
Muy buena historia de Moltalbano, como siempre. Viví en carne propia el calor siciliano. Voy por la mitad de los libros del comisario y la verdad es que no quiero terminarlos nunca.
January 27, 2011
Although I had seen the television version of this novel -- and I've watched all of the Montalbano TV series -- it is not the same as experiencing Camilleri up close and first hand in another superb translation by Stephen Sartarelli.
So much of what you get from Montalbano is the thinking stuff that goes on in the written narrative and Salvo's head, such that the plot serves as a bridge to hold these musings aloft. The TV adaptions although excellent do not capture that rich and very Sicilian nuance nor the intricacies of the character interactions.
You have to embrace the journey, casually partaken as it may seem, and regret that it has to end at the novel's conclusion. With Montalbano the chronology nonetheless is important as you share the storyline and characters from book to book so that the microcosm of Vigata is built up in culture, cuisine, politics, stone and cement.
And with each outing, the character of Salvo Montalbano is deepened and enriched.
Fortunately I still have a few in the series to look forward to reading. There are 17 novels with maybe 3 still waiting to be published in English translation.
There is a very good review of Camillieri and his work here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/...
So much of what you get from Montalbano is the thinking stuff that goes on in the written narrative and Salvo's head, such that the plot serves as a bridge to hold these musings aloft. The TV adaptions although excellent do not capture that rich and very Sicilian nuance nor the intricacies of the character interactions.
You have to embrace the journey, casually partaken as it may seem, and regret that it has to end at the novel's conclusion. With Montalbano the chronology nonetheless is important as you share the storyline and characters from book to book so that the microcosm of Vigata is built up in culture, cuisine, politics, stone and cement.
And with each outing, the character of Salvo Montalbano is deepened and enriched.
Fortunately I still have a few in the series to look forward to reading. There are 17 novels with maybe 3 still waiting to be published in English translation.
There is a very good review of Camillieri and his work here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/...
October 15, 2025
(TR aşağıda)
The tenth adventure of Salvo Montalbano — another Sicilian crime novel that leaves us wanting more.
Montalbano rents a summer house in his own neighborhood for friends who want to spend their vacation nearby. But when the couple’s crawling baby goes missing, he discovers a whole secret, illegal floor buried under the ground. The real discovery, of course, is when Montalbano finds a corpse inside this fully equipped floor, together with all the infrastructure, waiting to be dig out and put into use one day.
In this hidden floor, completed about six years earlier, the body of a 16-year-old girl is found — her throat slit, her body sealed in plastic and hidden inside a chest. The investigation expands to include the homeowner living in Germany, his mentally disabled stepson, the contractor with mafia connections, foremen, laborers, the neighbor, and the real estate agent — and things become even more tangled when the victim’s identical twin sister, now 22, enters the picture.
The novel paints a panorama of Sicily, where illegal construction is commonplace and rarely treated as a crime, contractors have cozy ties with politicians and the island’s two main mafia families, workplace safety is only a showcase, and public contracts somehow always go to the same familiar names. Many of these details feel uncomfortably familiar to us, too.
Camilleri brings Montalbano’s daily routine vividly to life in his novels. Usually, we see him constantly eating — mostly seafood — but this time, perhaps because of the August heat, he spends the novel swimming, showering, and changing clothes instead. 😊 What really sets this story apart from his earlier cases, though, is that Montalbano is sadly deceived! I found myself thinking, “Montalbano, how could you fall for that?” In the end, I wasn’t even sure whether justice was actually served — or how to feel about it. But since the ending isn’t cliché, it definitely earns extra points from me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Salvo Montalbano’nun onuncu macerası. Yine tadı damağımızda bir Sicilya polisiyesi.
Tatili yanında geçirmek isteyen arkadaşları için kendi muhitinde yazlık bir ev kiralayan Montalbano, arkadaşlarının emekleyen bebeği kaybolunca evin altında toprağa gömülü halde bir kaçak kat olduğunu keşfeder. Elbette asıl keşif, tam takım tesisatıyla birlikte gün yüzüne çıkacağı günü bekleyen kaçak katta bir ceset bulunması olur.
6 yıl kadar önce tamamlanan kaçak katta, 16 yaşında bir kız boğazı kesilerek öldürülmüş ve hava almayacak şekilde poşetlenerek sandığın içine saklanmıştır. İnşaatı talep eden Almanya’daki gurbetçi ev sahibi, ev sahibinin zihinsel engelli üvey oğlu, mafyayla yakın ilişki içindeki müteahhit, usta başları, işçiler, komşu, emlakçı vs. derken konu ilerliyor. Ölen kızın bugün 22 yaşında olan tek yumurta ikizi de konuya dahil olunca işler arapsaçına dönüyor.
Kaçak katların gayet yaygın bir şey olması ve kimsenin bunu suç olarak ciddiye almaması, müteahhitlerin hem politikacılarla hem de adanın önemli iki mafya ailesiyle sıkı fıkı olması, iş güvenliğinin hak getirmesi, yerel idare ihalelerinin nedense hep aynı müteahhit ve tedarikçilere verilmesi vb. konularda bir Sicilya panoraması. Bir o kadar da bazı şeyler tanıdık bizlere.
Camilleri, romanlarında Montalbano’nun günlük rutinini de işler. Genelde Montalbano’nun sürekli yemek yediğine (ve hep deniz ürünleri) şahit oluruz. Fakat bu kez hava çok sıcak olduğundan olsa gerek; Montalbano roman boyunca sürekli yüzüyor, duş alıyor ve üzerini değiştiriyor 😊 Ama önceki maceralardan asıl farklı olan, Montalbano’nun fena halde aldanması! Koskoca Montalbano bu hale düşecek adam mıydın, dedim sonunda. Adalet yerini buldu mu, üzüldüm mü, tam da anlamadım. Sonu klişe olmadığı için benden ilave puan alıyor elbette.
The tenth adventure of Salvo Montalbano — another Sicilian crime novel that leaves us wanting more.
Montalbano rents a summer house in his own neighborhood for friends who want to spend their vacation nearby. But when the couple’s crawling baby goes missing, he discovers a whole secret, illegal floor buried under the ground. The real discovery, of course, is when Montalbano finds a corpse inside this fully equipped floor, together with all the infrastructure, waiting to be dig out and put into use one day.
In this hidden floor, completed about six years earlier, the body of a 16-year-old girl is found — her throat slit, her body sealed in plastic and hidden inside a chest. The investigation expands to include the homeowner living in Germany, his mentally disabled stepson, the contractor with mafia connections, foremen, laborers, the neighbor, and the real estate agent — and things become even more tangled when the victim’s identical twin sister, now 22, enters the picture.
The novel paints a panorama of Sicily, where illegal construction is commonplace and rarely treated as a crime, contractors have cozy ties with politicians and the island’s two main mafia families, workplace safety is only a showcase, and public contracts somehow always go to the same familiar names. Many of these details feel uncomfortably familiar to us, too.
Camilleri brings Montalbano’s daily routine vividly to life in his novels. Usually, we see him constantly eating — mostly seafood — but this time, perhaps because of the August heat, he spends the novel swimming, showering, and changing clothes instead. 😊 What really sets this story apart from his earlier cases, though, is that Montalbano is sadly deceived! I found myself thinking, “Montalbano, how could you fall for that?” In the end, I wasn’t even sure whether justice was actually served — or how to feel about it. But since the ending isn’t cliché, it definitely earns extra points from me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Salvo Montalbano’nun onuncu macerası. Yine tadı damağımızda bir Sicilya polisiyesi.
Tatili yanında geçirmek isteyen arkadaşları için kendi muhitinde yazlık bir ev kiralayan Montalbano, arkadaşlarının emekleyen bebeği kaybolunca evin altında toprağa gömülü halde bir kaçak kat olduğunu keşfeder. Elbette asıl keşif, tam takım tesisatıyla birlikte gün yüzüne çıkacağı günü bekleyen kaçak katta bir ceset bulunması olur.
6 yıl kadar önce tamamlanan kaçak katta, 16 yaşında bir kız boğazı kesilerek öldürülmüş ve hava almayacak şekilde poşetlenerek sandığın içine saklanmıştır. İnşaatı talep eden Almanya’daki gurbetçi ev sahibi, ev sahibinin zihinsel engelli üvey oğlu, mafyayla yakın ilişki içindeki müteahhit, usta başları, işçiler, komşu, emlakçı vs. derken konu ilerliyor. Ölen kızın bugün 22 yaşında olan tek yumurta ikizi de konuya dahil olunca işler arapsaçına dönüyor.
Kaçak katların gayet yaygın bir şey olması ve kimsenin bunu suç olarak ciddiye almaması, müteahhitlerin hem politikacılarla hem de adanın önemli iki mafya ailesiyle sıkı fıkı olması, iş güvenliğinin hak getirmesi, yerel idare ihalelerinin nedense hep aynı müteahhit ve tedarikçilere verilmesi vb. konularda bir Sicilya panoraması. Bir o kadar da bazı şeyler tanıdık bizlere.
Camilleri, romanlarında Montalbano’nun günlük rutinini de işler. Genelde Montalbano’nun sürekli yemek yediğine (ve hep deniz ürünleri) şahit oluruz. Fakat bu kez hava çok sıcak olduğundan olsa gerek; Montalbano roman boyunca sürekli yüzüyor, duş alıyor ve üzerini değiştiriyor 😊 Ama önceki maceralardan asıl farklı olan, Montalbano’nun fena halde aldanması! Koskoca Montalbano bu hale düşecek adam mıydın, dedim sonunda. Adalet yerini buldu mu, üzüldüm mü, tam da anlamadım. Sonu klişe olmadığı için benden ilave puan alıyor elbette.
February 20, 2025
In questo caso Montalbano dovrà sudare le fatidiche sette camicie non solo per le alte temperature (siamo a ferragosto) ma soprattutto per la bella ragazza della quale egli si invaghisce e perde la testa.
Il caso stavolta riguarda il ritrovamento di una ragazza che era scomparsa sei anni fa e ritrovata in un cassa su un piano abusivo interrato. Anche stavolta il nostro avrà dei battibecchi con Livia che, arrabbiata, lo molla e se ne va in vacanza in barca e lui, arraggiato (trad. dal siciliano, arrabbiato), la tradisce.
Naturalmente sapevo già la storia, visto che ho divorato (e anche più volte) tutti gli episodi della serie televisiva di Montalbano, ma leggerlo è ancora più bello secondo me (e poi, da siciliano, non trovo difficoltà a capire il dialetto, seppur inventato da Camilleri e diverso dal nostro).
“Voliva annarci prima, ma quanno niscì dalla porta di casa vinni assugliato da una tali vampata di caluri che sinni trasì nuovamente 'n casa. Si spogliò, inchì la vasca da bagno d'acqua fridda e ci stetti dintra un'orata.”
Il caso stavolta riguarda il ritrovamento di una ragazza che era scomparsa sei anni fa e ritrovata in un cassa su un piano abusivo interrato. Anche stavolta il nostro avrà dei battibecchi con Livia che, arrabbiata, lo molla e se ne va in vacanza in barca e lui, arraggiato (trad. dal siciliano, arrabbiato), la tradisce.
Naturalmente sapevo già la storia, visto che ho divorato (e anche più volte) tutti gli episodi della serie televisiva di Montalbano, ma leggerlo è ancora più bello secondo me (e poi, da siciliano, non trovo difficoltà a capire il dialetto, seppur inventato da Camilleri e diverso dal nostro).
April 4, 2018
A young brat, the son of two of Livia's friends, disappears on vacation. In finding the kid, Montalbano opens up a bigger can of worms than he anticipated: a hidden house, a dead body wrapped in plastic, a corrupt building contractor...
This one shakes things up a bit. The normal Montalbano plot is that there are two cases that turn out to be interrelated by some weird connection. This is more of a noir plot, where the trail of clues leads deeper and deeper into a maze, until finally the center is reached. An interesting shakeup. I think this will end up being one of my favorites.
Note: I'm listening to this series on audio, which is freaking FANTASTIC. If you're not a mystery reader but want the perfect "short attention span" audiobooks, try these.
This one shakes things up a bit. The normal Montalbano plot is that there are two cases that turn out to be interrelated by some weird connection. This is more of a noir plot, where the trail of clues leads deeper and deeper into a maze, until finally the center is reached. An interesting shakeup. I think this will end up being one of my favorites.
Note: I'm listening to this series on audio, which is freaking FANTASTIC. If you're not a mystery reader but want the perfect "short attention span" audiobooks, try these.
May 21, 2022
Un poliziesco che scava, oltre che nella società nei territori e nella politica siciliana, anche nel carattere e nei sentimenti del protagonista: qui infatti troviamo un Montalbano anche fragile. Chapoue a Camilleri.
June 4, 2024
Ero indecisa se dargliene 4 e non 5 perché nelle ultime due pagine
Alla fine ho deciso per le 5 stelle perché per il 98% resta comunque uno di quelli che mi son goduta di più fino ad ora.
Camilleri non delude mai.
Alla fine ho deciso per le 5 stelle perché per il 98% resta comunque uno di quelli che mi son goduta di più fino ad ora.
Camilleri non delude mai.
July 27, 2020
Hoy me viene muy bien hablar de esta novela de Camilleri. Porque ha sido y sigue siendo un día de un calor asfixiante, y me ha recordado al que pasan los protagonistas en esta nueva aventura del Comisario Montalbano. Siempre disfruto con la lectura de estas novelas, llenas de intriga, risas, investigaciones y el humor sarcástico de Montalbano. En esta ocasión, una trama muy interesante al descubrirse un cadáver en un lugar impensable. Y como siempre, al lado del Comisario, los demás compañeros de la comisaría de Vigàta.
February 17, 2010
Another Montalbano mystery, another strange trip into this Sicilian world. This had an equally dark ending -- satisfying but with a deeply unpleasant, if predictable, twist -- to his earlier book, The Shape of Water, but it didn't really reach the same level of beauty that the other one did. Instead, it felt more like a traditional detective book, with Inspector Montalbano spending most of his time in conversation and collusion with his seeming second-in-command, Fazio, or in the thrall of the sister of the victim. Early players last only a few chapters; late players last only a few chapters. Montalbano is less developed, more a sketch. The best character in the book is the unrelenting heat of August, which influences every action.
May 31, 2012
It’s August in Sicily and the heat is on Inspector Salvo Montalbano in more ways than one. Grappling with the brutal murder of a young girl, a turbulent love life, and a fruitless search for the last electric fan in town, the indomitable Montalbano approaches every situation with his customary dry wit and cynicism. Camilleri underpins the story with caustic sideswipes at the political and criminal elements of Sicilian society, which always make his books a cut above the average crime thriller. A brilliant blackly comic read with an all too human protagonist - a welcome addition to an excellent series.
August 2, 2017
Αστυνομικό, αστυνομικό και με πολυ δόση Νότου....Πολιτική, Μαφία, αγάπη, βια, διαφθορά και ένας Επιθεωρητής χαρμα...(ειδικά όταν τρώει αυτα τα εξαιρετικά πιατα...). ΥΓ Έχει μουστάκι και μάλλον φιλάει υπέροχα...Ξεκινηστε με ένα και θα τα διαβάσετε ολα!
August 13, 2017
The first quarter of this book saw the good Inspector finding a summer rental house of a friend of his girlfriend, then discovering a dead body in the rented house. The story didn't really grab me, but the ending involving the revenge of a femme fatale saved the book.
July 5, 2012
One of his absolute best!
November 8, 2017
Σε μια Βιγκάτα που βράζει τον Αύγουστο, ο αστυνόμος Μονταλμπάνο καλείται να φιλοξενήσει την αιώνια αρραβωνιαστικιά από τη Γένοβα και κάποιους φίλους της οι οποίοι νοικιάζουν μια παραθαλάσσια έπαυλη.
Πολύ γρήγορα όμως τους ξεφορτώνεται με αφορμή τα ανατριχιαστικά ευρήματα στο κρυμμένο υπόγειο του σπιτιού. Μένει με την αφόρητη ζέστη, τις γαστριμαργικές βόλτες στην ταβέρνα του Έντζο και έναν ανατέλλοντα έρωτα στα 55 του.
Καλογραμμένο αλλά λείπει εκείνο το χιούμορ και οι γλαφυρές περιγραφές που συναντάμε σε άλλα βιβλία του Καμιλλέρι. Ακόμα και ο απαράμιλλος Καταρέ είναι πολύ συμβατικός. Και το τέλος μελαγχολικό.
Σε όλα τα βιβλία του Καμιλλέρι υπάρχει πάντα η άποψη του για ένα κοινωνικό θέμα. Στο βιβλίο αυτό το κοινωνικό σχόλιο γίνεται για τους πλούσιους λευκούς που ταξιδεύουν σε χώρες της Ασίας, όπως η Ταϋλάνδη, προς άγραν σεξουαλικών εμπειριών με παιδιά.
Διάβαζε ο Ηρακλής Στρούγγης.
Πολύ γρήγορα όμως τους ξεφορτώνεται με αφορμή τα ανατριχιαστικά ευρήματα στο κρυμμένο υπόγειο του σπιτιού. Μένει με την αφόρητη ζέστη, τις γαστριμαργικές βόλτες στην ταβέρνα του Έντζο και έναν ανατέλλοντα έρωτα στα 55 του.
Καλογραμμένο αλλά λείπει εκείνο το χιούμορ και οι γλαφυρές περιγραφές που συναντάμε σε άλλα βιβλία του Καμιλλέρι. Ακόμα και ο απαράμιλλος Καταρέ είναι πολύ συμβατικός. Και το τέλος μελαγχολικό.
Σε όλα τα βιβλία του Καμιλλέρι υπάρχει πάντα η άποψη του για ένα κοινωνικό θέμα. Στο βιβλίο αυτό το κοινωνικό σχόλιο γίνεται για τους πλούσιους λευκούς που ταξιδεύουν σε χώρες της Ασίας, όπως η Ταϋλάνδη, προς άγραν σεξουαλικών εμπειριών με παιδιά.
Διάβαζε ο Ηρακλής Στρούγγης.
April 3, 2018
Having just read one of the Martin Beck books, the reference to Montalbano reading ones of the same on page 115 of this August Heat made me appreciate that actually, there are a lot of similarities between the two series. Notably, the generally honest detective trying to do his job in spite of the social conditions around him, and backed up by a regular ensemble of other detectives. Albeit that the Montalbano books have a lot more dry humour to them. I wonder why I'd never made the connection before.
August 12, 2023
Me encanta el comisario Montalbano. Esta novela se lee en un suspiro, las hojas vuelan, no puedes parar de leer para averiguar quién es el asesino. Una delicia. La recomiendo muchísimo.
November 23, 2023
Body heat also for inspectore Montalbano
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