Andrea Camilleri Inspector Montalbano Mysteries 10 Book Set Series 1

This ten-book set brings together Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano Mysteries (Series 1), set in and around Vigata. Across the collection, Inspector Montalbano is drawn into investigations that include a body found in the Pasture, disappearances, kidnappings and cases that refuse to remain buried.

The stories blend police work with sharp dialogue and vividly realised scenes, from a secret grotto guarded by a life-size terracotta dog to incidents at sea and the oppressive heat of August in Sicily. The set also includes the title noted as seen on TV and adapted as a BBC4 television series.

Included titles

• The Shape of Water
• The Terracotta Dog
• The Snack Thief
• The Voice of the Violin
• Excursion to Tindari
• The Scent of the Night
• Rounding the Mark
• The Patience of the Spider
• The Paper Moon
• August Heat

Key details

• 10-book collection
• Inspector Montalbano Mysteries, Series 1
• By Andrea Camilleri
• Set in and around Vigata
• Includes a title noted as seen on TV and adapted as a BBC4 television series

Synopses

The Shape of Water

In Vigata, the Pasture has shifted from grazing land to a place used by drug dealers and prostitutes. When two refuse-collection workers find the body of engineer Silvio Luparello, the discreet trade is disrupted and events begin to unfold.

The Terracotta Dog

A meeting with a Mafioso, abandoned supermarket-heist loot and dying words set the case in motion. The trail leads to a secret grotto in a mountain cave, where two young lovers lie dead, watched over by a life-size terracotta dog. Montalbano pursues the old crime into the island’s past, a family’s dark heart and the horrors of World War II.

The Snack Thief

An elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator, and a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily’s coast. Montalbano suspects the two incidents are linked, in a story that highlights his mix of humour, cynicism, compassion and love of good food.

The Voice of the Violin

After a tense exchange with the commissioner, Montalbano makes a gruesome discovery: a naked young woman suffocated in her bed. The case sends him in search of her killer.

Excursion to Tindari

Montalbano investigates the disappearance of an elderly couple, searching for a reason by examining what they left behind. Along the way, he reflects on bureaucracy, including the absurdity of a “certificate of living existence”.

The Scent of the Night

On a dinghy at sea, Montalbano and Mimì prepare for what lies ahead. When an angry octogenarian holds a terrified and lovelorn secretary at gunpoint, Montalbano is reluctantly drawn into the case.

Rounding the Mark

While swimming, Montalbano suddenly realises he has struck a human foot. Someone is floating beside him, unnoticed until that moment.

The Patience of the Spider

On enforced sick leave, Montalbano becomes involved when a local girl goes missing and the community takes an interest. Questions arise over the kidnappers’ confidence that the girl’s impoverished father and dying mother can find a fortune, and Montalbano steps in to reach the heart of the matter in his own way.

The Paper Moon

Montalbano waits by the surf, trying to set aside personal feelings and focus solely on the case. He knows, however, that he cannot truly separate himself as he imagines.

August Heat

Noted as seen on TV and adapted as a BBC4 television series, this story opens with Montalbano concealing the truth about what is in a trunk. As he and his girlfriend Livia prepare for a holiday in a villa during the slow month of August, he insists the Sicilian heat is far too intense for any murders to be committed.