Review: Not for Neophytes To The world of Inspector Montalbano
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 23, 2013
Prequels normally are effective when they are designed to explain the character's personality, history or hint at what is to follow.  This novella does not totally succeed.  What is does do is raise more questions about the complex Montalbano than it answers.  This, will of course, present few problems to the fans (de fanatics) of Andrea Camilleri's creation.The weaknesses in this novella are many.  Awaiting promotion and his transfer from Mascalippa a town far removed from the sea, we find that although Montalbano loves to look at the dry and scorched part of Sicily, he really is a "man of the sea" such that if he was to remain there, he would resign fron the force.  This love of the sea, to such an extent is not explained.  Why is Montalbban more of a gourmand, then a gourmet is never explained.  We do meet his girlfriend, Mery, but what happens to her and why is she replaced in future novels by Livia, we do not know.  His first meeting with his boss in Mascalippa is too cute to be true, since they remember that 17 years ago they were on opposite ends of a demonstration where the then police officer Sanfilippo, assaulted the young demonstrating Montalbano.Point made.  Yes we do meet Fazio who should really be working in the Bureau of Statistics, and the frustrated Formula 1 driver, Gallo and Zito, the newsman.  Yet Montalbano himself seems too nave for a 35 year old Sicilian but equipped with almost super human abilities to deduce and come to solve a crime.Rosanna, the central character in the crime is too, yes too unbelievable.  Can a mentally impaired individual endures what she endures do what she does?  No, I won't spoil the story for you but the crime is so Byzantine, convoluted, and its solution so complex, that if this was your initial introduction to the series, it would be your last.So, why 4 stars?  Simply that Andrea Camilleri knows how to keep the pace fast, the story intriguing, and the characters interesting.  This is not his best effort and why it was published in this state, I do not know.  However if you are fascinated by Montalbano as I am, you will not be disappointed.