A world of colloquialisms led me through a small town in Sicily, which I saw through the eyes of a newly-arrived policeman, Montalbano. With dry humour and unflinching observation, Camilleri reveals his love of Sicily, with all her beauty and her faults. Then, of course, there is the food…

Montalbano discovers a small town with a close-knit community, not willing to open to him. Everyone seems somehow related to a mafia member. Added to this are the idiosyncrasies of those working at the station, and Montalbano finds himself in alien land.

The Inspector Montalbano series has made Andrea Camilleri one of Italy's most famous contemporary writers. Although a recent addition to the Inspector Montalbano series, this novel takes us back to his first case in Sicily, after his promotion has dashed dreams of returning to his beloved Mascalippa. The series is set in Vigàta, a fictional town in Sicily heavily populated with both Mafia and great cooks. The novel also sees the start of Montalbano's perpetual discord with his girlfriend, Mery.

Adding flavour to the stories is the language used; it is filled with the dialect of Sicily, bringing to life the sun drenched island, surrounded by a sea which is always calling for a swim – after a siesta, naturally.

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