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.
The Terra-Cotta Dog
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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.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano mystery series, bestsellers in Italy and Germany, has been adapted for Italian television and translated into German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Japanese, Dutch, and Swedish. He lives in Rome.
Stephen Sartarelli lives in upstate New York.
Stephen Sartarelli lives in upstate New York.
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By L. J. Roberts
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
First Sentence: To judge from the entrance the dawn was making, it promised to be a very iffy day'that is, blasts of angry sunlight one minute, fits of freezing rain the next, all of it seasoned with sudden gusts of wind'one of those days when someone who is sensitive to abrupt shifts in weather and suffers them in his blood and brain is likely to change opinion and direction continuously, like those sheets of tin, cut in the shape of banners and rooster, that spin every which way on rooftops with each new puff of wind.
I appreciate a good analogy and so enjoyed the opening paragraph of this book. Camilleri creates a very strong sense of place with his evocative descriptions.
The author has also created a strong, interesting character in Montalbano. He is a study in contrasts; calm facing a Mafia chief in a tense situation, yet goes into panic before the press; he can be quite crass, yet also very sensitive 'That morning, by surprising the two kids making love, he had desecrated life; and now, by exposing the two bodies that should have remained forever unknown to the world in their embrace, he had desecrated death.' He has a morbid fear of being promoted and suffers from mild synesthesia which converts smells into colors for him.
There is very good dialogue, including amusing non-sequesters, which adds realism to the story as well as retaining a sense of Italy.
The plot is intriguing and clever as it is one thread which leads to another, but it is the character of Montalbano who really kept me reading.
'The Terra-Cotta Dog' was a very enjoyable read and Camilleri and wonderful addition to my list of authors whose books are set in Italy.
THE TERRA-COTTA DOG (Pol Proc-Insp. Salvo Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp) ' G+
Camilleri, Andrea ' 2nd in series
Viking, 2002
I appreciate a good analogy and so enjoyed the opening paragraph of this book. Camilleri creates a very strong sense of place with his evocative descriptions.
The author has also created a strong, interesting character in Montalbano. He is a study in contrasts; calm facing a Mafia chief in a tense situation, yet goes into panic before the press; he can be quite crass, yet also very sensitive 'That morning, by surprising the two kids making love, he had desecrated life; and now, by exposing the two bodies that should have remained forever unknown to the world in their embrace, he had desecrated death.' He has a morbid fear of being promoted and suffers from mild synesthesia which converts smells into colors for him.
There is very good dialogue, including amusing non-sequesters, which adds realism to the story as well as retaining a sense of Italy.
The plot is intriguing and clever as it is one thread which leads to another, but it is the character of Montalbano who really kept me reading.
'The Terra-Cotta Dog' was a very enjoyable read and Camilleri and wonderful addition to my list of authors whose books are set in Italy.
THE TERRA-COTTA DOG (Pol Proc-Insp. Salvo Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp) ' G+
Camilleri, Andrea ' 2nd in series
Viking, 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The book written by Camilleri is a crime mystery. It is good entertainment, but does lack in originality. Inspector Montalbano (Camilleri) uses the old true and tried method of many others. He created a serial character, much like
Simenon or Maigret. The writing is excellent prose, the content is only average in judging interesting, it does open a cold case but the general idea has been pillaged for a long time. It is an entertaining read, never the less not a intellectual demanding one.
Simenon or Maigret. The writing is excellent prose, the content is only average in judging interesting, it does open a cold case but the general idea has been pillaged for a long time. It is an entertaining read, never the less not a intellectual demanding one.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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.
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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4.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really excellent book.
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. Read more
Published on Feb 7 2004 by booksforabuck
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
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... Read more
Published on Jan 20 2004 by Richard A. Mitchell
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 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" is... Read more
Published on July 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
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