[.ca] Terra Cotta Dog (ISBN 0142002631)

Wonderful:
This is a wonderful, airy, yet intellectually challenging mystery. Inspector Montalbano is at times a curmudgeon, a sweet tender man, a genius, a bumbler in news conferences and a man with a sense of humor and of himself. Other characters in the book - the good guys and the bad guys are equally engaging. This was my fiorst Inspector Montalbano book and I will be rushing to read more. There are two plot lines that are intertwined. One is current - gun-smuggling tipped off by a mafia boss who turns himself in (only with a fake arrest, however). The other is fifty year mystery that is unveiled only after the gun running is revealed. Although this book is airy and at times humorous, the mystery that is solved is done so in an ingenious, yet believable manner. The Inspector is terrific at deduction and, like other fine mysteries, one can read along and keep up with the unraveling of the yarn. The writing is terrific. This is a mystery that is intellectually challenging but keeps a smile on the face of the reader. Inspector Montalbano does not take himself overly seriously and the author invites the reader to take him in the same vein. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for good writing and a good mystery. If you like Italy and Sicily it will be even more engaging.

THE TERRA-COTTA DOG - Heels for the dead:
A most-wanted Italian mob boss invites series character Inspector Montalbano to a personal meeting - and to an odd agreement to stage the Mafioso's arrest and detainment. This new mutual respect, between cop and capo, leads to a cave that has entombed two dead and entwined lovers for fifty years. How do you solve a crime that occurred in Sicily during World War II? The Inspector is obsessed with the case, and searches for all of the relevant clues, from former family and friends, to the meaning of the terra-cotta dog, along with the other artifacts that were found alongside of the lovers. What follows is a very clever tale and trail of answers. While this mystery unfolds, the storyline reveals the Inspector's complex human nature, and his enigmatic relationships with his girlfriend, co-workers and bosses. The Inspector is passionate, quirky, self-righteous and egotistical. This leads to some bizarre personal behaviors. For example, when Montalbano, who is a cop, learns of the rape and incest of a friend, he chooses a very much out-of-bounds and non-legal method of dealing with the perp. So much for being a cop. THE TERRA-COTTA DOG is more than a single-dimension murder mystery. It is literature-like in its look at human relations, and the realities and rationalizations that make these characters tick. But as a murder mystery, by way of the Inspector's astute police methods, it doesn't get any better than this.

Inspector Montalbano's Curiosity Is Finally Satisfied:
This is the second translation by Stephen Sartrelli that I have read of an Inspector Salvo Montalbano mystery by Andrea Camilleri, and I enjoyed it immensely. While THE SHAPE OF WATER (four star review 12/18/03) was an entertaining introductory volume to this series (which has become a best seller in Europe), I found the author's technique in this story of utilizing a present day mystery which Montalbano has to unravel as the introduction to an unrelated fifty year old murder mystery to be both clever and unusual. Usually when such crimes are resurrected decades after their occurrence, it is because they have some direct connection to the present day events under investigation, not the casual and coincidental connection which is the case in this story. Several threads are very cleverly intertwined in this story, which begins with a meeting with Montalbano's boyhood friend Gege Gullota, a small-time hood to whom we were introduced in the first volume in this series. A famous and highly placed Mafioso has requested that Gege arrange a meeting between the Inspector and this individual, and the consequences flowing from this meeting form the backdrop for much of the storyline which dominates the early part of the book. There is another element of the story which at first appears unrelated but in typical Camilleri fashion is eventually interwoven with the main plot, this involves a strange supermarket heist in the middle of the night only to have the loot found in an abandoned truck the next day. Unexpected deaths and attempted murders soon occur, and the trail of events leads Montalbano to a mysterious mountain hiding place for contraband and the eventual discovery of evidence of a fifty year old crime in a hidden and long sealed grotto watched over by THE TERRA-COTTA DOG whose presence is the basis for the title of the book. As the story proceeds. Montalbano's life itself is threatened, and the resultant events ironically enough provide him with the opportunity to engage in a digression from his police work and satisfy his curiosity regarding the long ago tableau which he literally unearthed. This is both a police procedural and a character study, and it succeeds wonderfully in both respects. Part of the charm is that many of the characters from the earlier story appear, providing continuity and a feeling of familiarity. We gradually become better acquainted with the Inspector's police associates, as well as with his personality quirks and eating and reading habits. Finally, a scene where Livia (his friend and lover), Anna (the young woman infatuated with him), and Ingrid (the beautiful foreigner whom he has secretly helped in return for her secret aid in his investigations) all appear simultaneously to express their concern for his safety is a wonderful moment. Thus, some part of my greater enjoyment of this book than the first volume clearly resulted from the fact that in the tradition of other successful detective series this book continued and built upon the foundation of the earlier volume. Sicily and the fictional town of Vigata and its citizens and environs seem to come alive with the help of the author's careful attention to detail. One nice feature of this series that deserves comment is the fact that this is one of those Penguin soft covers that really are pocket sized, so they conveniently fit in a corner of your bag or coat pocket and are easy to read on the train or plane. My only caution would be that these are stories of detail, both with regard to Montalbano's personal habits and also with regard to the mysteries themselves. There are only brief moments of intense action, and most of the violence happens outside the direct scope of the narrative. The details are cataloged and evaluated by the author with regard to Montalbano and by Montalbano with regard to the various mysteries which he is trying to unravel. The solution to the mystery of THE TERRRA COTTA DOG is clever, very intellectually satisfying, internally consistent but in some ways very quiet and anti-climatic in tone. Disclaimer:While I was contacted by an employee of the publisher and asked to review the most recent book in the series, I wanted to introduce myself to the character as the author intended and decided to read the volumes in order to determine if the series was of interest to me. Based on my enjoyment of the first two stories, I definitely plan to further enjoy following Detective Montalbano as he attempts to solve additional cases. As a disclaimer, I know no one employed by the publisher and have had no contact with either the author or translator. However, I believe it appropriate to disclose that as is customary I was furnished a review copy of this book but I did not provide any assurance that I would produce a review or what its contents would be if I did so. Tucker Andersen

Fantastic read:
The Terra Cotta Dog is the 2nd in a series of recently translated Inspector Montalbano mysteries. Hugely popular in Europe, it's hard to see how this series will not catch on in the US (and Australia!) with the Inspector's dry humour, wit, self depracation, tenacity, and understanding of human nature. In the midst of uncovering a mafia weapons brokering scheme, Montalbano discovers a well hidden cave with 2 long dead lovers embracing, tenderly watched over by a terra cotta dog. While his job dictates he must resolve the guns problem, it is the lovers and the dog that really grab his attention. Not all authors can intertwine and simultaneously solve 2 mysteries, one of which began over 50 years before, during fascist World War II Italy. But Camilleri does so brilliantly, keeping you turning those pages until the end. Of course, he doesn't forget to eat, and I'm starting to enjoy the constant aspects of his personality such as his ravenous appetite for gourmet foods. A word should be said here regarding the translation. I don't know what a poor translation would be like, but I suspect that Sartarelli is owed some credit to the overall enjoyment of this book. As in his other books, the story unfolds in narrative fashion. The characters are complex and believable. There is plenty of humour thrown in, and his live-away lover makes a welcome appearance also. If you like a good mystery, you'll get 2 for one with this book, my favourite of the series.

A really excellent book.:
A Mafia leader wants out, but he has a job you don't just quit. Working with Sicilian Police Inspector Salvo Montalbano, Gaetano The Greek arranges a complex capture fantasy. The capture works, giving Montalbano more publicity than he wants and the threat of a feared promotion, but Gaetano also tells him of a cave where the Mafia hide a huge weapons cache. Montalbano investigates and finds both the weapons and an older and more complicated mystery. Two mummified bodies lie in a hidden cavern, accompanied by a water pitcher, a terra-cotta dog, and a rug. The meaning of the intwined lovers fascinates Montalbano and he virtually drops the Mafia investigation to discover what could have happened to the dead couple. Montalbano is a fascinating and well developed character. He lives by his own moral code, pursues an ambiguous relationship with Livia, and seems to appreciate good food more than he does either women or the law. His investigation combines literary allusion, hard-core detecting, a history lesson, and intriguing mentions of the food Montalbano finds himself enjoying. In THE TERRA-COTTA DOG, author Andrea Camilleri has a wonderful and moving story. Much of the story kept me laughing, but Camilleri maintains a darker subtext. The Mafia and Italian corruption and violence, both in the Fascist days and in the present, are an ever-present reality and form much of the story's background. I found the story to be completely compelling and recommend it without reservation.