The Shape of Water
by Andrea Camilleri

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Book Reviews of The Shape of Water

Book Review: A Five Star Ending for the First Inspector Montalbano Story
Summary: 4 Stars

Inspector Montalbano is awakened by a phone call from his Sargeant to inform him that they have a new client, a local big shot politician named Silvio Lupanello. That Lupanello is now their "client" means that Lupanello's dead body has been discovered and it is up to them to investigate the circumstances surrounding his demise. And the manner of his death coupled with his position in the community lends both some urgency and some delicacy to their task, since he has been discovered in the passenger seat of his parked car with his pants down around his knees in a section of town frequented by prostitutes and others engaged in various unsavory and illegal activities. Because the coroner finds no evidence of foul play and there are obvious political ramifications, Montalbano's superiors want him to quickly close the case, but there a few loose ends that trouble both him and also the victim's wonderfully portrayed widow.

As the investigation proceeds, the contradictions deepen. If this sounds like Peter Falk's portrayal of Columbo in the long running TV series, in many ways it is. However, there is more profanity, and Montalbano's character idiosyncrasies are fully developed. He is equally adept at enjoying the merits of a good meal or discussing the book WESTERN ATTITUDES TOWARDS DEATH. There is some wonderful humor, and I was gradually drawn into the story line as several various threads were woven together after a somewhat slow beginning. I was very surprised and pleased by the somewhat unexpected but appropriate solution which cleverly tied together all the disparate elements of the case which had been unearthed by Montalbano. This is really a first rate ending, which is one of the most important elements to a successful police procedural. And woven throughout the story are some elements of the detective's romantic involvement as well. In addition, this is an easy book to read. It is short, the story is told in an uncomplicated manner, and there is a short section of notes at the back of the book to explain references to Italian currency, political structure, etc. that may be unfamiliar to Americans. The setting is a fictional town in Sicily, so there is no need for any reader familiarity with specific geographic detail. Another nice feature is the fact that this is one of those Penguin soft covers that really are pocket sized, so they conveniently fit in a corner of your bag or coat pocket and are easy to read on the train or plane. Finally, you will have to read the book to find out what is THE SHAPE OF WATER and why it is the perfect title for this book, I won't reveal the secret here.

While I was contacted by an employee of the publisher and asked to review the most recent book in the series, I wanted to introduce myself to the character as the author intended and decided to read the first volume to determine if the series was of interest to me. Based on my enjoyment of this story, I definitely plan to further enjoy following Detective Montalbano as he attempts to solve additional cases. As a disclaimer, I know no one employed by the publisher and have had no contact with either the author or translator. However, I believe it appropriate to disclose that as is customary I was furnished a review copy of this book but I did not provide any assurance that I would produce a review or what its contents would be if I did so.

Tucker Andersen

Literature & Fiction Books

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• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery
• Police Procedurals
• Thrillers > Suspense