Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Picador (2012), Edition: Main Market Ed., 320 pages
Description
An unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter's clay. Meanwhile, a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be related to a local mobster. Then Inspector Montalbano remembers the story from the Bible-- Judas's betrayal, the act of remorse, and the money for the potter's field, where those of unknown or foreign origin are to be buried-- and slowly, through myriad betrayals, finds his way to the solution to the crime.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lit_chick
2011, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner
Book Description: from Audible.com
An unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter’s clay, and a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be
My Review:
Interesting twists and turns here – good story. Something is troubling Mimi Augello – a lot! – and it has escaped Montalbano’s attention until Livia, of all people, points it out to him. Livia is friends with Augello’s wife, Beba, and has picked up some information in conversation with her friend. Then, Montalbano arrives to the office one morning to find Catarella in tears – what on earth? While investigating the identity of the corpse found near Vigata, Montalbano discovers what it is he expects is troubling his friend – and it’s not good …
Book Description: from Audible.com
An unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter’s clay, and a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be
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related to a local mobster. Montalbano remembers the biblical story of Judas’ betrayal, the act of remorse, and the 30 pieces of silver for the potter’s field, where those of unknown or foreign origin are to be buried … and slowly, through myriad betrayals, finds his way to the solution to the crime.My Review:
Interesting twists and turns here – good story. Something is troubling Mimi Augello – a lot! – and it has escaped Montalbano’s attention until Livia, of all people, points it out to him. Livia is friends with Augello’s wife, Beba, and has picked up some information in conversation with her friend. Then, Montalbano arrives to the office one morning to find Catarella in tears – what on earth? While investigating the identity of the corpse found near Vigata, Montalbano discovers what it is he expects is troubling his friend – and it’s not good …
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LibraryThing member Condorena
When a body is found in a field of clay having been uncovered by a deluge it becomes a sensation because the body is recovered in thirty separate pieces. The press would like to sensationalize the find by putting it an the category of ritual killings, Satanic murder and other newsworthy events.
As
Montalbano believes that the message is obvious. It brings to mind the biblical story of the betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver by his friend Judas. Judas later committed suicide after flinging back the payoff in the faces of his own seducers. He was then buried in a potter's field kept as a burial ground for the indigent.
All that is left for Montalbano is to figure out is the who of the body and the murderer, the why, the where and the how. The killer is cunning but not as smart as Montalbano and the denouement of the mystery is classic.
As
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much as Salvo Montalbano bemoans his slow creep into old age by refusing to wear eyeglasses he can still see clearly and can read the message of the body. The thirty pieces of a corpse, along with burial in a potter's clay field suggests a mafia killing in the old time fashion of wanting to leave a message.Montalbano believes that the message is obvious. It brings to mind the biblical story of the betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver by his friend Judas. Judas later committed suicide after flinging back the payoff in the faces of his own seducers. He was then buried in a potter's field kept as a burial ground for the indigent.
All that is left for Montalbano is to figure out is the who of the body and the murderer, the why, the where and the how. The killer is cunning but not as smart as Montalbano and the denouement of the mystery is classic.
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LibraryThing member pw0327
I am working my through the Inspector Montalbano mysteries. It has been a tremendous treat so far, and I have fallen into the rhythm of the writing and ther way Camilleri structures the stories. While I am still eagerly reading the mysteries, there was a sense that Camilleri was having a hard time
Until this one. This story really grabbed my attention and while staying true to the Montalbano franchise structure, the story line and the writing is much more focused and is much sharper than the last few books. This was just such a superb read that I had a moment of melancholy when I'd finally reached the last page.
The biblical reference and the was Camilleri mixed in the drama involving the recurring characters is quite a lot of fun and it definitely reinvigorated the story and the series.
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sustaining the novels.Until this one. This story really grabbed my attention and while staying true to the Montalbano franchise structure, the story line and the writing is much more focused and is much sharper than the last few books. This was just such a superb read that I had a moment of melancholy when I'd finally reached the last page.
The biblical reference and the was Camilleri mixed in the drama involving the recurring characters is quite a lot of fun and it definitely reinvigorated the story and the series.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
It has become the norm to have a Montalbano mystery begin with one of the inspector's dreams. The Potter's Field is no exception, and Montalbano's dream is a lulu. The older he gets, the more wily he becomes, and it's a joy to watch him piece together all the clues he's gathered.
The emphasis in
The Potter's Field is another enjoyable outing with one of my favorite policemen. Montalbano not only deals with multiple investigations, he also must face a betrayal from within, and his realization of Catarella's importance in his life brought a smile to my face. Camilleri has created a setting that's filled with beauty and ugliness, with friends, with laughter, and with mouthwatering food. I look forward to each and every one of my visits there.
The emphasis in
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any Montalbano mystery by Andrea Camilleri isn't exactly on the mystery. It's more of a triumvirate: the characters and their relationships to each other, a wonderful sense of humor, and a puzzle finally tracked to its source. The mystery isn't always baffling. Sometimes Camilleri allows us to solve it first so that we may sit back and watch Montalbano conduct his investigation. The Potter's Field is another enjoyable outing with one of my favorite policemen. Montalbano not only deals with multiple investigations, he also must face a betrayal from within, and his realization of Catarella's importance in his life brought a smile to my face. Camilleri has created a setting that's filled with beauty and ugliness, with friends, with laughter, and with mouthwatering food. I look forward to each and every one of my visits there.
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LibraryThing member lkernagh
Another great installment in the Inspector Montalbano series. This was a goodie, and not just because Ingrid makes a short, cameo-styled appearance. This time the two-fronted mystery involves unusual behaviour of one of Montalbano's own team, leaving Montalbano to not only try and make heads or
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tails out of the latest murder mystery, but to try and manage what is becomes an escalating team-dynamics problem. As a fun aside, I got a good chuckle out of Camilleri having Montalbano read an Andrea Camilleri story involving a police inspector and a puzzling mystery... very tongue-in-cheek and amusing to encounter while reading this one! As for the mystery itself, this is one of the better ones and I really liked how it all played out. Some interesting potential foreshadowing of what may come as Montalbano starts to make some mental musings about retirement life. My love for these stories continues. Onwards to the next installment! Show Less
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
Wow, another twisted story featuring Montalbano!
A bag is found in a field, with part of a foot sticking out... the body itself is chopped into 30 pieces and the finger tips are burned off, and there is a dental bridge (made in South America) in the stomach of the corpse. The corpse is about two
After the news story about the corpse appears on television a woman shows up and wants to file a missing persons report on her husband who just happened to disappear two months previously.
The remains of the body turn out to be that of a man whose father was killed in exactly the same manner many years prior, in South America, by a local Mafia Don. The now hospitalized Don calls in Montablano and explains that first murder was a mistake and proves that he is not responsible for the most current one.
A very well crafted plot that definitely held my interest!
A bag is found in a field, with part of a foot sticking out... the body itself is chopped into 30 pieces and the finger tips are burned off, and there is a dental bridge (made in South America) in the stomach of the corpse. The corpse is about two
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months old, so why hasn't there been a missing persons report?After the news story about the corpse appears on television a woman shows up and wants to file a missing persons report on her husband who just happened to disappear two months previously.
The remains of the body turn out to be that of a man whose father was killed in exactly the same manner many years prior, in South America, by a local Mafia Don. The now hospitalized Don calls in Montablano and explains that first murder was a mistake and proves that he is not responsible for the most current one.
A very well crafted plot that definitely held my interest!
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Inspector Montalbano is called to the scene where a body cut in pieces is found in a bag. Inspector Augello's recent behavior toward his colleagues has been terrible lately, and he comes in demanding Montalbano hand the case over to him. A man reports an incident he's witnessed where a woman was
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nearly run over. A woman comes into the station concerned about her husband who has failed to contact her in his travels. There's a lot going on in this novel which includes mafia and drug themes, but somehow Camilleri manages to weave the threads together into a cohesive plot. I listened to the audio version narrated by Grover Gardner. Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
I always look forward to a novel by Andrea Camilleri. His Mediterranean sense of lightness, of the quirky fun of a life lived well is very hard to find in literature.
This novel has everything I’d expect, being situated in the Crime Fiction Landscape. But then, being a Camilleri novel, everything
You can read the rest of this review on my blog.
This novel has everything I’d expect, being situated in the Crime Fiction Landscape. But then, being a Camilleri novel, everything
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is different. It starts with a cut-up body, moves on to a missing husband, and then comes the Mafia. Upon finishing it, I was left with a vision of the sun, sea, nasty crimes, beautiful women, and pasta with sea urchins, which is pretty much what I remember from all of his novels. But what’s important is not the plot. What really matters is what happens on the sidelines.You can read the rest of this review on my blog.
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LibraryThing member kateashenden
I always have to order the latest Camilleri the minute it's published, and this one was better than the last couple, which were not the strongest offerings. Totally enjoyable, and kept me up finishing it. As usual, I wish the books had the recipes in the back, there are so many delicious-sounding
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seafood dishes mentioned. The potter's field theme worked, despite seeming a bit literal at first, but that was the point...Recommended! Show Less
LibraryThing member ebyrne41
From one of my favourite authors, this, the 13th in the Inspector Salvo Montalbano series, is up there with his best. It has a clever, well-worked plot, wonderful characters, wit in abundance, the wonderful Sicilian landscape, interesting insights into the Sicilian character and society, and of
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course the local cuisine as ever is so important. My one gripe is that this particular book has so little of Salvo's slightly weird relationship with his girlfriend Livia. Highly recommended nonetheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member tututhefirst
Montalbano exhibits some of his educational and cultural background as he leads his team in solving the mystery of the murder of a body found buried in a field of potter's clay. The body was dismembered and chopped into 30 pieces. It has had all identifying features removed, and the only clue Salvo
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has as to identity is the partial dental bridge discovered in the deceased's stomach during the autopsy. At the same time, Livia, Salvo's girlfriend is driving his crazy by reporting constantly on her conversations with the wife of one of his trusty associates Mimi Arguello to the effect that Salvo is making Mimi work too many late nights. Salvo knows this is not true but can't decide how to approach the subject with Mimi. As always in this series, it is the relationship Salvo has with his team, as well as his relationship with Livia, and his deep sense of right and wrong (as opposed to legal and illegal) that makes him such an attractive and popular protagonist. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
Book 13 in the Sicily-set series, and they just keep getting better as Inspector Montalbano gets older, a little wiser, and somewhat more protective of his crew. meanwhile they all get ever more eccentric, while his quips and musings just get funnier, and the cases get more intricate to solve.
LibraryThing member jetangen4571
Only Camilleri could come up with such a convoluted murder plot and resolution.! The whole department is stressed, even in their personal lives, and doing the legwork on this one only adds to their woes. But Montalbano susses it all out and uses the solution to bring things back on track for the
1 like ·
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team. Another great read from the master!1 like ·
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
While I continue to enjoy Montalbano, I was a little disturbed by the behaviour of his second-in-command Mimì Augello in this one. Hopefully, the tensions present in this entry of the series will be gone in the next one.
Grover Gardner (narrator) & Stephen Sartarelli (translator) continue to shine
Grover Gardner (narrator) & Stephen Sartarelli (translator) continue to shine
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as well :) Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
What's there not to love about this series? The food makes me salivate. The way he manages his team while playing pranks on them is inspirational. His constant battles with Livia humanize him and endears him. And on top of that, he's truly a brilliant man.
A body, hacked into 30 pieces and placed in
In this novel though, he's appearing wearier than usual and I'm afraid he's really going to make good on his threat to retire one day in the not too distant future.
A body, hacked into 30 pieces and placed in
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a black bag, is discovered when the heavy rains wash the soil away from the shallow grave. Mimi is acting very strangely and seems to be under a great deal of stress. An extremely sensuous Colombian woman seems to have all men who cross her path enthralled, including Montalbano. And what is murder in Sicily without the mafia being involved in some way?In this novel though, he's appearing wearier than usual and I'm afraid he's really going to make good on his threat to retire one day in the not too distant future.
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LibraryThing member ffortsa
Ah, excellent! A great romp, with both laughter and danger, as Montalbano must solve a murder and save his dearest friend from folly at the same time. Exquisite orchestration of all the follies of our favorite characters, and of course, lots of food.
LibraryThing member quondame
It's a tired discouraged Inspector Montalbano whose meals are only briefly described if at all, and whose pleasures are complicated with guilt or calculation so not my favorite side of him, and there isn't anything in this tale that improves his world, only complicates it.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2013)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Winner — 2012)
Language
Original language
Italian
Original publication date
2008-03-20
2010 (English translation)
Physical description
5.12 inches
ISBN
1447203305 / 9781447203308
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DDC/MDS
| 853.914 |