The Snack Thief

Author: Andrea Camilleri
Published: May 31, 2005 (Penguin)
Category: Mystery
Quote of Choice: "I'm sure I say my share of stupid things, but when you come out with one, it's always a whopper."

This is the third book in Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series, and it happens to be the first book I've read in that series. Just in case you care to know, the first Inspector Montalbano book is The Shape of Water.

Jumping into the middle of a series is a little confusing sometimes, but I think I understood who most of the characters were. We meet Inspector Salvo Montalbano, a detective in a fictional Sicilian town. Two murders take place within a day: an elderly man is stabbed in an elevator, and a fisherman is gunned down while his boat is at sea. Montalbano is the only person who realizes there is a connection between the two crimes and confuses his coworkers with his actions, since he's a "If you want it done right, do it yourself" kind of guy.

In the midst of all the investigation, Livia, Montalbano's long-distance girlfriend, visits and they wind up caring for an orphan who's been stealing snacks from schoolchildren. Livia becomes very protective of the boy and thinks that he is the child she and Montalbano are meant to have, since they're not married and not exactly young. All of this relationship talk scares Montalbano and he shoves it to the side, hyperfocusing on the investigations.

Montalbano is a quirky character, and I imagine he'd do well on television. The story was quite good, although a little confusing at times. The mystery went beyond figuring out whodunnit, and in the end it was a very well put-together book, and the descriptions made me feel like I was in Sicily, smelling the sea and all the food Montalbano savors.