2008-04-24 Patchy but Satisfying

I love the Montalbano series and have read most of them. I was really eager to start this one, and it starts well. Montalbano is recovering from an injury sustained in the line of duty which also causes him to worry about his mortality and question his abilities as a cop. He is called in to assist on the sidelines with a complex kidnap case involving a young and beautiful girl and senses that all is not as it should be.

The things that were great about this book were the setting, the sights and sounds of Sicily; The fact that we get to know more about Montalbano's complicated relationship with his girlfriend Livia and of course Montalbano himself. The thing that let it down was the case, which I had guessed the outcome for fairly early on. I'm not saying I'm a mastermind or anything, I just thing that if you're used to the way things play out in the Montalbano novels this one might not be quite up to par for you.

Having said that it's still a great read and well worth having.