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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
The opening of the book was strong, with the two elderly siblings opening fire, but I was little disappointed in the whole treasure hunt set up that followed. It just seems a little hokey.
It's a dark mystery, but humorous at times too. You can find my whole review on my blog, Carol's Notebook.
It's a dark mystery, but humorous at times too. You can find my whole review on my blog, Carol's Notebook.
If anyone was to ask what books would accompany me to a desert island, the entire Montalbano series to date would be a strong contender. There is something about the quality of Camilleri’s writing that there is always some slight nuance or unexpected event that catches you off-guard, revealing to the reader another facet to the character of the remarkable Inspector Montalbano. Indeed, with each new book Camilleri admirably deceives us, as these tales combine in the reader a sense of the comfortably familiar, but equally he delights in intentionally unsettling us by the intervention of some strange, or more usually, hilarious moment that changes the direction of the narrative. So bring on The Treasure Hunt…
From the outset, The Treasure Hunt, combines the dark and light elements that Camilleri is renowned for. A couple of elderly religious extremists begin taking pot-shots from their apartment at innocent passers by, resulting in a sudden case of immolation and a need for Montalbano to go, in the words of sidekick Catarella, all ‘Brussi Villesi’ to gain access to said apartment. Confronted with a huge spread of religious icons and the startling inclusion of a bizarre blow-up-doll, Montalbano once again finds himself caught up in a bizarre investigation, further complicated by the arrival of another blow-up-doll (with the inevitable Italian version of ‘Carry-On’ that this produces) and the wilful inclusion of Montalbano in a strange treasure hunt, reflected by the book’s title. Add to this Camilleri’s trademark portrayal of the sights, sounds and culinary aspects of Montalbano’s home turf, the never ending ups and downs of his relationships with both the luscious Livia and Scandinavian temptress Ingrid, Montalbano’s melancholic musings, and the ease and comic touch with which Camilleri immerses us back into the colourful world of his regular troop of characters, and this is once again a book impossible to fault. Another example of the twisted brilliance of Mr Camilleri, and quite simply, una lettura perfetta…
From the outset, The Treasure Hunt, combines the dark and light elements that Camilleri is renowned for. A couple of elderly religious extremists begin taking pot-shots from their apartment at innocent passers by, resulting in a sudden case of immolation and a need for Montalbano to go, in the words of sidekick Catarella, all ‘Brussi Villesi’ to gain access to said apartment. Confronted with a huge spread of religious icons and the startling inclusion of a bizarre blow-up-doll, Montalbano once again finds himself caught up in a bizarre investigation, further complicated by the arrival of another blow-up-doll (with the inevitable Italian version of ‘Carry-On’ that this produces) and the wilful inclusion of Montalbano in a strange treasure hunt, reflected by the book’s title. Add to this Camilleri’s trademark portrayal of the sights, sounds and culinary aspects of Montalbano’s home turf, the never ending ups and downs of his relationships with both the luscious Livia and Scandinavian temptress Ingrid, Montalbano’s melancholic musings, and the ease and comic touch with which Camilleri immerses us back into the colourful world of his regular troop of characters, and this is once again a book impossible to fault. Another example of the twisted brilliance of Mr Camilleri, and quite simply, una lettura perfetta…
Reading Montalbano makes me appreciate the huge work the screenwriters have done adapting it into wonderful TV series, and the difficulty the translator must have experienced trying to translate the Siciliano expressions, subtle uses of common Italian language and of course, Catarella.
As a poliziotto novel it is good, great foreshadowing and good hints on the final revelations. This story is, however, very loosely drawn and all parts do not connect well. Also, the language is sometimes quite thin. Next on my bucket list: read a better Montalbano story in original Italian and try to understand.
As a poliziotto novel it is good, great foreshadowing and good hints on the final revelations. This story is, however, very loosely drawn and all parts do not connect well. Also, the language is sometimes quite thin. Next on my bucket list: read a better Montalbano story in original Italian and try to understand.
Come avrete capito ho letto questo libro in inglese. Questo perchè ero curiosa di vedere come appariva il mio amato investigatore in questa traduzione inglese e anche perchè in italiano facevo fatica a comprendere parti del libro.
Ebbene è stato davvero divertente e interessante sia libro sia la traduzione. Leggerò sicuramente altri libri di Camilleri in inglese.
Ebbene è stato davvero divertente e interessante sia libro sia la traduzione. Leggerò sicuramente altri libri di Camilleri in inglese.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Perhaps it was my mistake of not realizing I had picked up the sixteenth installment of a mystery series or maybe it was the difference in writing and then translation of this book that made it leave a poor taste in my mouth. While it was a good read for a short book, it felt as if it took forever to get to the actual plot.
The main character, inspector Montalbano, is not a protagonist I'm interested in following. He's brushes people off and rather rude to many people he comes in contact with. Once the true heart of the mystery was revealed it felt like it was solved all too quickly. As a reader, I couldn't sit and think about how to fit the small hints and clues into the big picture myself before the inspector solved it a matter of paragraphs down or on the next page. The big mystery of the book took an exceptionally long while to reveal itself and then was solved rather quickly within the last forty pages or so.
I want to say it was a good read, but it was nearly painful trying to get through the first half of such a small book. Maybe if I knew more about the protagonist I would have enjoyed it more, but he's just unlikable to me. I wished they had spent more time on the opening case rather than spending the first quarter of the book introducing characters that Montalbano doesn't enjoy being around or him bumbling through life.
Overall, I wanted more of the actual missing girl case. But was disappointed in learning about the protagonist's sad life than getting to a mystery.
The main character, inspector Montalbano, is not a protagonist I'm interested in following. He's brushes people off and rather rude to many people he comes in contact with. Once the true heart of the mystery was revealed it felt like it was solved all too quickly. As a reader, I couldn't sit and think about how to fit the small hints and clues into the big picture myself before the inspector solved it a matter of paragraphs down or on the next page. The big mystery of the book took an exceptionally long while to reveal itself and then was solved rather quickly within the last forty pages or so.
I want to say it was a good read, but it was nearly painful trying to get through the first half of such a small book. Maybe if I knew more about the protagonist I would have enjoyed it more, but he's just unlikable to me. I wished they had spent more time on the opening case rather than spending the first quarter of the book introducing characters that Montalbano doesn't enjoy being around or him bumbling through life.
Overall, I wanted more of the actual missing girl case. But was disappointed in learning about the protagonist's sad life than getting to a mystery.
Montalbano deals with some crazy octogenarians and then out of boredom plays a strange game with an unknown person when riddles start arriving at the station. It all seems pretty harmless but then some unrelated events start him connecting dots and he realizes that the game is not a game at all. Then it's a race against time and he's starting to show his age. Wondering if this case will start the move to retirement?
Although this is the 16th installment in the Inspector Montalbano series, this is the first installment that I’ve read. It wasn’t bad; it reminded me of a mix between Alexander McCall Smith (but Sicilian instead of Scottish) and M.C. Beaton, with some more gruesome elements thrown in (a touch of James Patterson to taste, I suppose you could say).
I will most likely read other books in this series. Recommended for those who enjoy the aforementioned authors as well as mysteries that aren’t cozy but also aren’t thrillers, but instead somewhere in between.
I will most likely read other books in this series. Recommended for those who enjoy the aforementioned authors as well as mysteries that aren’t cozy but also aren’t thrillers, but instead somewhere in between.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated