A Beam of Light (The Inspector Montalbano Mysteries Book 19)

As always I pre-ordered the latest Camilleri Montalbano mystery months before it became available. As in a couple of previous works, "A Beam of Light" begins with a prophetic dream that startles Salvo awake. Also as usual, the iconic cast of characters within the police headquarters are involved, but to a lesser degree disappointingly. Salvo's annoyance at Fazio's detailed methods seems contrived, and his suggested use of Mimi as a "police gigolo" is also a theme we have seen before. But, despite these complaints, Montalbano draws you in with his quirky, cranky, intelligent and misanthropic personality. Women and food are characters as well. Formulaic perhaps by now, but the book is a good read with a conclusion that may perhaps signal that this is the last in the series. Salvo doesn't dwell as much on his personal duel with age here, but his pursuit of the mysterious Marian indicates a definite mid-life or later-life crisis. The quick hook-up of Salvo and Marian does not ring true to his character, and the dialogue between them is incomplete, rushed, and not believable. His more frequent falling out arguments with Livia are a bit tiresome as well, with both characters locked in a years long malaise. It appears that their yearslong relationship is going nowhere and is at a tipping point. Nonetheless, I remain a fan. This book has already been one of the most recent RAI Montalbano episodes, and it was more compelling and complete, thanks to Luca Zingaretti's personification of Montalbano, and his perfectly cast professional assistants.

In previous books, lawyer Orazio Guttadauro was the top lawyer for the Sinagras. He's constantly working for, or with, Don Balduccio Sinagra. In this book, he's the top lawyer for the Cuffaros! If this is not a sloppy mistake on Camilleri's part, it would have been wise to throw in a sentence or two about (just an example) how after Don Balduccio died, the Cuffaros snapped up Guttadauro's services. (I'm not actually sure if Don B. is dead, but it would have made a convenient explanation.)Otherwise, I am beginning to get sick of the aging inspector's flings with various women in the area while still stringing along his long-term girlfriend, who lives a few hours away. These flings stir up his emotions a lot - which I'm sure is a thing that happens in real life, but to me this detracts from the books a lot. Perhaps without these internal wafflings, the books would be merely novellas, and so the "romantic" situations are used to pad the narrative.Lastly, the hint of the occult in the books (in general) is bothering me. Maybe not "occult," I don't know the term for it. He'll have a dream, or see something happening that is completely random, and later on, this will point him to part of the solution of the crime. In this book the 'prophetic dream' is particularly annoying.But I'll keep reading, because the crimes and solutions are well-crafted. I hope Guttadauro gets his old job back :-)

The somewhat melancholy tone of this installment of the Montalbano series (Montalbano is no longer so young as he once was) still allows for Camilleri's characteristic sardonic humor and wit. But ultimately this is a pretty tragic novel, as all good murder mysteries are, at heart. Camilleri doesn't wear his politics on his sleeve but they're there in his sympathetic treatment of the plight of Sicily's "guest workers." As usual, culinary asides will make you hungry while reading, a dash of magical realism will keep you guessing, and the desk sergeant's inability to get anybody's name right or to open a door without slamming it back on its frame add that element of slapstick that will keep you chuckling. Don't start the series here -- if you haven't read The Snack Thief, not only will this book not make as much sense, emotionally, but it will somewhat spoil the development of certain characters introduced there.

If like me you have already been captivated by Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano novels then you will not be disappointed with this latest offering. Predictable is always a negative word to use in reviews, but you know that Montalbano will be captivated by another woman and will continually bicker over the phone with Livia, you know that Catarella will mangle everyone's name and will speak in a dialect that you need to read out aloud to yourself before you can understand what he's saying, you know that Mimi Augello will be called upon to use his Don Juan skills to help crack the case and that Fazio will know the full details of any suspect back as far as the maiden name of their maternal great grandmother. But all these familiar details are as ever wrapped into a believable plot with several interconnecting strands. Great fun and highly recommended. One of the themes of the Montalbano books is his fear of growing old, but let's hope he never does!

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, but with this one I hit a wall. It was predictable, and the schtick with the Inspector constantly rushing home and waiting by the phone for Marian or Livia or whoever to call him is getting old. The other thing that bothered me was that one of the characters beats up his wife and puts her in the hospital and the Inspector does nothing about it. In every chapter I kept expecting the cops to arrest the guy, but they never did. I hope the next book is better, as up to now I have really loved this series.

I just like these Montalbrano crime mysteries. The dramatis personae give the Impression that they are "normal" people with on the one side special qualities, but on the other side they also make mistakes and have not too pure characters. But above all, the stories give me what I think is an inside view of southern Italy with ist Mafia dealings, .showing that not all is Mafia. There is also normal life. I don't know this part of Italy personally. But if I read Montalbano I have the Impression of being there. Oh, and I nearly forgot the most important thing:The stories are full of surprises, captivating and yet simple.

I have loved every single one of these books. I started reading them when I borrowed one from the hotel's library for guests at a hotel in Sicily! Make sure you read them all in order from the beginning - I highly recommend them. They are not just interesting crime stories - they are also vivid descriptions of the Sicilian countryside - not to mention the mouth-watering food! My only problem is that once I start them I cannot put them down so I tend to read them within a couple of days!

I think that if this book had been written by anyone other than Camilleri, I would have given it a five star rating without a second thought. However, for me, 'Blade of Light' falls just a little short of the incredibly high standard which Italy's best known writer has set himself - specifically, the plot is not quite as clever or intricate as it usually is, and I also missed the 'laugh out loud' moments which pepper the other Montalbano stories.The Inspector is involved in two separate investigations in 'Blade of Light' - into the robbery and alleged assault late at night of a beautiful young woman who is married to a much older man, and into suspected arms smuggling by Tunisian immigrants. Although he has not lost his usual investigative sharpness, the reader is left in no doubt that Montalbano is at an emotional crossroad in his life. Not surprisingly, Camilleri deals with this, and the sadness of Montalbano's long-suffering girlfriend Livia, with his usual style and subtlety.I may have only given this a four star rating, but 'Blade of Light' is still a 'must read' for all Montalbano fans.

Salvo Montalbano is back on the case with a couple of puzzles to solve - the shack with the new door and a theft. Loredana Di Marta is attacked and robbed outside a night bank but the acts strangely - he kisses her and takes €16 000 but not her jewellery. In the other mystery a landowner reports that a new door has been put on an old shack on his land but when Montalbano gets there it has been removed. With his customary elan Montalbano solves the robbery and makes a significant contribution to the door case despite being banned from investigating. His customary wit is missing because he has women trouble, Livia isn't feeling well and he is preoccupied with Marian, an art dealer he has fallen in love with but who promptly disappeared to Milan on business.Blade Of Light is another hugely entertaining read, made possible by Stephen Sartarelli's immaculate translation. It has humour, a simple but clever plot and some sadness at the end. It is, however, Montalbano's character and its contradictions which drive the novel. He is grumpy, short tempered, zany at times, smart and self absorbed but always comes out a winner as the end of the novel proves.The novel is full of sunlight and food and brings Sicily to life. It makes it such a warm read on a cold, winter night.I really enjoyed Blade Of Light and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

As a reader of Montalbano novels, I know that they are not at the top of the literary canon. They are light and easy to read. The characters are familiar as are the plots, so I am never too disappointed. This does not break the mould and follows the same structure and patterns of events as the previous 15 or so stories. The biggest negative in the novel is the representations of the female characters and the discussion of rape which was unbelievably out of step with modern discourse. If you have read the other novels then you know what to expect.

I wasn’t taken by this Montalbano book as I am with others in the series. There are a number of parallel stories going on here: Montalbano’s complicated love life, art fraud, terrorism and a possible rape. To be truthful, I wasn’t able to follow what was going on in some of these stories. The book is saved by what happens in the end - which I won’t describe - where Montalbano behaves in a believable fashion. But that bit comes too late, and too unexpectedly, to allow me to give the book more than three stars