Excursion to Tindari

Salvo Montalbano, the Sicilian police inspector who has won a large following across Europe, makes his way onto American shelves in this installment. The story unfolds in the fictional coastal town of Vigàta, where the author's sharp, sardonic view of island life shapes every scene.

Two cases arrive at the inspector's desk that appear to have nothing in common. One is the death of a young womanizer, found murdered. The other is an elderly couple who vanished after a day trip to the ancient site of Tindari. Montalbano pursues both threads, and each one leads him toward something more troubling than a single crime.

As the investigation widens, Montalbano comes face to face with a newer, more chilling kind of criminal activity in Sicily: violence that is brutal, impersonal and carried out by people who remain unknown. The book suits readers who enjoy a detective procedural with a dark sense of humor and a strong sense of place.