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giugiufio's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
lomahongva's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Minor: Pedophilia
drifterontherun's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Montalbano novel I've read and I loved this even more than the first! Just stellar writing. I love these books in large part because of the lavish descriptions of food which rival the actual crime details. The plot of this Montalbano in particular is just Grade-A beef. There is so much happening here, and the way Camilleri writes about the heat is, from page one, a master class. It isn't just that it's hot behind the events taking place in this, the tenth entry in the Montalbano oeuvre, it's that there's all kind of crazy shit happening in the fucking heat! I don't think I've ever read an author who has done such a good job incorporating an element into the story as Camilleri does here with that goddamned suffocating heat!
Likely will hold up as one of the best in the series, which just adds to the already difficult time I have putting these books down. The take away? Don't start what you can't finish (and don't visit Sicily in August).
Likely will hold up as one of the best in the series, which just adds to the already difficult time I have putting these books down. The take away? Don't start what you can't finish (and don't visit Sicily in August).
fallchicken's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best of this series. Barbie-Doll seduces Montalbano.
amelie5m's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
vlodko62's review against another edition
4.0
Wow - what a twist. What a dark ending. Montalbano, his brooding, his humanity and his love of good food are every bit as big a draw as the puzzle and the suspense.
secretbookcase's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.25
kimmer99's review against another edition
3.0
Review: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/kim/archives/008796.html
storytimewithlily's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
Why did I read this book?
This book makes me wonder why I would ever what to pick up another book by a male author.
This book makes me want to be one of those people who advocate for culling the male population. If this is an indication of what goes on in the minds of men, they are all disgusting, bordeline-pedophilic perverts and we're better off without them (except Fazio, he seems to be the online relatively decent male in this book).
Also, the female characters were so obviously written by a man.
There's the 'irrationally' angry girlfriend (though I would be angry too if my boyfriend found a dead body in the house my friends were staying in but didn't say anything to them because he didn't want them to leave said house and stay in his house instead).
There's the over emotional wailing woman who the 'protagonist' gets annoyed by (her son went missing, don't you have any empathy?).
The hired help who speaks poorly and does everything for her master and has an unexplained female rivalry with the girlfriend.
The prude who gets murdered for being a prude and not liking being assaulted.
And finally there's the seductress/mans ideal woman. In her 20s seduces the fifty-something year old 'protagonist' and is totally okay with being objectified. She even tells the story of how when she was fucking fifteen some guy (I don't care if he had a mental disability, it's not an excuse, someone should have been looking after him) has been stalking her and her sister and then one day when she gets out of the shower he has broken into her house and is standing in the bathroom naked, and she proceeds to give him a kiss and let him grope her (what the fuck?).
All the male characters also suck (except Fazio) and the MC is supposed to be the good guy? He's a dick. He might not be an actual pedophile, but that's not much of an accomplishment.
The whodunnit was okay.
This book makes me wonder why I would ever what to pick up another book by a male author.
This book makes me want to be one of those people who advocate for culling the male population. If this is an indication of what goes on in the minds of men, they are all disgusting, bordeline-pedophilic perverts and we're better off without them (except Fazio, he seems to be the online relatively decent male in this book).
Also, the female characters were so obviously written by a man.
There's the 'irrationally' angry girlfriend (though I would be angry too if my boyfriend found a dead body in the house my friends were staying in but didn't say anything to them because he didn't want them to leave said house and stay in his house instead).
There's the over emotional wailing woman who the 'protagonist' gets annoyed by (her son went missing, don't you have any empathy?).
The hired help who speaks poorly and does everything for her master and has an unexplained female rivalry with the girlfriend.
The prude who gets murdered for being a prude and not liking being assaulted.
And finally there's the seductress/mans ideal woman. In her 20s seduces the fifty-something year old 'protagonist' and is totally okay with being objectified. She even tells the story of how when she was fucking fifteen some guy (I don't care if he had a mental disability, it's not an excuse, someone should have been looking after him) has been stalking her and her sister and then one day when she gets out of the shower he has broken into her house and is standing in the bathroom naked, and she proceeds to give him a kiss and let him grope her (what the fuck?).
All the male characters also suck (except Fazio) and the MC is supposed to be the good guy? He's a dick. He might not be an actual pedophile, but that's not much of an accomplishment.
The whodunnit was okay.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, and Stalking
tien's review against another edition
4.0
Inspector Montalbano is up to his tricks, yet again. He got in trouble with Livia, of course; there hasn't been one time where he has not! His brain cells continues to tick all day and night but he keeps all close to his chest. While he continues to feel that he's getting old, I'm relieved that he doesn't complain about it in this novel as much as the previous two. The ending, however, has rather broken him. I'm not sure how he will be in the next book.