Esta entrada es bilingüe, para ver la versión en castellano desplazarse hacia abajo
Picador, 2016. Format: Paperback. First published in the UK 2015 by Mantle. Originally published in Italian 2012 as Una lama di luce by Sellerio. Translated by Stephen Sartarelli 2015. ISBN-13: 978 1 4472 6451 4. Number of pages: 296.
Synopsis: When a gentleman arrives at Montalbano’s station to report an armed robbery on his wife that ended with a kiss, the inspector’s suspicions are aroused. As he delves deeper into the case, Montalbano finds that none of the witnesses’ stories are adding up, and he can’t help but feel that they’re not meant to. When a body turns up showing all the signs of a mafia hit, the inspector knows he must excavate the truth from what he is being led to believe. Meanwhile there’s a case that keeps winding its way back to Montalbano’s office. A locked door has suddenly appeared on a farmer’s disused shed, and then, just as quickly, the door disappears. The anti-terrorist police soon intervene, but why are they so keen to keep this away from the inspector? And why does he sense that this case is connected to him somehow? With deceit at every turn and a distraction of the heart taking over his head, Inspector Montalbano must focus if he is ever going to solve this mystery.
My take: Blade of Light (apa A Beam of Light in the US) is the nineteenth book in the Inspector Montalbano series. As usual, the novel not only deals with several cases at the same time, it also provides an overview of different aspects of culture and traditions of Sicilian daily life, where the food plays a very important role. The atmosphere and sense of place are nicely defined, but the characters have seemed to me more stereotyped than usual. I also find that the story rests more on Camilleri’s usual formula, but nevertheless it works out pretty well. Camilleri’s strength lies mainly on his dialogues and here we find him at his best. For me, the reading of any of his books in the series is always a pleasure. Call it a guilty pleasure, if you wish. Perhaps, I have also detected a more melancholic tone in this occasion. Maybe it’s related to age, after all Camilleri is already 91 years old, he was 87 when he published this book, and he still publishes at least one book per year. A Voice in the Night (Montalbano #20) is already available and then come: Un covo di vipere, 2013 (#21), La piramide di fango, 2014 (#22), La giostra degli scambi, 2015 (#23) and L’altro capo del filo, 2016 (#24). I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did, if you decide to read it.
My rating: B ( I really liked it)
About the author: Andrea Camilleri is one of Italy’s most famous contemporary writers. The Inspector Montalbano series has been translated into thirty-two languages and was adapted for Italian television, screened on BBC4. The Potter’s Field, the thirteenth book in the series, was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association’s International Dagger for the best crime novel translated into English. He lives in Rome.
The translator: Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator. He is also the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Open Vault. He lives in France.
Blade of Light has been reviewed at: Shots Magazine and at The Book Bag,
Penguin Random House publicity page
Sellerio publicity page (In Italian)
Salvo Montalbano page at Wikipedia
Un filo de luz de Andrea Camilleri
Sinopsis: Cuando un caballero llega a la comisaría de Montalbano para denunciar el robo a mano armada que sufrió su mujer y terminó con un beso, el suceso despierta las sospechas del inspector. Conforme profundiza en el caso, Montalbano observa que ninguna de las historias de los testigos casan, y no puede evitar la sensación de que ni siquiera lo intentan. Luego, cuando aparece un cuerpo con señales evidentes de tratarse de un golpe de la Mafia, el inspector sabe que tendrá que indagar a fondo en lo que quieren hacerle creer para poder llegar hasta la verdad. Mientras tanto hay un caso que, tras recorrer un sinuoso camino, llega una y otra vez a la oficina de Montalbano. Una puerta cerrada ha aparecido de repente en un cobertizo en desuso propiedad de un agricultor, y luego, con la misma rapidez, la puerta ha desaparecido. La policía antiterrorista interviene pronto, pero ¿por qué tienen tanto interés por mantener este asunto fuera del alcance del inspector? ¿Y por qué siente que este caso está, en cierto modo, relacionado con él? Con mentiras a cada paso que da y con una distracción amorosa que le ocupa el pensamiento, el inspector Montalbano debe concentrarse para poder resolver este misterio.
Mi opinión: Un filo de luz es el décimo noveno libro de la serie del Inspector Montalbano. Como de costumbre, la novela no sólo se ocupa de varios casos, al mismo tiempo, sino que también nos proporciona una visión general de los diferentes aspectos de la cultura y las tradiciones de la vida cotidiana de Sicilia, en donde la comida desempeña un papel muy importante. El ambiente y el sentido de lugar están muy bien definidos, pero los personajes me han parecido algo más estereotipados que de costumbre. También encuentro que la historia descansa en la fórmula habitual de Camilleri, aunque no obstante funciona bastante bien. La fuerza de Camilleri radica principalmente en sus diálogos y aquí lo encontramos en su mejor forma. Para mí, la lectura de cualquiera de los libros de la serie es siempre un placer. Llámenlo un placer culpable, si lo desean. Tal vez he detectado también un tono más melancólico que de costumbre en esta ocasión. Quizá está relacionado con la edad, después de todo Camilleri ya tiene 91 años, tenía 87 cuando publicó este libro, y todavía publica al menos un libro cada año. Una voz en la noche (Montalbano # 20) ya está disponible y luego vienen: Un covo di vipere, 2013 (#21), La piramide di fango, 2014 (#22), La giostra degli scambi, 2015 (#23) y L’altro capo del filo, 2016 (#24). Espero que disfruten de este libro tanto como yo, si deciden leerlo.
Mi valoración: B (Me gustó mucho)
Otra reseña de Un filo de luz en Leer sin prisa
A Crime is Afoot 
A mouthwatering account — many thanks. I’ll have to try to lay hands on this.
Golly! I hadn’t realized that Camilleri was so, er, advanced in years.
You’re welcome John! Maybe I should have noted it would be best to start reading the series somewhere else. Perhaps at The Snack Thief with which this book is somehow related.
I know the series — I’ve read several of them. This one sounds like one tailor-made for me, though.
Then, I would like to hear your thoughts about this one, John 🙂
I have only seen the TV adaptation – my Dad liked it though probably not Montalbano at his best.
That sum it all up, Sergio. A nice story though probably not Montalbano at his best