Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 6/12/2014 + 2301 more book reviews

By the twelfth book in this series, there's really not much new to say. Each slim volume is a perfect example of the translator's art, and each gives the reader a slice of Sicily in all its beauty, its ugliness, its humor, its despair, and-- last but not least-- its glorious food.

Montalbano's methods may be unorthodox, but he's a master of piecing things together and of evading his nitwit superiors so he can get the job done. He's got the perfect team to work with, and if it ever get dull, everyone in the station can rely on Catarella to liven things up. We also get to watch the inspector making a purchase in a local bookstore, a scene which every book (and crime fiction) lover will enjoy reading.

A recurring theme in these Montalbano books is his hatred of aging. In previous books, his whining about his advancing years got on my nerves a bit, but his complaints have mellowed, and I endure them and smile as I would with a friend. In The Track of Sand, Montalbano is dead set against wearing glasses, and Camilleri describes his brush with a mesmerizing woman so beautifully and tenderly that I could actually understand why a man might sometimes think of being unfaithful.

Camilleri is a master of the concise mystery that packs a punch. Like all the others in this series, The Track of Sand is filled with humor, delicious food, wonderful characters, and an interesting investigation. (Although I knew where Montalbano should be looking before he did, I still enjoyed watching his progress.) Each book is a delectable slice of Sicily, and I savor them all.

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