Sicilian Delight
What a delight to find a new Andrea Camilleri. I was surprised to see this book, The Sicilian Method, as Camilleri died in 2019, and I thought all his books had been published, and I had read them all. However, as I said, he is my favourite crime writer, so I was surprised and delighted to have this new book in my possession. Not only is Camilleri my favourite writer, but Montalbano is my favourite detective. The books are full of great characters, like Catarelli, who gets everything wrong, womanising Mimi Augello and Guiseppe Fazio, who loves taking notes in great detail, much to Montalbano’s annoyance. This story revolves around Mimi Augello, who finds a dead body when escaping from an angry husband. Another body is found not long after, and Montalbano wonders if the two deaths are connected. The second victim is Carmel Catalanotti, a theatre director known for his harsh treatment of his actors, so there seems to be no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, this is not a long book, but still, it has my beloved Montalbano and the rest of the gang to keep giving me some happy reading for a while. I also love the TV series, with Luca Zingaretti as Montalbano, perfect casting. If you have not read these beautiful books by any remote chance, you have a treat in store.
We Know You Remember is a new book by Swedish crime writer Tove Alsterdal. I haven’t read her previous books, but I will seek them out now. Some time ago, in a town called Adalen, a young girl, Lina Stavred, went missing. There was an investigation at the time, but nothing came of it. Two decades later, a boy confessed to her murder. This confession upset the community, as they had spent the time since the disappearance trying to come to terms with what happened. When Olaf Hagsrom visits his family home, he knows immediately that something is wrong. The key to the front door is still under the familiar stone where it usually lies. Entering the house where he hasn’t been for a long time, he finds a distressed dog, a terrible smell, and water all over the floor. Upstairs he finds his father, whom he hasn’t spoken to for a very long time, dead in the shower. Now, Lina’s murderer has reappeared, and Detective Eira Sjodin is the investigator to find the person responsible. This is her chance to untangle years of well-kept secrets, but does anyone in Adelen want the truth to come out? When I got this book to write about, I remembered how much I enjoyed it. It is a very clever story, effortlessly blending past and present, with some great twists that are unsuspected and surprising. Great reading for a cold and windy July.
Signing off,
Janice