The Snack Thief

By: Andrea Camilleri

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

When an elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator, and a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily's coast, only Inspector Montalbano, with his keen insight into human nature, suspects the link between the two incidents. His investigation leads to the beautiful Karima, an impoverished housecleaner and occasional prostitute, whose young son steals other schoolchildren's midmorning snacks. But Karima disappears, and the young snack thief's life, as well as Montalbano's, is endangered when the inspector exposes a viper's nest of government corruption and international intrigue.

Translated by Stephen Sartarelli.

Solve another mystery with Inspector Montalbano.©1996 by Andrea Camilleri, translation 2003 Stephen Sartarelli (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Montalbano, blessedly, is as bitingly humorous as ever." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Full of memorable characters and witty takes on Italian life...Camilleri's latest proves why he is such a big hit in Europe....Highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"Camilleri displays all the storytelling skills that have made him an international best-seller....Montalbano, despite his curmudgeonly exterior, has a depth to him that charms. Readers are sure to savor this engrossing, Mafia-free Sicilian mystery." (Publishers Weekly)

Grover Gardner does it again!

law-enforcement, murder, mystery, extortion, verbal-humor, Sicily

Montalbano is having a really bad week and everyone is in verbal firing range. Surprisingly, there is more interdepartmental cooperation here and even his longterm girlfriend gets involved once a small boy needs her.
While I do enjoy the TV series which has all the impressive scenery, the books have infinitely more depth to the characters.
Bottom line is that Montalbano is a very flawed but realistic hero, and I love the series.

These books make me happy and put a joyous spin on my day

I love the characters in these books. The narration brings them to life and makes the grumpy outburst of the protagonist laugh out loud funny.

I‘ve noticed that as I listen to these stories, I’m reframing conflicts in my life with more empathy and humor. I’d like to dwell in this mood forever.

Food, Crime, Comedy, Expletives, Food, Tragedy

These are the basic elements of the Camilleri formula, and it seems to work every time, no matter in what order he puts them.

Surly dude who loves food.

Solves cases by theatrics, media manipulation and play acting. The characters resonate if you grew up around Sicilian Americans.

Pretty good series

Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano isn't my absolute fave Italian (well, he's Sicilian) cop series --I prefer David Hewson's Nic Costa (who, yay! has a new one out). However, the books are good enough I keep coming back. Part has to do w/Grover Gardner's narrations; I think he's the best reader there is. Montalbano is billed as having a dry sense of humor, but sometimes he just comes off as a jerk --maybe it's the translation? Still, they're worth listening to. *sorta spoiler alert* He gained some depth in this one by finally taking his rather inexplicable relationship with Olivia a bit further....tho not til the end of the book, & we don't see how things work out.