When a Swedish television series begins filming in Vigàta, there is a frenzy of excitement. This new series is set in 1950, and the director asks locals to track down movies and vintage photos to faithfully recreate the town as it looked at that time.
Ernesto Sabatello finds some movies shot by his father up in his attic. The films-- dated from 1958 to 1963-- were always shot on the same day and always had the same location, the outside wall of a country house. Montalbano is intrigued by the mystery of Sabatello's story and begins to check it out.
Meanwhile, a middle school is threatened by a group of armed men, and when Montalbano and his team begin looking into the situation, the inspector finds himself taking a closer look at the students themselves... and even into the world of social media.
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By this time (book 25 of 28 in the series), I feel as though Salvo Montalbano is a beloved uncle, and The Safety Net brings this wily curmudgeon into the world of teenagers and social media. It also brings him into a situation all too familiar to Americans-- gun violence in schools.
With his trademark humor, Andrea Camilleri sets us down in a town seething with excitement over the presence of a film crew in its midst. Some of the situations Montalbano and his team have to deal with are quite funny. But Camillleri can be quite serious, too.
The author shares his opinions about gun violence in schools as well as what he thinks about the internet and social media. ("How was it possible... that this vast new realm had only created a multitude of loners...?") And Montalbano shines when dealing with teenagers in this story. He starts out believing that he doesn't even come close to speaking the same language as the youngsters, but once he begins to apply himself to the task, he's better at it than he'd imagined. And-- wonder of wonders-- he even sits down with Catarella to do some work on the computer!
I've loved this series for a good long time. I love the setting, the food, the humor. The mystery of the home movies here in The Safety Net is a good one as well. But what I really love is Salvo Montalbano, a man so particular about his food that, if you invite him to dinner and he makes an excuse not to come, you know you're a bad cook. I hate to see my time with this series getting nearer to the end.
The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri
Translated from the Italian by Stephen Sartorelli
eISBN: 9780525506621
Penguin Books © 2020
eBook, 269 pages
Police Procedural, #25 Inspector Montalbano
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
As soon as I saw you were reviewing an Andrea Camilleri book, Cathy, I knew I'd like it. I'm not as far along in the series as you are, but I do like the books so much. As you say, the food, the setting, and of course Montalbano's personality. I feel like I know the regular characters, too.
ReplyDeleteYes-- another cast of characters that feels like family.
DeleteMontalbano does indeed sound like a lovable and memorable character. And the plot of this one is so intriguing. Do you think I could jump into this series with this book and still enjoy it even though I haven't read any of the others?
ReplyDeleteThere's a chance that you could jump into this one and enjoy it, but my inner voice is saying no because a good part of the pleasure is due to my familiarity with the characters, and that has had to grow over time.
DeleteI have this series on my TBR list and I do hope to get to it soon. This one sounds like another winner.
ReplyDeleteIt is. This series has long been a Sure Thing for me over the years.
DeleteI haven’t heard of this series so thanks for bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Mystica. It's one of my favorites.
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