Esta entrada es bilingüe, para ver la versión en castellano desplazarse hacia abajo.
Picador, 2010. Kindle edition. First publish in 2003 as Il giro di boa it was translated into English in 2006 by Stephen Sartarelli. 396 KB. ASIN: B004KSRQ5K. ISBN: 9780330526173.
When the book opens Salvo is disillusioned with his job following the events that took place in Genoa during the G8 summit. Depressed, by the behaviour of his superiors during the protests, he is seriously considering to resign. After a bad night he takes a casual swim along the Sicilian seashore. On the brink of exhaustion and immersed in his own thoughts, he runs into the body of a man floating. The corpse is in an advanced state of decomposition, making its identification difficult. Soon another mystery draws his attention. A young African immigrant, who may have been a victim of human traffickers, is killed in a hit-and-run accident. And Montalbano realises that he might have handed inadvertently the young boy to the traffickers. Haunted by guilt, Montalbano forgets to submit his resignation and gets involved in two seemingly unrelated investigations.
In this book, perhaps, the sense of humour of Andrea Camilleri is most obvious despite the topics covered: police brutality, human trafficking and of children in particular; thus showing that humour is not at odds with the seriousness of the issues. Specifically the scene in which Montalbano drags the corpse found floating in the sea is really funny. I can only regret that, each time, I have less books yet to read of this series. A highly enjoyable read, as usual. Probably, one of Camilleri’s best.
My rating: 5/5.
Rounding the Mark has been reviewed by Sunnie Gill at Euro Crime, Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise, NacyO at Crime Segments, Cathy at Kittling Books, among others.
Un giro decisivo de Andrea Camilleri
Cuando el libro comienza Salvo está desilusionado con su trabajo después de los acontecimientos que tuvieron lugar en Génova durante la cumbre del G8. Deprimido, por el comportamiento de sus superiores durante las protestas, está considerando seriamente la posibilidad de renunciar. Después de una mala noche toma un baño ocasional a lo largo de la costa siciliana. Al borde del agotamiento y sumergido en sus pensamientos, se encuentra con el cadáver de un hombre flotando. El cadáver está en avanzado estado de descomposición, lo que hace difícil su identificación. Pronto otro misterio atrae su atención. Un joven inmigrante africano, que pudo haber sido víctima de traficantes de seres humanos, muere atropellado por un coche que se da a la fuga. Y Montalbano se da cuenta de que podría haber entregado inadvertidamente al joven muchacho a los traficantes. Atormentado por la culpa, Montalbano se olvida de presentar su renuncia y se involucra en dos investigaciones sin relación aparente.
En este libro, tal vez, el sentido del humor de Andrea Camilleri es más evidente a pesar de los temas tratados: la brutalidad policial, la trata de personas y de niños en particular; lo que demuestra que el humor no está reñido con la seriedad de los asuntos en cuestión. En concreto, la escena en la que Montalbano arrastra el cadáver hallado flotando en el mar es muy divertida. Sólo puedo lamentar que, cada vez, tengo menos libros pendientes de leer de esta serie. Una lectura muy agradable, como siempre. Probablemente, uno de los mejores de Camilleri.
Mi calificación: 5/5.
A Crime is Afoot 
Lovely review Jose Ignacio. I too came to this series late so haven’t read them all…I think I started with number 9 or 10 and I’ve decided to read the new ones as they come out then go back and read the early ones in order at some later date when I am missing Montalbano and Camilleri is no longer writing.
José Ignacio – What a terrific review. This is one of my favourite series, and one of the reasons for it is that effective mix of good mystery, humour and also realism. Oh, and I love the setting too. Thanks for reminding me of a great series.