Voice of the Violin (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries)

When the police car of Inspector Montalbano hits a small car parked at an apparently deserted country home, the inspector has a gut feeling that something is wrong. He finds the body of a beautiful woman, strangled in her bedroom. After a short while it turns out that the woman has numerous acquaintances in the area and that there are a fair number of suspects. The investigation is not made any easier by the fact that Montalbano's superiors are not exactly supporting him, even though his own team is squarely behind him. A combination of good policework and flashes of brilliance in the end solves the crime. In the meantime Montalbano also has to sort out the mess that he is making of his private life. And that is the nice thing about this series: it is the combination of police work and private hassles, that make Montalbano into more than your average, typical policeman-from-a-novel, but rather a real character with his good and his bad sides.

This is a murder mystery set in Sicily, with the aroma of Italian pastries and pasta, replete with questionable jurisprudence and misguided police procedures - and husbands, wives and other lovers.
Written in Italian and translated into English, series character Inspector Salvo Montalbano literally crashes into a murder crime scene while on his way to a funeral. This subtle humor continues as Montalbano must find a way to "out" the fact that a young, naked and dead woman is locked inside the quieted cottage.
The suspects include the husband of the deceased; a girlfriend; an out-of-town lover; and a quirky neighborhood admirer and sometimes stalker. Leaving no stone unturned, even a questionable judge and some trigger-happy cops are fair game for Montalbano's investigation.
While solving this crime, Montalbano has girlfriend problems of his own to mend, on top of his infatuation with the girlfriend of the deceased. Sometimes Montalbano's life is even too much for Montalbano. These times usually call for a good Italian meal and an unplugged telephone.
VOICE OF THE VIOLIN is irreverent humor, with an underlining belief that "the end justifies the means," as in half-truths, news leaks and 'anonymous' police tips. But it is the complexity of Montalbano, and the complexity of the whodunit storyline, along with the wonderful setting, that make this a thoughtful, enjoyable, fun and worthwhile read.

"Voice Of The Violin" by Andrea Camilleri, "An Inspector Montalbano Mystery". Translated by Stephen Sartarelli. Viking Penguin, 2003.

I was introduced to the Inspector Montalbano series by the comments of other Amazon reviewers. Thank you. This novel deals with the murder of a beautiful young lady in Sicily, and the story takes quite a few twists and turns, before the crime is finally solved in the last chapter. The author uses dialogue to continuously advance the story line, and, every now and then, uses the fractured dialogue of Catarella as comic relief. For example, Catarella is assigned to study the new technology, computers, which he calls "pewters".

Part of the novel is devoted to the young , educated and rising generation of new police inspectors and the conflict between them and the old-guard. And, of course, food consumes a substantial part of the book; (it WAS written by an Italian). There are descriptions of what Inspector Salvo Montalbano is expecting for lunch, what the other officers will be consuming, and the difference between northern Italian cuisine and southern Italian. In all of this, the "Voice Of The Violin" almost disappears, but in the end of the book, you will read how the violin plays a central part in the plot and in the crimes that were committed.

In the back of the book, there is an interesting glossary of sorts (pp. 245-249), where "in-phrases" are explained. For example, "baby octopus alla Luciana" ... is described as ..."a simple dish, ...octopi are cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with garlic and hot pepper". All in all, this is an appetizing book.

This is one in a series of mysteries set in Sicily featuring police Inspector Montalbano. American readers will enjoy the different cultural context and slant, including references to Italian politics, police practices, and cuisine. What's helpful here is a kind of glossary appended to the end of the book that will help American readers make sense of some otherwise obscure references.
The plot itself is well-structured, and the murder mystery is not unraveled until very close to the end of the story. There also are some endearingly offbeat supporting characters, some excellently well-placed "false leads," and a generous dose of dry humor.
The only drawbacks here are first, that just about any work of literature loses something in translation, and there are occasional odd-sounding passages that must seem far more eloquent in the original Italian. And second, I confess that the cavalcade of minor characters sometimes confused me, as their similar-sounding names began to spin around in my head. There also are a fair number of murder mystery cliches included, such as the victim being a "gorgeous blonde," etc.
Overall, however, this is a refreshing change of pace for fans of mysteries, and those interested in how the genre is treated in an Italian context will find it fascinating and satisfying.

Breaking and entering was the least of Inspector Montalbano worries the discovery was much more gruesome. A young female completely naked, at touch she was cold and stiff, half kneeling, belly resting against the edge of the bed her face remained buried in the sheets which had also been torn at by her sharp fingernails. This woman had not given up without a fight; there was no doubt in Montalbano mind this was murder by suffocation.

Montalbano was on the case to hunt for the killer, the victim had been a beautiful blonde and from her address book extremely active, this meant an array of suspects to filter through. Everybody was under suspicion an antiques dealing lover from Bologna, a shy admirer who had suddenly disappeared, the women's best friend Anna who's charms Montalbano could not help but enjoy. But what about the victims Husband a Famous Doctor, he was acting towards his own wife's death emotionally unattached, why? Montalbano is introduced by a friend to a reclusive skilled violinist who only performs his wonderful concertos in odd hours. Was something about this Maestro the key to the bigger picture?

Andrea Camilleri has done another wonderful job of bringing to life the Sicilian detective Inspector Salvo Montalbano. What I love about this series would be the charactizations and language the usage of dialogue in conversation it's all been kept real it's got sharp wit and comedy which I find really amusing, the sly comments on Italian life and culture make for an interesting comical read. There are some fresh characters in this book which keeps Montalbano on his toes and the tempo paced and exciting. Once again beautifully and descriptivly portrayed in the fictational town of Vigàta. Montalbano himself is a great character, he thinks about fine literature in moments of doubt, has an eye for a beautiful women and loves to indulge his taste buds into the delicious aromatic seafood pasta dishes.

I have read this whole series as far as they have been translated, I believe this whole series deserves to be read from the beginning, but if you do not wish to do that, then I would advise you read - Il ladro di Merendine - The Snack Thief before this book, only because it makes references to a pervious plot line that might make this one more amusing.

This book shows Montalbano as a shrewd tactician, with a mix of humour, cynicism and compassion; of course blended with his attractiveness "get to the point attitude".

As always a special mention to poet Stephen Sartarelli, for the clear translation of each book and for the informative notes given at the back on wording. Thank you.

A.Bowhill

What can one say, its Inspector Montalbano and therefore an excellent read. It also shows how not doing small things can snowball into events that have deadly consequences.

Love Inspector Montalbano. Good series with many installments

good service good read

I have read about half of the Inspector Montalbano books and have enjoyed all of them. The author is witty, yet he has something important to tell us. The translator does a terrific job.

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