August Heat

Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano Series

Camilleri s Inspector Montalbano mysteries might sell like hotcakes in Europe, but these world-weary crime stories were unknown here until the oversight was corrected (in Stephen Sartarelli s salty translation) by the welcome publication of The Shape of Water This savagely funny police procedural prove[s] that sardonic laughter is a sound that translates ever so smoothly into English. The New York Times Book Review

Hailing from the land of Umberto Eco and La Cosa Nostra, Montalbano can discuss a pointy-headed book like Western Attitudes Toward Death as unflinchingly as he can pore over crime-scene snuff photos. He throws together an extemporaneous lunch of shrimp with lemon and oil as gracefully as he dodges advances from attractive women. Los Angeles Times

[Camilleri s mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Siciliy s mean streets. USA Today

Camilleri is as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator. The Washington Post Book World

Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can t stay out of trouble Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outburst, fumbles, or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth. The Nation

Camilleri can do a character s whole backstory in half a paragraph. The New Yorker

Subtle, sardonic, and molto simpatico: Montalbano is the Latin re-creation of Philip Marlowe, working in a place that manages to be both more and less civilized than chandler Los Angeles. Kirkus Reviews (starred)