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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
A murder investigation; Mafia connections; a sexual context is part of the victim's death scene
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Some sexual content; the victim's activities and the location of his death
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild content
Emotional Intensity
Some
The specific way that power in Sicily operates through suggestion and omission; Montalbano's refusal to accept the shaped version of events
What this book is about
A well-connected Sicilian politician is found dead in a rubbish dump known as the Pasture — a place used for illicit encounters — in circumstances that suggest his death is being shaped into something it isn't. Inspector Salvo Montalbano of Vigàta investigates, navigating the specific world of Sicilian politics and the Mafia connections that run beneath every surface. Andrea Camilleri's first Montalbano novel introduces one of crime fiction's most beloved detectives: a man of fierce appetite (for food, for truth, for justice), profound humor, and absolute refusal to pretend that what is happening is not happening.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
first Inspector Montalbano novel by Andrea Camilleri; Sicilian setting
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