Category: Mystery
Publisher: Viking
ISBN: 0670030929
Series: Inspector Montalbano, #1
Pub. Date: May 2002
Date Read: April 2007
"Inspector, we've got a client." Those are the first words Inspector Montalbano hears from Sergeant Fazio when he picks up the phone, and as much as Montalbano would like to remain in bed, dreaming he knows it's time to face reality. A "client" is code for murder.
Two garbage collectors have found the body of big-shot, Silvio Luparello. The man was in his BMW and in a state of undress. To complicate matters, he was found in the "Pasture," an area notorious for drug deals and prostitution.
The coroner rules that Luparello died of natural causes but Inspector Montalbano has his doubts. He requests a maxiumum of 48 hours to close the investigation but not without sparking an outcry from some local officials.
Why do they want the case closed so quickly and who stands to gain from Luparello's untimely death? Montalbano goes around the town of Vigata interviewing those who knew Luparello all the while not willing to bow down to corruption.
While the mystery is satisfying in itself, there is much more to the book to like. The author manages to paint a vivid picture of a coastal town and its inhabitants. This slim book is a great start to the Montalbano series.