Salvo Montalbano

The Young Montalbano: An Apricot (2/6)

As I look back over ‘An Apricot’ I can’t help but admire Andrea Camilleri’s skill as a writer.  He has managed to weave a story that twists and turns, leaving you wanting more.  Certainly, of all the endings I was expecting, this was not one of them.  But lets not put the wrong end first.

Salvo’s imminent departure is what starts the story.  Livia has arrived to help pack.  On the way home from the airport, they discover an old stone wall close to a cliff edge has been knocked down.  On further investigation we find an overturned car at the bottom of the cliff with a dead woman inside.

The woman worked as a model at a local agency and had been having a relationship with one of her employers.  This had ceased some months ago, however, all was not as it seemed.  Digging deeper, they find she had an apricot stone stuck in her throat.  This is odd as she was known to be allergic to the fruit.

Now convinced of her murder, the team checks out her new lover, a photographer working at the same agency.  We learn very quickly that he is a heroin addict.  Suspicion soon flits from one suspect to another as new clues arise.  Even her neighbour is suspected.  Bit by bit the story is revealed, the agency has been shipping drugs to South America.

Finally settling on the real killer, we are dismayed to see that he has been killed too.  Worse than that, he is murdered right outside Montalbano’s house and the night before he is due to leave.  Being the dedicated detective, Salvo stays behind while Livia returns to Genoa.

Little more than two days later and he has unraveled the mess and is finally ready to leave.  Just before he goes, he decides to take one last look around town.  A lack of people is bewildering until he returns to the station.  It is there that we learn of a shocking event that persuades him to stay.

While I suspected Montalbano would continue to stay in Sicily, I had hoped to see him at work in a new venue.  However, living and working in a city like Genoa would entail a complete change in pace.  Whatever happens in the mean time, I hope I will not have to wait too long for the next series.

The Young Montalbano: The Honest Thief (2/5)

The honest thief will definitely go down as one of my favourites from this season.  For one thing, it did not focus heavily on the mafia.  Instead the main plot was on the disappearance of a local barmaid.

Very quickly we learn that she had had many lovers most of which are semi-respectable and would have nothing to do with her disappearing act.  As the story progressed, we find that she received a threatening phone call regarding a blackmail effort centring on an incriminating note.  Even though claiming she cannot find the note, the man does not believe her.

Fearing for her life, she empties her bank account and safety deposit box before catching a train back to her home town, Milan.  A couple of days later, a body is found.

The first sub-plot focusses on the title criminal; the honest thief.  Reports come in of small amounts of money being stolen.  Even more interesting is the fact that more money has been left behind.  Later, we learn that and old man has recently finished a prison sentence and suspicion moves to him.  The modus operandi of the new thief fits the old, perfectly.

The second sub-plot concerns a kidnapping of a rich local businessman’s son.  All efforts to find him are proving useless until our friend, the honest thief, overhears a phone conversation during a break-in.  I won’t go into any more detail but what I can say is this, I liked the solution.

Finally, we have the ongoing story of Livia and Salvo’ relationship.  Montalbano has put in a transfer request to Genoa in order to be closer to her.  When the rest of the team find out, I almost felt sorry for them.  Their boss, who they respect and admire, is abandoning them.  To make matters worse, he had been keeping it a secret.  I can’t blame them for tempers flaring but I would be interested to see how this pans out.

Will season three see Montalbano in Genoa?  There is still one more episode this series so who knows what will happen.  I know what I would like to see, but I’ll keep my mouth shut for now.

The Young Montalbano: The Settlement (2/4)

This episode has a theme which is similar to ‘Death on the High Seas’.  Notably someone is killed, the mafia are involved and a settlement needs to be reached before war breaks out.

It opens with a bank robbery of a small branch yet has an unusually large number of safety deposit boxes.  Whoever got in did so by knowing the correct access codes.  It transpires that all bar one box have been accessed by just two men, both of whom work for the Sinagras.  Well I won’t reveal who did what and why but I will say this; further murders were necessary to prevent a war.

The main sub-plot involves a female clairvoyant and the death of a doctor.  The two are linked by the fact that the doctor killed her brother while he was in the Italian SS during world war II.  Bullets are found in her suitcase which match the one used to kill the doctor and yet it is not her.

The final sub-plot features Salvo Montalbano and a woman named Stella Parenti.  It has been a month since Livia and Salve took a break (see my blog on episode 2/3 ‘Death on the High Seas’) and Salvo is finding it hard.  To aid in his investigation of the robbery, Salvo turns to the bank across the road.  It just so happens that the woman in charge takes a shine to him.  Matters come to a head when, days later and after a meal together, she invites him in.

I like murder mysteries which do not reveal the culprit, or at least keep you guessing.  Andrea Camilleri reveals the story a little at a time but never enough to give the game away too soon.  For example, Salvo escorts an old woman home but you are left guessing how she fits into the story.

As a bit of a romantic, I want to see Salvo and Livia get back together but this is a television show so you have to have the ‘will they, won’t they?’ cliché.  Still, there is a reason why it is used so much, because it works.

The Young Montalbano: Death on the High Seas (2/3)

Like earlier episodes, last night’s consisted of a main plot and two sub-plots.  The main plot revolved around the death of a fishing boat mechanic while out at sea.  By all accounts, he was shot by accident.  On investigation, it is revealed that the fleet the boat belongs to, has been drug trafficking for the Mafia.

The first sub-plot concerns Fazio and a woman he has known for many years.  The woman in question had been dating a man who, it transpires, is a hitman for the Sinagara family (Mafia).  When he goes on the run the police, through Fazio, offer her and her father, protection.  The hitman, offended by this move, sets a firework factory belonging to one of her father’s friends alight.

The second sub-plot is about Montalbano’s wedding.  While attending a fancy dress party with Livia, Motalbano spots the hitman.  Leaving her when the hitman walks out, Montalbano tracks him down and a gun battle ensues.  Having watched Montalbano leave, Livia follows.  Livia now realises what sort of person Montalbano is like and the wedding is put on hold.

While the second sub-plot is probably the most familiar cliché when it comes to detective dramas, it is revealed in a different way.  The earlier series (Inspector Montalbano) showed that they are still friends.  Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any other detective who remains in contact with a former fiancé.

The main plot is a nice touch as it is usually the case that the death is suspicious.  Using it to reveal the drug trafficking is an extra twist to what could have been a bland tale.

This story was a lot easier to follow than ‘The Man Who Followed Funerals’, which is great as I do like watching this series.  Saying that, I get the feeling that the producers have gone for more drama this series.

The Young Montalbano: Room Number Two (2/2)

This week’s episode started with Montalbano and his fiancé out on a stroll when a fire breaks out in a nearby hotel.  On rushing over we discover, to our horror, that a man is trapped inside.  Dashing inside our hero tries to rescue him but it is on use, the fire is too intense.  As it transpires, arson was the cause of the fire.  The team launches an investigation but are thwarted at every turn.

Suspects are inquired into but to no avail.  Even the Mafia comes under suspicion (The Cuffaros and Sinagras are the two rival factions in this part of Sicily) when another man dies a couple of days later.  There is of course, a link but it’s more complicated than that.

On top of this, Montalbano and Livia (his fiancé) are getting married.  The ceremony in all its intricacies needs to be planned and everyone, from bumbling Catarella (seen doing some embroidery at one point) upwards, wants to help.  ‘Mimi’ Augello’s diaphanous attempts to be Montalbano’s witness leads to disaster when he picks a former colleague instead.

After what happened next, I was rather disappointed that Montalbano did not get his own back, but I guess he could not upset such a delicate project so quickly.

While I did struggle with this one (mainly through reading subtitles although the plot does have many twists), there was just enough light hearted moments mixed with drama to keep me hooked until the end.

This is what I love about these series, the addition of humour adds something missing from our ‘pure’ dramas.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the odd drama, but it can feel a bit stressful after a while.

The Young Montalbano, The Man Who Followed Funerals (2/1)

For those of you who are unaware of this series, it is an Italian crime drama set in Sicily. As someone who followed the original Inspector Montalbano series, it was natural for me to gravitate to the prequel, The Young Montalbano.  While it features the same characters, they are played by a different cast in order to play younger versions of said characters.

Now in its second series we are treated to a story of the murder of a man who followed funerals.  Like all earlier episodes, it takes its sweet time to unravel and wrap it’s delicious tendrils around our minds.  This episode features two cases, the aforementioned murder and a kidnapping. As usual, it is up to Montalbano and his team to solve both puzzles.  Since watching the earlier series, I have come to see the main characters grow and bond together.

‘Mimi’ Augello (deputy) is the near stereotypical philandering male who gets himself into all sorts of scrapes.  Then there is fastidious Fazio (virtually Montalbano’s right-hand man despite ‘Mimi’s’ presence) who seems to do all the legwork which proves useful in helping to solve the case.  Finally there is Catarella, the bumbling fool who mans the telephone.  If there is a message to be passed, he will inevitably get it wrong. So why don’t they get rid of him? Because he is a whiz on the computer.  It helps that he is more of a clumsy buffoon rather than a complete moron.

And so we see the band trying to solve the riddle of who killed the man who followed funerals.  At first it seems that he is loved by all.  An innocent man who felt discarded by society.  As it transpires, one of his neighbours, who is terminally ill, does not want him to attend his funeral.  He confronts the victim but he does not listen and so, murders him.

When confronted, the man confesses but instead of facing a mortal court prefers to chose a higher judgement, shooting himself with the same weapon.  The kidnapping has a grizzly end too but at least this time they are arrested.

All in all, I enjoyed this episode, barring one niggle.  It seemed to me that whoever was nearest the camera stood out a little too much, especially in the outdoor scenes.  I got the impression that the lighting was a little too bright.  Otherwise, it was very good.  I can’t wait to see the next episode, not least to find out how Montalbano and Livia Burlando get on.

Theirs is the everlasting friendship that really should have been a marriage by now but I guess Montalbano likes to be a bit of a playboy.