The Other End of the Line (Inspector Montalbano Series #24)

by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli (Translator)

Overview

"Wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction... altogether transporting."—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A WASHINGTON POST BEST MYSTERY OF 2019
A BEST BOOK OF 2019, NPR's Book Concierge

A wave of refugees has arrived on the Sicilian coast, and Inspector Montalbano and his team have been stationed at port, alongside countless volunteers, to receive and assist the newcomers. Meanwhile, Livia has promised their presence at a friend's wedding, and the inspector, agreeing to get a new suit tailored, meets the charming master seamstress Elena Biasini. But while on duty at the dock one late night, tragedy strikes, and a woman is found gruesomely murdered. Between managing the growing crowds at the landing, Montalbano delves into the world of garments, in the company of an orphaned cat, where he works to weave together the loose threads of the unsolved crimes and close the case.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143133773
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Series:	Inspector Montalbano Series , #24
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	221,345
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Andrea Camilleri, a mega-bestseller in Italy and Germany, is the author of the New York Times bestselling Inspector Montalbano mystery series as well as historical novels that take place in nineteenth-century Sicily. His books have been made into Italian TV shows and translated into thirty-two languages. His thirteenth Montalbano novel, The Potter's Field, won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger Award and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator and the author of three books of poetry.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2019

The dramatic 24th series novel from bestseller Camillieri (after The Overnight Kidnapper) finds Insp. Salvo Montalbano and his team at their breaking point as they deal with hundreds of refugees pouring into the Sicilian town of Vigàta in barely seaworthy boats from North Africa. Their duties include shepherding new arrivals for processing and solving horrible crimes committed during harrowing journeys. Meanwhile, Montalbano’s girlfriend, Livia, chides him into getting a new suit for a celebration friends of hers are putting on for their 25th wedding anniversary. Elena, the tailor who’s making the suit, unexpectedly captivates him. Elena’s subsequent murder gives the world-weary detective a terrible puzzle to solve amid the larger crisis. As usual, Montalbano seeks solace in good food and ruminative walks. Scenes set at the station house, rich with Sicilian dialect, provide just the rich amount of comic relief. The multilayered plot seizes the reader’s imagination as much as it engages Montalbano’s keen detective instincts. Fans will hope this long-running series never ends. Agent: Carmen Prestia, Alferjeprestia (Italy). (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano Series:

“You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven’t read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen. Aglow with local color, packed with flint-dry wit, as fresh and clean as Mediterranean seafood — altogether transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“The idiosyncratic Montalbano is totally endearing.” —The New York Times

“Camilleri is as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Hailing from the land of Umberto Eco and La Cosa Nostra, Montalbano can discuss a pointy-headed book like Western Attitudes Toward Death as unflinchingly as he can pore over crime-scene snuff photos. He throws together an extemporaneous lunch of shrimp with lemon and oil as gracefully as he dodges advances from attractive women.” —Los Angeles Times

“[Camilleri’s mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling—and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction. . . . Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily’s mean streets.” —USA Today

“Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can’t stay out of trouble. . . . Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outburst, fumbles, or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth.” —The Nation

“Camilleri can do a character’s whole backstory in half a paragraph.” —The New Yorker

“Subtle, sardonic, and molto simpatico: Montalbano is the Latin re-creation of Philip Marlowe, working in a place that manages to be both more and less civilized than Chandler’s Los Angeles.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The novels of Andrea Camilleri breathe out the sense of place, the sense of humor, and the sense of despair that fills the air of Sicily.” —Donna Leon

From the Publisher

2019-06-17
Who could have murdered the lovely tailor without an enemy in the world?

Livia, the pampered longtime love of rumpled Sicilian Inspector Montalbano (The Overnight Kidnapper, 2019, etc.), insists that he trade his closetful of "corpse" suits for a new one more appropriate for the marriage renewal ceremony they've been invited to attend. All of Montalbano's predictable objections are quelled when he meets the lovely blonde tailor Elena, who utterly charms him. Meanwhile, a boatload of immigrants, some injured, and an unidentified floating body occupy Montalbano and his laid-back squad room. Could the two cases be related? When Leena, one of the migrants, reports having been raped on the journey, Montalbano does his best to interrogate the perp, who doesn't speak Italian but communicates through a translator. Protesting his innocence, he claims that he witnessed the crime and was threatened by the rapists. The deplorable problems of the migrants overwhelm Montalbano, and the unexpected news of Elena's murder sends him over the edge. The seamstress was stabbed multiple times with a pair of scissors. Montalbano also finds a piece of fabric stretched taut and covered in blood, but he doesn't find her cellphone. The first suspect he questions is her boyfriend, the publisher Trupia, who reveals that Elena recently rejected his proposal of marriage. Her confession that she'd been unhappily married before surprised Trupia and puts Montalbano on the winding path to the mystery's solution.

Fans should especially enjoy the expanded role of the detective's lover in his droll, clever 24th outing.

Kirkus Reviews

Grover Gardner narrates this Sicilian police procedural with ease and familiarity. As Inspector Montalbano and his team juggle everyday policing tasks, they must deal with the additional challenge of providing support for migrants arriving at the port. The situation is compounded when the murder of a seamstress with whom Montalbano has a connection is discovered. Gardner creates a sympathetic character in Montalbano, who is compassionate to the plight of the migrants and committed to solving the murder but isn’t above a little mischievous behavior every so often. Gardner characterizes the key players strongly, including the members of Montalbano’s quirky team, helping the listener track of who’s who. Stephen Sartarelli’s translation ensures that the strong Silicilan ambiance is carefully blended with very American expressions and phrases, resulting in an engaging listen. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile