The Smell of the Night

Book 6: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery

by Andrea Camilleri

Genres: International Crime & Mystery; Police Procedurals; Suspense

Synopsis

The Smell of the Night, the sixth mystery in the international bestselling series featuring Inspector Montalbano, brings the shady shenanigans of late twentieth-century international finance to small-town Sicily.

Half the retirees in Vigáta have invested their savings with a financial wizard who has disappeared, along with their money and a young man who worked for him. As Montalbano investigates this labyrinthine financial scam, he finds himself at a serious disadvantage: a hostile superior has shut him out of the case, he’s on the outs with his lover Livia, and his cherished Sicily is turning so ruthless and vulgar that Montalbano wonders if any part of it is worth saving. As a result, he’s forced to work from the shadows.

Drenched with atmosphere and crackling with wit, The Smell of the Night is Camilleri at his most addictive.

A Blackstone Audio production.

Release date: November 29, 2005

Publisher: Penguin Books

Print pages: 240

Sample

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

 

Author’s Note

Notes

Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano series

“The idiosyncratic Montalbano is totally endearing.”

—The New York Times

 

“Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can’t stay out of trouble.... Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outbursts, fumbles or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth.”

—The Nation

 

“Once again, violence is muted, complications rule, politics roil, but humor ... prevail[s] in the end, Italy is good to visit, even if only in print. And what better way to shorten a flight to Palermo than by gobbling this tasty snack along the way?”

—Los Angeles Times

 

“[Camilleri’s mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling—and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction.... Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily’s mean streets.”

—USA Today

 

“The Montalbano mysteries offer cose dolci to the world-lit lover hankering for a whodunit.”

—The Village Voice

 

“The reading of these little gems is fast and fun every step of the way.”

—The New York Sun

 

“Wittily translated from the savory Italian, Camilleri’s mysteries ... feature the sardonic Inspector Salvo Montalbano, whose gustatory adventures are at least as much fun as his crime solving.”

—Rocky Mountain News

 

“Camilleri once again thrills with his fluid storytelling and quirky characters.”

-Publishers Weekly

A PENGUIN MYSTERY

THE SMELL OF THE NIGHT

Andrea Camilleri is the author of many books, including his Montalbano series, which has been adapted for Italian television and translated into nine languages. He lives in Rome.

 

Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator. He is also the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Open Vault.

PENGUIN BOOKS

 

Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published in Penguin Books 2005

 

 

Translation copyright © Stephen Sartarelli, 2005 All rights reserved

 

Originally published in Italian as L’odore della notte by Sellerio editore.

© 2001 Sellerio editore via Siracusa 50 Palermo.

 

Publisher’s Note