The Terra-Cotta Dog

An Inspector Montalbano Mystery

By: Andrea Camilleri

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Montalbano's latest case begins with a mysterious tête à tête with a Mafioso, some inexplicably abandoned loot from a supermarket heist, and some dying words that lead him to an illegal arms cache in a mountain cave. There the inspector finds two young lovers, dead for 50 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 a family's dark heart amidst the horrors of World War II bombardment.

Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano has garnered millions of fans worldwide with his sardonic take on Sicilian life. With sly wit and a keen understanding of human nature, Montalbano is a detective whose earthiness, compassion, and imagination make him totally irresistible.

Translated by Stephen Sartarelli.

Solve another mystery with Inspector Montalbano.©1996 Sellerio editore via Siracusa 50 Palermo, translation copyright 2002 Stephen Sartarelli (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"In Sicily, where people do things as they please, Inspector Montalbano is a bona fide folk hero." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Montalbano's deadpan drollery and sharp observations refresh as much for their honesty as their wit. All he wants is a quiet corner and an uninterrupted afternoon." (Kirkus Reviews)
"A deep evocation of the Sicilian temperament, with all its complex darkness and ambiguity, is embodied in Inspector Salvo Montalbano. Camilleri writes in Sicilian dialect, and his translator has expertly captured the rhythms and nuances of that tongue in English." (Booklist)

An imperfect hero

Sicily, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, mafia, historical-novel, language, friendship

Montalbano is the chief detective in his police district and is certainly not perfect. He has a lot of friends of varying ages and not all of them are on the force. He also has problems with his long time and long distance relationship and this does factor into the story. An old friend puts him in touch with an old mafioso who has things that he needs Montalbano's help with. Things go wrong when too many departments get involved but information is shared that there is a large cache of illegal weapons hidden in a cave. The whole tale is convoluted and very interesting.
Grover Gardner seems to have a good handle on how to present each character and all the mischief.

Wonderful

Like two stories in one. I love this series. I think the translation is wonderful.

Love these stories!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Probably so - the story and the characters are fun (though a bit tough to keep track of) and I thought the reader could have done a better job of distinguishing when there was a change of scene or speaker

Any additional comments?

A fun listen - and it's not that long so you can forgive some of the transitions that work better in print than when read.

It just gets better

Another engaging story from Camilleri. This one is better than his first, and not as good as his next. Again, I was distressed that it ended so soon, but that inevitably brought to my mind a wonderful Whoopi Goldberg routine from her early stand-up days.
When a creepy old man tried to woo her into a tumble by promising that old men can last a long time, she paused for a long Whoopi moment.

To paraphrase her question to the audience:
Now why... would I want to read a baaaaaaaaad book... for a LONG TIME?!?

And indeed, I'd rather spend a short time with a book as wonderful as this than a long time with some of the mountainous drivel I've mis-chosen lately.
Highly recommended.

AUDIO: The same competent and well-fitting narrator, thank goodness.

Exceptional performance and plot line

One of the better stories performed by Grover Gardner. His rendition of the Italian language is one of the best by a non-Italian