The Snack Thief (An Inspector Montalbano Mystery)

Inspector Montalbano is my kind of guy. He loves food, to the point of intellectualizing food. He does not suffer the fool lightly, in fact he delights in insulting the fools that surround him. He has a rather devout and unique sense of justice and morality. He is one of the great characters in mysteries. This is the third book on Andrea Camilleri's sardonic and witty series set in Sicily and it is the best of the three that I have read. I like to read them in series so that I can see the character grow. This book seems like the previous two except that the orneriness of Inspector Montalbano is coming out in greater volumes. His complaints are louder and more vehemant, his patiences in shorter supply, and his judgment a little more flawed.The story is about two seemingly unrelated murders which eventually, of course, become inextricably intertwined. One is the murder of an elderly gentlemen, stabbed to death in his building elevator. The other is a Tunisian sailor shot to death by the Tunisians themselves. The mechanics of solving a crime in modern day Sicily is described in delicious details, written in the voice of a true skeptic.The plot of the story meanders along languorously in typical Camilleri style until a number of things all come together. The result of which is a philosophical and emotional series of moments for Inspector Montalbano, something wholly unexpected of Camilleri and his character because Salvo Montalbano has played the spectator all along in this series, we do not expect him to show his true self, but circumstances pushes him forward to confront his life, his future, his love, and why he is. I don't want to make this sound like an angst ridden novella, it isn't. It is a barely cracked window into the soul of the character, a window that is surreptitiously opened for the briefest moment to let the air and sun in, just to give us a peek at the inner workings of the character.This is ususally a dangerous yet intriguing decision for an author for he is now forever saddled with a psychosis he himself created while he is also given himself a means to explore many different things.I am hoping that Camilleri takes advantage of this trap that he set for himself and make the best of it, which means that I just got started on the next book in the series, just to find out what will happen next.The Snack Thief is a nice bridge from the beginning: The Shape of Water and The Terra Cotta Dog, into a greater unknown, we hope.

this is #3 (1996 italy; 2003 english translation) of the inspector montalbano mystery series by andrea camilleri, and an important building block to understanding the inspector as his story marches forward through what is at this date 16 novels in translation with more to come. where montalbano's love affair with livia wanes in later books, here it is flourishing. where the lovable clownish desk cop catarella later gulps scenes, here he is understated. montalbano's deputy augello hasn't yet married; fazio, who is leaned upon more and more, is here merely a peg. the foods eaten at enzo's and prepared at home by his crochety housekeeper adelina are more elaborate and elaborated on the page. many faces who will increasingly become familiar, here make appearances. even footnotes (a feature of each book) are more information-packed. montalbano's central humanity is never more on display than it is as he factors a sometimes prostitute and her son into a nest of official corruption and smuggling which for the longest time only he has the intuition to visualize. in addition to playing with heartstrings, the plot just sizzles and the montalbano you come to understand will keep you coming back for more. if you can, do yourself a favor and start with #1 in the series, "the shape of water" (1994 italy; 2002 english translation), and follow step-by-step. camilleri references previous stories frequently and it's a reader's grace note to follow character development and place-setting along with the writer; you'll arrive here in good time. but if you're just in the mood for delight, this is another of your 16 choices.

I am reading my way through this series on the recommendation of my wife, who found one of the later books in a hotel in Firenze. The Snack Thief is a delicious tale featuring Inspector Montalbano, of course. He is clever, at times diabolical, intelligent and always fascinating. Along with his crime solving skills, his personal relationships with a host of characters including his lover, friends,colleagues, and enemies are all part of the fun. He's a bit of a gourmet as well. Read in about his gustatory adventures kept me hungry and eager to try new dishes

As always, Salvo is a delight, and detailed descriptions of his meals makes one's mouth water. Mystery solved in a clever, humorous, and thoroughly believable way. After having read "The Snack Thief", I can only exclaim: what's next!!

I'd give this one 3 1/2 stars if I could. 4 stars are for books I find not only readable but a notch above the usual routine fiction. This one is enjoyable primarily because of the lead character, Chief Inspector Salvo Montalbano of the Sicilian police. He is irreverent, unconventional, loves a good meal, is admired by his detectives, and is doggedly persistent in solving cases. Without him, the book would be average. It's got a lot of twists and turns as he solves the murder case - an elderly retiree is found dead in an elevator, stabbed in the back. There are lots of threads to unravel, and the reader will enjoy the plot twists and turns, but what kept me coming back to the book was Salvo - quite character. A very enjoyable read.

The Snack Thief is probably my favorite Camilleri novel for one simple reason: you see Salvo coming to terms with fatherhood or rather that he isn't a father. It is a bittersweet epiphany that is captured in a sincere way. He comes to know a young boy who is on the run from killers. Read the picnic scene and the interaction between François and Salvo and it'll bring a tear to your eye. Camilleri also shows Salvo's girlfriend Livia's struggling with motherhood. Emotions run deep in the Montalbano series, but it is often angry, darkly humorous, but in this novel there is a raw ache of regret and acceptance. The novel is also social in the sense that the author reveals ethnic discrimination and labor exploitation in Italy. It is my favorite book in the series

In the third Inspector Montalbano novel, one victim was found stabbed in a lift and another is shot on a fishing boat. Follow Inspector Montalbano as he solves the mysteries surrounding these deaths. Like the other novels in this series, The Snack Thief can be read as a standalone.This is the third Inspector Montalbano book I have read on-the-trot. I am enjoying this series and love the consistency of Andrea’s writing. Salvo Montalbano now seems like an old friend to me and the books have developed a cosy feeling as I follow him through his work and private life. The crimes he investigates are very different in each book and I love how Andrea uses the returning cast of characters to develop the brand. This long running theme among the regulars is engaging and makes the reader feel as though they belong within the community. Having these regulars adds so much value to the novels and I can imagine Andrea having these imaginary little people playing on his mind when he was not writing his books. I found his use of returning characters very similar to that of Elly Griffiths in her Dr. Ruth Galloway series.Like the other books in the Inspector Montalbano series, I just loved Andrea’s play on language. Subtle fun is made of characters who speak Italian as a second language. I must thank the translator of this series, as I am reading the English version, yet the humour aimed at migrants shines brightly through. The banter between all the characters is entertaining, sharp and witty, with never a boring conversation.I have enjoyed reading this trio of books in the series. I like that the quality of each one is the same and I consider The Snack Thief is a GOOD 4 star read. My lasting impression on reading these books is that if I were to read another in the series, I know exactly what to expect. Strangely enough, I also feel the same about Elly Griffiths books too.

This was the first Inspector Montalbano TV stor I watched and so far, it remains a favourite. I was excited to read the book then and was not disappointed. It is another complex story which doesn't fail to hold the interest from start to finish. Salvo is a deeply flawed and complex character who has you following him but you never know where he will lead you. You trust him to get the truth in his own way, and he does. The writing is wonderful and you realise what a clever actor Luca Zingretti is to bri g him to life. A superb read.

The Snack is the third in Andrea Camilleri’s wonderful series starring the Sicilian detective Salvu Montalbano. Here is a heady combination of crime, intrigue, sun, seafood dishes, pasta and a tangled love life. Salvu is a bit snitty round his staff sometimes, but he’s also great fun. My brother, who’s read them all, says Signor Camilleri is somewhat formulaic, but I haven’t yet found that. What I have found is pacy writing, formed largely from dialogue and pithy description. The Sicilian woman of a certain age – a balloon with eyebrows – and Montalbano settling down to wait – to engage in an immobility contest with a lizard – particularly caught my eye.As a crime novel there is plenty of blood, nefarious deeds, violence and sex. Not for under 13s. There is also police procedure, lack of police procedure as in who doesn’t follow the rules and therefore screws the investigation up, and plenty of red herrings (as well as squid, clams and other fish). I liked the “there are 76,000 people in this area and 75,970 eat fish. The other 30 are babies” when railing about some forensic evidence on a murder weapon.Plenty of twists and turns, including hairpin bends on mountainsides. Lots of fun and friends just as you like to make in a series. Start with the first in the series - The Shape of Water – and look forward to the visual feast when it comes back on BBC4 in the dark days of winter (I hope).

Camilleri is very good at taking several apparently unconnected events and weaving an entertaining story that brings all these disparate strands together in an individualistic style. As ever with Camilleri, Salvo Montalbano uses a pragmatic approach to bring about a solution that satisfies Montalbano's sense of morals whilst thumbing his nose at senior government officials. Montalbano is also not averse to going outside the law and/or disclosing information to various outside agencies in order to get results. There is high comedy, particularly with the character of Caterella and his use of the 'talian language (apostrophe intended) and the permanent paranoia of his deputy Mimi Augello. Throughout the story there are descriptions of wonderful Sicilian fish and pasta dishes and I am hoping that one day they'll think to bring out a Montalbano recipe and cookbook that collates all these gastronomic delights. I like the fact that Camilleri does not do graphic violence in these novels but concentrates on character and plot and descriptions of Sicily and it's people. He also doesn't resort to overly Mafiaising the novels, again the Mafia are alluded to but Camilleri avoids the trap of selling books on the basis of grisly Mafia crimes. I'm looking foward to reading  The Voice of the Violin (Montalbano 4)  as I know I'll not be disappointed and I can holiday in Sicily for an entertaining few hours with Salvo and the boys. The Voice of the Violin (Montalbano 4)

On a recent trip to Italy, what better book to take with me for the journey than an instalment of Camilleri's sublime series of Sicilian crime stories? THE SNACK THIEF did not disappoint.Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a vivid character: irascible with his men, extremely fond of his food, and very good at police work. He knows how to operate in a maze of institutionalised corruption. Owing to an inevitable telephonic misunderstanding with the terminologically confused, if enthusiastic, Catarella, it is Montalbano's handsome deputy Mimi Augello who takes on the case of a Tunisian shot on a local fishing boat. Salvo, for his part, begins to investigate the case of a man who is found stabbed in a lift in a local block of flats one morning (as ever, the scenes of disruption of the local residents' daily lives are pure joy).True to form, the two cases which at first seem unrelated begin to have more and more in common. Salvo's investigations lead him to a new friend, Clementina, an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair who is a key witness to the convoluted affair confronting Salvo as he slowly unravels the knotted life of Karima, a mysterious cleaning woman who seems central to the case.The 'Snack Thief' himself turns out to be more significant to Salvo and his girlfriend Livia than either of them had thought could be possible. Does he herald a seismic shift in their comfortable but semi-detached relationship?As with Camilleri's other books, I loved this outing. Unflinching in its descriptions of life in the raw, yet with a sweet sense of place and yearning for simpler times, the tone is unerring. The plot of THE SNACK THIEF is stronger than that of some of the other books in the series, with Salvo's flashes of inspiration and erratic actions adding up to a satisfying conclusion, tinged with sadness, yet providing hope for the future.