Montalbano's 18th recorded case (Treasure Hunt, 2013, etc.) is slight but sublime, with droll dialogue, colorful characters...
The investigation of a string of burglaries becomes ticklishly complicated when the rumpled investigator finds himself entranced by one of the victims.
Closing in on 60 and jaded to the max, droll Sicilian Inspector Montalbano views nearly every crime as a nuisance, including a series of burglaries perpetrated on wealthy locals. Nevertheless, he and quirky subordinates Catarella and Fazio set about dutifully interviewing victims. The crime scenes and the list of articles taken, including luxury cars, mark the burglars as pros. So Montalbano compiles a list of known high-end thieves alongside the growing list of victims. Two developments amp up his interest in the case. First, he begins receiving taunting messages, presumably from the leader of the thieves, a "Mr. Z," calling this a game and daring him to play. Not long after, he goes to interview the latest victim and falls in love as never before. Angelica Cosulich, head teller at a local bank, is appealingly attentive to him. She's named after the heroine of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, passages of which Montalbano mentally repeats with her in mind. Nor does his infatuation pass unnoticed at the station house. Meanwhile, his tempestuous lady love Livia is particularly unpredictable, aloof one minute and intrusively devoted the next. Just when the case seems hopelessly blocked, a body in a ditch and a surprising suicide blow it wide open.
Montalbano's 18th recorded case (Treasure Hunt, 2013, etc.) is slight but sublime, with droll dialogue, colorful characters and a sleek pace.Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-14-312376-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
