Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri

Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri
Buy Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Crime
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Number 19 in the Montalbano series and whilst the Inspector might be surrounded by the usual suspects the story if fresh and up to the minute.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 288	Date: August 2015
Publisher: Mantle
ISBN: 978-1447264453
Share on:

When Mr di Marta arrived at Montalbano's station to report an armed robbery on his wife the night before the most surprising point was not the robbery itself, but the fact that it had ended with a kiss. The Inspector's suspicions were aroused and he was convinced that he was not being told the full story. None of the witnesses' stories added up and it was difficult not to come to the conclusion that they were not meant to. Then a body turned up in a burnt-out car which had all the hallmarks of a Mafia hit. This isn't Montalbano's only problem though - there's another case which keeps sneaking its way back into his attention even though he should have nothing to do with it.

It all began when a locked door suddenly appeared on a disused shed - and then the door and the lock disappeared, just as quickly. The anti-terrorist police took the case over and were a little too obviously keen to keep Montalbano out of it, but why does he have the sense that everything is somehow connected to him? And then - to cap it all - Montalbano is smitten by an attractive young lady and it seems that she's equally smitten with him. How's Livia going to cope with that?

It's book nineteen in a series which has a static cast of characters around Montalbano in his professional and personal life and a changing cast of general public, villains and victims: you have to expect that some things are going to seem a little samey. Catarella still mangles whichever language he speaks - Montalbano had a dream that he spoke Latin - and Mimi Augello and Giuseppe Fazio support him in their usual ways. Livia's still the titular girlfriend inasmuch as they argue by telephone regularly and Enzo's restaurant still feeds him when Adelina doesn't. They all do it with a certain style though and the story they carry is twisty and engaging. The journey to the solution is perhaps more compelling that the final reveal, but it's definitely worth the read.

Andrea Camilleri has his finger on the pulse of what's happening. Even an island plagued by the Mafia still has to worry about terrorist threats and accept refugees. The subjects are heavy but the read is relatively light and easy - perfect for a lazy afternoon.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

For another police procedural series which we can recommend, although the detective and the setting are as different as can be, have a look at Ann Cleeve's D I Vera Stanhope Novels.

Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano Books in Chronological Order

Please share on: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

You can read more book reviews or buy Blade of Light 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 Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri at Amazon.com.

Comments

Like to comment on this review?

Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.