Customer Reviews

The Snack Thief (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries)

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At about the same time a Tunisian patrol boat kills a worker on an Italian fishing trawler, an unknown assailant stabs to death a retiree, Mr. Lapecora, in the elevator of his apartment building. Montalbano is assigned the local homicide while his Lady Macbeth-like ambitious superior Mimi Augello takes "public" charge of the international incident.

Montalbano seeks Mr. Lapecora's house cleaner, Karima, who supplements her income with prostitution and the lady's son. When the Inspector catches up to the lad, he begins to understand the elevator homicide and it's surprisingly link to the trawler killing. Though warned to stay out of the Tunisian murder by both sides of the law and others, Montalbano digs deep into cases filled with government corruption packed tighter than a can of sardines.

Even though this is a translation from the original Italian, fans of police procedurals will appreciate this tight sans Mafia Sicilian mystery. The story line never slows down as the hero investigates one crime that takes him to the second murder and much more. Montalbano is a delightful protagonist who sub-genre readers will want to follow. Hopefully more of Andrea Camilleri's novels are translated into English rather quickly or many Anglo-speaking fans will learn Italian rather soon.

Harriet Klausner

The best, I think, of the series. I literally laughed out loud at some points, because Montalbano is such a great and quirky character. He's wonderful in so many ways -- from his foul mouth to his love of fine food to his ability to see smells in color. This book is a feast for the senses, delicious in all ways. It's just as good as The Terra Cota Dog and better, I think, than The Shape Of Water. One of the things I like most about this book is how Montalbano retains his hard edges but becomes softer and more sensitive because of the "snack thief" and his effect on the inspector. My advice: read Camilleri rather than Dona Leon, who cannot and does not capture the beauty and wonder of Italy the way Camilleri does, and whose mysteries aren't as interesting as Camelleri's. The latter's writing is so spare and so wonderful; he gets to the heart of the matter without seeming to try at all. Despite this simplicity, Italy comes alive with all its colors and smells and beauty. I love this author and can't wait to read the next book.

For a really good time, obtain the audio version of The Snack Thief, put it in your player, and relax, because you're in for a treat. Inspector Montalbano reminds me of Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti in his determination to see that justice is done while retaining his essential humanity, not an easy task for a cop. In love with the lovely Livia, but not entirely sure he wants to settle down as a married man, Montalbano's insecurities are multiplied when an orphaned little boy lands in his lap. What do the boy's prostitute mother, a murdered Tunisian fisherman, and a Sicilian businessman found stabbed in an elevator have to do with one another? Listen to this skillfully narrated version (by Grover Gardner) and enjoy the scrumptious food, the sunshine of Sicily, and the workings of a great detective's mind, and find out. A great MP3 book for the beach or that long flight.

In the early hours of the morning Inspector Salvo Montalbano of Vigata receives an urgent phone call, just off the Sicilian coast a fishing trawler was fired upon by a Tunisian patrol boat in the area, one of the workers of the fishing trawler was shot and killed in the confusion. Around 8am that same morning an elderly man is found stabbed to death in his apartment building elevator, Montalbano takes charge of the elevator job he finds this more intriguing besides his overly ambitious second in command Mimi Augello has taken the helm to investigate the fishing trawler unfortunately for Mimi that seems to have just about resolved itself.

Meanwhile the elevator job seems to be taking a completely different shape, Montalbano sets about interviewing all the neighbours who seem more interested in other things but after interviewing the wife of the deceased Montalbano gets wind that her husband had a part time mistress. Montalbano now sets about looking for this beautiful Karima who has just simply disappeared instead his stumbles across Karima's very young son Francois who is now alone, afraid and to survive had been stealing snacks from other children to stop his hunger.

Montalbano for the first time and to his dismay has just become a stand in father, a child without a mother is a desperate situation the hunt is now really on. Montalbano is determined to find Francois mother but new leads are about to break will they take him in the wrong direction or will two cases begin to entwine, government corruption is lurking in International Waters.

Andrea Camilleri really does makes each one worthy of the next with wonderful comic and ironic moments especially the sly comments of Italian life and culture, I found those qualities really amusing, these books are catchy, vibrate with brilliant and kept real witty dialogue. Montalbano mysteries was for me addictive reading on a recent vacation and I'm slowly finding time now to review the lot, this is the third book in the series (Il ladro di merendine) The Snack Thief.

Camilleri has confronted the sadness inherent in some human relationships and it has been dramatised in this novel. A single mother, who has turned to prostitution to survive, then disappears under certain circumstances leaving her young son to his own devices. Montalbano in this book shows his melancholy side but with it comes his honesty and decency, his sense of irony still never leaves him and again never happier when people cut the cr*p and get to the point. Camilleri wonderful narrative technique shines through.

Once again characterisation is strong and wonderful to read, Mimi Augello second in command, remains ambitious and has a real comical side as a dedicated womaniser. Montalbano with his own quality of attractiveness that alerts females of all ages but he remains faithfully to his long time love Livia, who in turn is quite happy to pacify him in darker moods and obsessions.

All Montalbano mysteries start in comedy but end in horror and melodrama but it done with lots of human interest in every plot, in this mystery series you can pick up and start anywhere but I feel the whole series deserves to be read from the beginning it's the best way to get the essence of all that glorious sea food and engross yourself in those fantastic characters.

A special mention to poet Stephen Sartarelli, for the clear translation of each book and for the informative notes given at the back on wording. Thank you.

Another Wonderful Read.

A.Bowhill

It's so hard to get away these days -- between terrorist alerts and high costs of travel and vacation days being used to visit families, reading a book like The Snack Thief is a like taking a mini-vacation. Camilleri's village is fictitious, but his Inspector Montalbo is true to life. He also likes to read international crime thrillers, savors fine food, and has a laughably volatile temper that can be aroused even if the day is windy. There are episodes in this book that are truly hilarious, some that are horrific, and several that are sad. A good mix. And we're always anxious to see what has been left for his dinner in the refrigerator. Like the Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency series, this series in its entirety presents a portrait of an unforgettable way of life in a specific place with a person I'd like to spend some time with.

If not from my love's breath?" William Shakespeare, Sonnet 99

Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series just keeps getting better and better. It seems, in retrospect, that the first two volumes released in English, The Shape of Water and The Terra Cotta Dog went a long way toward fleshing out the character of Inspector Montalbano, his colleagues on the Vigata, Sicily police force, his significant other Livia, and his delight in a plate of good food. In "The Snack Thief:" we see these characters now fully-drawn and the reader can now almost sense how Montalbano will react to any given situation. This is not to suggest the story lines or the characters are predictable but, rather, to suggest that anyone who dips their toes into these books will find themselves enmeshed in the characters to a degree seen in other well-written series of this sort.

As in The Terra Cotta Dog, Montalbano is faced with two parallel story lines. A Tunisian fisherman working on a Sicilian trawler is shot during an encounter with a Tunisian naval patrol vessel. At the same time an older man is found murdered in the elevator of his apartment. The fishing incident does not appear to be much out of the ordinary and Montalbano readily agrees to let the local harbor police do the leg-work. He is intrigued by the elevator murder, all the more so as his investigation reveals that the old man was involved in some sort of affair with a young Tunisian cleaning woman who regularly cleaned the man's office. The woman flees Vigata, leaving her young son, the snack thief of the title, behind. As the story lines progress there is some indication that there is much more to each case than meets the eye and, in fact, there may be some connection between the two murders.

Although this story is particularly plot-driven, perhaps more so than his earlier stories, The Snack Thief is most enjoyable for the portrayal of the many characters and the local flavor of the (fictional) town of Vigata. Montalbano grows on you, as does Livia. The ending of the book was particularly noteworthy in this regard.

Although the story is self-contained I recommend that the prospective reader begin with the earlier books in the series. I think that would enhance the reader's enjoyment of this book. I do not often recommend an entire series but I've now read three and I've enjoyed each one. L. Fleisig.

These are all really great reads. Kudos to the translator too. Once you pick up the book you just can't put it down. A bit rougher language at times than you'd find in an Agatha Christie novel. Would also recommend the dvd series Il Commissario Montalbano volume 1. Italian with english subtitles. Got hooked on the series on MHZ worldwide networks ( where I got the dvds). The actor who plays Montalbano in this series is terrific too.

If multiculturalism is not a dirty word to you, and you are from an English speaking background, then this book might be of interest. You can soak up the ambience of other societies, in the format of a fictional narrative. As contrasted perhaps to reading a dry sociology text.

The backdrop of the book is complicated. Set in Sicily, it depicts the interleaving of Italian, Arab and French cultures. The plotline has these intricately entangled, due to geography and history. Plus, there are allusions to the different Italian regions and the concomitant stereotypes. For example, the hero is Sicilian, but his girlfriend is Ligurian. At one point, he contrasts their backgrounds in a brief remark. An Italian would catch these immediately, based on her background. But for me, and possibly for you too, these remain opaque.

An analogy might be familiar to you. Think of the various British regional demotics: The dour Scot, the garrulous, overfriendly Cockney, the bloody minded Yorkshireman. Please understand that I do not say these are at all correct, or that I agree with them. But if you are British or American, these should be known to you. Well, something similar is going on in this novel.

Andrea Camilleri is one fine author that you've got to read. Yes, he's Italian, and yes, his books have a definite Italian prose but the writing is so intriguing how can you resist? Much like the Inspector Montalbano enjoys his good food and wine, you'll find yourself savoring each and every page. In this, his 3rd book about life in Sicily and Inspector Montalbano, we are presented with the mysterious death of an older gentleman in an elevator, and the murder of a Tunisian sailor off the coast on a fishing boat, and a series of snack robberies, which are seemingly unrelated, but later find out to be seriously connected. Of course there is the usual banter between the inspector and his collegues and his girlfriend, Livia, and the usual surprising personality of the good inspector, and often genuinely humorous situations. His first book, "The Shape of Water", which I read was at first a little difficult to follow; ie; names and names of places in Sicily and too the way it's written, not American english or English english, but different. But his stories are so interesting that after a few pages it really doesn't matter that it's different, in fact it makes reading them that much more entertaining because they are different. His descriptions of places and peoples are right on spot. In Snack Thief you'll be amazed and entertained by the manner in which Inspector Montalbano goes about solving the crimes but too how he manipulates the press, and his superiors and other higher ups in the government. Montalbano who isn't perfect has faults and some striking traits that makes him very real and makes Camilleri's novels that much more interesting. There's really no one to compare Camilleri to, he's in a class all by himself. If you're looking for something a little different, or just something intriguing, then read Snack Thief. Trust me, you won't stop here, you'll read all of Camilleri's books, finding yourself like me; spellbound.

When an elderly man is murdered in the elevator and a Tunesian fisherman is shot at sea, these events at first instance do not seem to be connected. But clever investigation work by inspector Montalbano reveals that there is a connection and the mother of a 5-year old boy plays a crucial role in this. When the mother disappears the girlfriend of the inspectors takes care of the little boy and a promise made to the boy forces the inspector to reconsider his position as a bachelor. In the meantime the investigation turns nastier and nastier and the people involved go higher up than one would care.

This is the third Camilleri book in succession that I read and I still enjoy the ambiance, the inspector and the descriptions of food and the good (and bad) life in Sicily.