Publisher's Weekly Review
Camilleri's clever 13th Inspector Montalbano mystery (after 2010's The Track of Sand) opens with the discovery of an unidentified body, cut into 30 pieces, in a remote field near the Sicilian town of Vigata, known for soil rich with potter's clay. Montalbano, who has a knack for finding gallows humor in even the most grotesque situations, believes the hacked-up body signifies the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid for his betrayal. Later, Dolores Alfano, a stunning woman whose skin has "the faint scent of cinnamon," reports that her husband, a sailor with ties to a local mobster, is missing. That Mimi Augello, one of Mantalbano's most trusted inspectors, is in a permanent rage complicates matters. As usual, Montalbano wants to wrap up both cases quickly so he can get back to his real work-sleeping, eating, drinking, and dealing with his long-distance girlfriend, Livia. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
The comedy in Camilleri's distinctive brand of tragicomic mystery is largely absent this time. Sicilian policeman Salvo Montalbano has misplaced his sustaining life force, the inner engine that enables him to focus not on the wave of senseless crime that threatens to engulf the small seaside town of Vigata but, instead, on his next plate of perfectly cooked pasta. Food isn't doing the trick any longer, not after an unidentified corpse leads to a hornet's nest of murder, betrayal, and lives gone wrong. That the central crime seems somehow connected to the Bible story of Judas' betrayal only serves to make the tragedy feel all the more uncontainable. Yes, life-loving Salvo appears to be drifting into Kurt Wallander territory here, his ever-stooping shoulders, like those of Henning Mankell's Swedish detective, unable to bear the weight of an overwhelming world. And, yet, Camilleri is a master at manipulating light and dark, and there is a still a speck of light on the horizon: at least, Montalbano muses at the end of the novel, he remains able to sit and gaze at the sea, which, despite what happens on shore, is still the sea.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
The Track of Sand, 2010, etc.) goes appealingly over the top into slapstick and character-driven farce. Especially recommended for series fans and mystery readers who enjoy the journey more than the solution.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
In this 13th book featuring Sicilian detective inspector Montalbano, a body has been found chopped into 30 pieces and dumped in a field. While the detective and his team pursue the mystery of the victim's identification and murder, a beautiful, sultry woman asks Montalbano to find her missing husband. The two cases soon are linked and further complicated by the possible involvement of one his investigators. Filled with Camilleri's usual humor and irreverence, this story will delight more than just his fans. Prolific reader (more than 700 titles to his credit) Grover Gardner has narrated every English translation of this mystery series, and he continues to be the perfect voice for the irascible Montalbano. VERDICT Recommended for all public libraries that collect crime fiction. [The Penguin pb, published in September, was a New York Times best seller.-Ed.]-Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
