Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri

Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri
Buy Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Crime
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Book eighteen in the series and whilst Montalbano might be feeling his age, Camilleri is as strong as ever. Definitely recommended.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 272	Date: May 2015
Publisher: Picador
ISBN: 978-1447249214
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Inspector Montalbano came to the aid of his new neighbour when her car wouldn't start. It wasn't just gallantry which led him to do this: the fact that she was stunningly beautiful didn't harm her chances at all. Montalbano wasn't to know where this simple, courteous act would lead, although he knew something was wrong: it wasn't that the car wouldn't start - it had been deliberately damaged. Her husband, a computer salesman, seemed only to be around occasionally and obviously didn't care what Liliana got up to when he wasn't there. And then Liliana began making advances to Montalbano, whilst she was carrying on a relationship with a young assistant in a local clothes shop. What was going on?

It was, he thought, rather like a game of mirrors: in a room of mirrors a man can no longer tell where he is and becomes disorientated. But Montalbano has other problems to deal with when a bomb exploded outside an empty warehouse in Vigata. Who was the bomb intended for - and why bomb an empty warehouse?

There's almost a feeling of dread when you get to book eighteen in a series. Are the books simply being churned out because the franchise is selling (or televising) so well? Are the characters and the stories starting to look a little tired and, well, samey? Many of the Montalbano stories have been inspired by one or more news items, but the events in Game of Mirrors are completely original (although they did happen, after the book was written). It's a good story which kept me guessing right to the end - in fact I'd long since given up even trying to work out whodunnit and just went along for the story.

All the usual characters are there: can this be the only police department in the world where no one ever leaves, gets promoted or transferred? Let's not quibble though: they're people we know and love. Recently I'd started to find Catarella with his misuse of words and mangling of names just a little annoying but the poor man seemed to have been reined in a little this time around and I felt the book was better for it. Game of Mirrors is a good entertaining read.

I can't comment on the accuracy of Stephen Sartarelli's translation but as always he produced an exquisitely readable text and I particularly appreciated (as always) his notes at the end of the book which shed light on words and situations which might not otherwise have been fully understood. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

For more crime in translation we can recommend Divorce Turkish Style (Kati Hirschel Istanbul Murder Mystery) by Esmahan Aykol.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri at Amazon.com.

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