A bit better than the previous 2. Montalbano is still worrying about getting older & arguing with Livia over the phone but he's also still capable of out-thinking and out-maneuvering the politics & strategems of the beaurocrats and the Mafia! ( )

Sicilian corruption and an engaging hero, Inspector Montalbano….and the series goes on and on. ( )

Another decent Inspector Montalbano story. A grocery store owned by the Cuffaro's is robbed, and the manager ends up committing suicide is one plot line. The other involves the son of the local politician, whose gorgeous girlfriend is butchered. Montalbano is awfully cranky, probably because there is no beautiful girl having sex with him and his daily calls with Livia are frustrating. Caterella continues to butcher words: impty tree for MP3 being the funniest. Camilleri's views of political corruption and the Mafia remain quite obvious. ( )

When I need a little break from the normal ebb and flow of crime fiction, I know I can always turn to the irascible Inspector Salvo Montalbano and his team. Not only do I get to enjoy a mental vacation in Sicily with its memorable landscape and mouth-watering food, but I also learn about the area's political machinations. That I also get to laugh is mere icing on the cake.

I love watching Montalbano put the pieces of a puzzle together. In some ways, he reminds me of Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police because he knows the local people he serves so well. It also doesn't hurt that Montalbano's knowledge of the mafia and local politics is encyclopedic.

In each book, the grumpy crime-solving maestro usually has something to say about the world at large with which I find myself in total agreement. In A Voice in the Night, it's an observation about intolerance: "Why so much mutual intolerance? Why was it that nobody could any longer stand his neighbor, his coworker, or even his schoolmate?" It certainly does seem to be that way, doesn't it?

Two more things that I love about this book and the entire series are Stephen Sartarelli's wonderful translations and Camilleri's sense of humor. Montalbano may be grumpy and have a short fuse, but Camilleri knows how to make us laugh about it. This time around, Montalbano starts having trouble remembering names which makes him worry that he's turning into Catarella. Long-time fans of the series love Catarella, who's usually the butt of jokes. But Camilleri has waved his magic wand over this character and made him someone who's not just the source of laughs but also someone who does have special talents and can even make us cry from time to time. A Montalbano book without Catarella is a book without its zest.

If you love learning about other countries, their landscapes, their culture, their food, and how things work, by all means, make your acquaintance with Salvo Montalbano and his team. You'll find yourself laughing and learning through the entire series. I'm looking forward to the next time I visit the inspector. ( )

Montalbano is called to investigate a robbery of a grocery store that has "family" ties, that night after Montalbano & Aguello leave.

On the way to the store, Montalbano is threatened with a monkey wrench by a young man in a BMW. When Montalbano stops for gas, he blocks the young man in, who then attacks Montalbano's car breaking his windshield with the monkey wrench. Montalbano, then arrests the man.

Later when owner is found dead, hanging from a beam in his office, a suspected suicide, Montalbano returns to investigate the robbery further...

The longer Montalbano investigates the muddier the case becomes and to make matters worse, the young man once again crosses Montalbano's path when his girlfriend is found murdered and Montalbano is sent to investigate. ( )