Montalbano's 15th case features more hilarious bark and some satisfying bite.
The disappearance of Inspector Silvio Montalbano's sidekick hits the whole squad room hard.
Insomnia increasingly plagues the Sicilian detective as he slides into his late 50s. So he's even crankier than usual when he picks up his ladylove Livia at the Palermo airport early in the morning for a brief getaway. Livia has never seen some of the more picaresque parts of the island, and Montalbano, as always, needs a break. But a brief stop at the office throws all his plans into disarray when he learns that his faithful second-in-command, Fazio, has gone missing. The vacation is off, and Montalbano begins to retrace Fazio's recent movements, aided (or hindered) by Mimi, his high-maintenance third-in-command, who's made even less attentive by an ongoing quarrel with his wife, Beba. An additional annoyance comes from the presence of a film crew making a TV series based loosely on Montalbano's cases (The Age of Doubt, 2012, etc.). At length, Fazio is found in a hospital, severely banged up and with little memory of the events that landed him there. Investigation reveals that Fazio, who'd been working near the docks on a drug smuggling case, walked into an ambush. The loopy path to a solution, inspired by recent headlines, leads through a potential scandal involving a government official, a secret locale in a remote village and bickering pedicurists.
Montalbano's 15th case features more hilarious bark and some satisfying bite.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-14-312261-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
A bit over-the-top but still a lot of fun.
A vicious killer follows a writer’s murderous manuscript to the letter in Danish author Engberg’s U.S. debut.
It’s only been about a year since University of Copenhagen professor Esther de Laurenti retired, and she’s been writing a novel, something she’s always dreamed of. When Esther’s tenant, 21-year-old Julie Stender, is murdered, Esther is shocked. Heading up the investigation is Copenhagen detectives Jeppe Kørner and his partner of eight years, Anette Werner, and it’s proving to be a doozy. The murder was particularly heinous: The killer stabbed Julie and carved strange designs into her face and, frustratingly, seems to have been very careful not to leave any physical evidence at the scene. Of course, as investigators start digging into Julie’s life, they discover some suitably shady secrets in her past, and it’s suggested that one of her boyfriends might have felt scorned enough to resort to murder. Perhaps it was her new boyfriend, who is supposedly a much older, sophisticated man. Too bad nobody knows who he is. When Esther reveals that the details of the murder closely mirror her work in progress, it opens a whole new avenue of investigation, and when Esther attempts to draw the killer out, it puts her firmly in the crosshairs. Engberg’s background as a former dancer and choreographer gives a boost to her considerable flair for the dramatic (keep an eye out for a theatrically staged murder at the Royal Danish Theater) and highlights a strong focus on Copenhagen’s creative community; even Jeppe wanted to be a musician before he became a cop. His fairly recent divorce almost ruined him, and Anette’s upbeat and pragmatic style is no small annoyance to her moody partner, which is played for light comic effect (as is Jeppe’s reawakening libido), leavening the heavier subject matter. Overly familiar plot elements keep this from being a standout, and some twists require a significant suspension of disbelief, but Engberg’s fast-paced narrative is bolstered by an interesting and quirky cast as well as an intriguing setting.
A bit over-the-top but still a lot of fun.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-982127-57-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Scout Press/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A comic-book thrill ride with the added appeal of bear shifters falling in love.
Bear shifters battle their attraction and awkward flirtations while trying to stop a criminal focused on terrorizing young shifters.
Annette Garsea is one of the hardest and most dedicated caseworkers at the Interspecies Placement Agency of Minnesota, a foster care system for shifter species. It’s her job to find homes and resources for at-risk shifter youth and children. At times, her work brings her within close proximity of private investigator David Auberon. Both are bear shifters with an obvious connection, but Annette thinks she’s too busy for a relationship, and David can’t seem to say more than five words to Annette before getting tongue-tied. It takes a shifter baby in grave danger to give the two bears the nudge they need to graduate from strictly business to something way more than friends. Davidson’s (Deja New, 2017, etc.) trademark goofiness, over-the-top action scenes, and fierce heroines are all accounted for along with a memorable cast of characters, though her books can be an acquired taste for readers who prefer their shifters growly and full of angst. David is a sweetheart with a long-standing crush on Annette; in his mind, she’s way out of his league. He’s also supportive and completely comfortable letting Annette shine as the fearsome mama bear. The pair are wonderfully matched, whether they’re watching each other’s backs in the midst of danger or being two utter cornballs once they let their feelings show. There's some of the cadence of old Hollywood banter in how they speak and what they say—except they can both shift into huge bears. Despite more serious themes like homelessness, kidnapping, and violence, it’s very much a Marvel movie–type paranormal romance with all the action and none of the detailed, gruesome bloodshed.
A comic-book thrill ride with the added appeal of bear shifters falling in love.Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-9701-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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