BOOK: The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri

The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri, 5 h 40 min

translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
book 15

I've been reading, and enjoying this series since I discovered it in 2006. Camilleri keeps writing, and Sartarelli tries to keep up with the translating, and it is one of the few books I buy as soon as a new one is released. I missed this latest book's release date, and happened to notice it as an audiobook at the library. Hmm. It was only about 5 hours, just about the length I like to listen to without feeling rushed, so although I generally prefer nonfiction on audio, I decided to give it a try.

Wow. Listening to it gave me a whole new appreciation for Inspector Salvo Montalbano, and his devoted and patient police officers. In this one, Mimi Agiello goes missing. (I'm not a very auditory person, which is why I haven't taken to audio books so much. I have no idea how names are spelled from listening.) Montalbano is beside himself with worry, and becomes very focused on finding Mimi and solving the case of who kidnapped him. I was actually able to pick up on some clues a little better on the audio for some reason, and the mystery just zoomed along. Montalbano and Livvie will be making a decision about their future soon I think, and Salvo wasn't quite as depressed about being old this book.

Camilleri is having lots of fun playing with the meta in this book. Montalbano has been made into a television series in Italy, and our character complains at one point of the filming and his worry of running into the actor playing him on the show. Later, Montalbano muses how only Camilleri knows the ending. Between these references, Montalbano One and Montalbano Two fighting over philosophical decisions, and of course, Catarelli's continual mangling of whatever language he speaks, I spent quite a bit of time chuckling in the car.

I don't know if it was the new format, or Camilleri really stepped up the mystery plot, but it's not often that the 15th book in a series is one that I've enjoyed as much as any in the series. I'm now hoping to listen to the next book (20 books have been written in Italian) as well.