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Terra Cotta Dog (Mass Market Paperback)

by Andrea Camilleri (Author), Stephen Sartarelli (Translator) "I've a good mind to sell this house ..." (more)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Product Description

From Booklist

A deep evocation of the Sicilian temperament, with all its complex darkness and ambiguity, is embodied in Inspector Salvo Montalbano of the fictive town of Vigata, in Sicily. Camilleri writes in Sicilian dialect, and his translator has expertly captured the rhythms and nuances of that tongue in English. Good thing: the Mafia is indeed a presence here, and Montalbano unravels a very odd supermarket heist with the goods left abandoned in plain view, but that isn't the heart of the story. The groceries are only a front for guns, and in the ancient cave where they are discovered, the inspector finds the bodies of two very young lovers, dead since World War II, and carefully arranged with coins, a water jug, and the faithful dog of the title. Montalbano applies his considerable intellectual and literary gifts to this second mystery, mightily irritating his housekeeper, his girlfriend, and his colleagues while interviewing a cast of characters odd even by Sicilian standards. There are dreams and portents, semiotics and deceptions, and the violent ghosts of the war and the Mob, some not nearly dead yet. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Book Description

Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano has garnered millions of fans worldwide with his sardonic take on Sicilian life. Montalbano's latest case begins with a mysterious têtê à têtê with a Mafioso, some inexplicably abandoned loot from a supermarket heist, and dying words that lead him to an illegal arms cache in a mountain cave. There, the inspector finds two young lovers, dead for fifty years and still embracing, watched over by a life-sized terra-cotta dog. Montalbano's passion to solve this old crime takes him on a journey through Sicily's past and into one family's darkest secrets. With sly wit and a keen understanding of human nature, Montalbano is a detective whose earthiness, compassion, and imagination make him totally irresistable.
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read, Mar 15 2004
The Terra Cotta Dog is the 2nd in a series of recently translated Inspector Montalbano mysteries. Hugely popular in Europe, it's hard to see how this series will not catch on in the US (and Australia!) with the Inspector's dry humour, wit, self depracation, tenacity, and understanding of human nature.
In the midst of uncovering a mafia weapons brokering scheme, Montalbano discovers a well hidden cave with 2 long dead lovers embracing, tenderly watched over by a terra cotta dog. While his job dictates he must resolve the guns problem, it is the lovers and the dog that really grab his attention.
Not all authors can intertwine and simultaneously solve 2 mysteries, one of which began over 50 years before, during fascist World War II Italy. But Camilleri does so brilliantly, keeping you turning those pages until the end.
Of course, he doesn't forget to eat, and I'm starting to enjoy the constant aspects of his personality such as his ravenous appetite for gourmet foods.

A word should be said here regarding the translation. I don't know what a poor translation would be like, but I suspect that Sartarelli is owed some credit to the overall enjoyment of this book.
As in his other books, the story unfolds in narrative fashion. The characters are complex and believable. There is plenty of humour thrown in, and his live-away lover makes a welcome appearance also.
If you like a good mystery, you'll get 2 for one with this book, my favourite of the series.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A really excellent book., Feb 7 2004
A Mafia leader wants out, but he has a job you don't just quit. Working with Sicilian Police Inspector Salvo Montalbano, Gaetano The Greek arranges a complex capture fantasy. The capture works, giving Montalbano more publicity than he wants and the threat of a feared promotion, but Gaetano also tells him of a cave where the Mafia hide a huge weapons cache. Montalbano investigates and finds both the weapons and an older and more complicated mystery. Two mummified bodies lie in a hidden cavern, accompanied by a water pitcher, a terra-cotta dog, and a rug. The meaning of the intwined lovers fascinates Montalbano and he virtually drops the Mafia investigation to discover what could have happened to the dead couple.

Montalbano is a fascinating and well developed character. He lives by his own moral code, pursues an ambiguous relationship with Livia, and seems to appreciate good food more than he does either women or the law. His investigation combines literary allusion, hard-core detecting, a history lesson, and intriguing mentions of the food Montalbano finds himself enjoying.

In THE TERRA-COTTA DOG, author Andrea Camilleri has a wonderful and moving story. Much of the story kept me laughing, but Camilleri maintains a darker subtext. The Mafia and Italian corruption and violence, both in the Fascist days and in the present, are an ever-present reality and form much of the story's background.

I found the story to be completely compelling and recommend it without reservation.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Jan 20 2004
By Richard A. Mitchell "Rick Mitchell" (candia, new hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a wonderful, airy, yet intellectually challenging mystery. Inspector Montalbano is at times a curmudgeon, a sweet tender man, a genius, a bumbler in news conferences and a man with a sense of humor and of himself. Other characters in the book - the good guys and the bad guys are equally engaging. This was my fiorst Inspector Montalbano book and I will be rushing to read more.

There are two plot lines that are intertwined. One is current - gun-smuggling tipped off by a mafia boss who turns himself in (only with a fake arrest, however). The other is fifty year mystery that is unveiled only after the gun running is revealed. Although this book is airy and at times humorous, the mystery that is solved is done so in an ingenious, yet believable manner. The Inspector is terrific at deduction and, like other fine mysteries, one can read along and keep up with the unraveling of the yarn.

The writing is terrific. This is a mystery that is intellectually challenging but keeps a smile on the face of the reader. Inspector Montalbano does not take himself overly seriously and the author invites the reader to take him in the same vein.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for good writing and a good mystery. If you like Italy and Sicily it will be even more engaging.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Montalbano's Curiosity Is Finally Satisfied
This is the second translation by Stephen Sartrelli that I have read of an Inspector Salvo Montalbano mystery by Andrea Camilleri, and I enjoyed it immensely. Read more
Published on Jan 14 2004 by Tucker Andersen

5.0 out of 5 stars THE TERRA-COTTA DOG - Heels for the dead
A most-wanted Italian mob boss invites series character Inspector Montalbano to a personal meeting - and to an odd agreement to stage the Mafioso's arrest and detainment. Read more
Published on Dec 27 2003 by Dean Redfern

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Montalbano is growing into his role
One morning Inspector Montalbano gets a phone call from a criminal friend who tells him to meet "somebody". Read more
Published on Dec 26 2003 by Linda Oskam

4.0 out of 5 stars A Quiet, Provincial Tone
As I read further into this series by Camilleri, I am getting an inkling as to why it is popular in Italy. Read more
Published on Dec 6 2003 by W Boudville

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Triumph!
The Terra-Cotta Dog is an extremely rewarding police procedural with deep cultural and historical roots that provide a delightful complexity for the reader. Read more
Published on Dec 3 2003 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars SICILIAN RECIPE FOR MYSTERY
Dependent on it's moody likable Inspector Montalbano whose Sicilian mannerisms and bohemian lifestyle carry and lie at the heart of this mystery, "The Terra-Cotta Dog"... Read more
Published on Jul 2 2003 by Guy De Federicis

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Charming!
The second Inspector Montalbano book to appear in English (following The Shape of Water) begins with a high-level Mafia figure arranging for his own arrest by Montalbano and a... Read more
Published on April 5 2003 by A. Ross

5.0 out of 5 stars Eating and thinking one's way around Sicily.
After reading Camilleri's "The Shape of Water" I was eager to read this one. Camilleri topped himself. Read more
Published on Mar 14 2003 by Dennis Bianchi

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Sicily
Inspector Salvo Montalbano is no go-getter nor does he feel coerced into following the letter of the law at all times. Read more
Published on Nov 19 2002 by lvkleydorff

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely superb
I very much enjoyed The Shape of Water, the first in this series, so was delighted to find that The Terra-Cotta Dog had been published. Read more
Published on Nov 19 2002

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