“‘Can’t you see that you’re presently unwilling, in this Riccardino story, to set the investigation on a specific, welldefined path? I offer you a lead, and you start joking around, and as a result I find myself in a pickle. As a writer, I mean. This can’t go on, Salvo. It’s imperative that your investigation—’ ‘Your ten minutes are up,’ said Montalbano. And he hung up.”

My thanks to Pan Macmillan Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Riccardino: the Final Montalbano Mystery’ by Andrea Camilleri in exchange for an honest review. It was published in Italy in 2020 and translated from the Italian by Stephen Sartarelli. I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook that I had preordered months ago.

This is Book 28 of the Inspector Montalbano Mysteries. Andrea Camilleri had originally written it in 2005, then tweaked it in 2016. It was then locked away in his publishers’ office with instructions to be published after Camilleri’s death.

As with the entire series, its plot is quirky. Inspector Montalbano is woken by an early-morning phone call in which the caller, who announces himself as Riccardino, appears to be expecting him to arrive at a rendezvous. Before Montalbano can reply, the caller hangs up. Later in the day Montalbano learns of the brutal murder in broad daylight of a man known as Riccardino. An investigation follows.

In a surreal twist the Author of the popular series of mysteries inspired by Montalbano’s cases gets in touch offering advise on how to solve the case. Montalbano isn’t pleased as he feels as both the books and television series are increasingly a huge distraction to his work.

This was indeed a very quirky novel even without the breaking of the fourth wall yet remains full of the Sicilian "gioia di vivere" so much a part of the novels and its television adaptation.

While it was sad to say goodbye to the Inspector, his colleagues and to Vigàta at least Camilleri ended the series as he wished with a clever twist in the tale.

I was happy to see Jeff Fisher’s cover art with its bold colours. I have always sought out Fisher’s covers for my physical copies of the books.

While meta fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea I appreciate it across various mediums, so rather loved this aspect of ‘Riccardino’.

What a brilliant ending of a great writing career!

When an author creates a character to feature his series of crime fiction books, he inevitably becomes deeply attached to this fictional person. I cannot even imagine what it felt like for Camilleri participating in 28 crime investigations with Montalbano, this grumpy yet funny guy, and being together in good times and bad times.

He has given us a unique final episode: it's special because he wrote this book many years ago and wanted to have it published only after his death, and also because he inserted himself in the story, in a kind of dialogue with Montalbano. The story is as good as ever, and the ending lives up to the entire series.

Salve Montalbà! Addio Camilleri!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an Advance Reading Copy.

I finished this with a bittersweet feeling knowing that this is the very last of the wonderful Montalbano series, and that Camilleri has made it quite clear that there are to be no sequels penned by someone else given *that ending*. That said, Salvo bows out without becoming any less grumpy, without losing his appetite for food - or for conflict whether with his superiors, the church or Italian politics. It's a shame that Mimi isn't here for this final shout-out, though Fazio and the divine Cat make good showings. The acute departure in this book is that Camilleri makes himself present as The Author, hassling Montalba about how best to handle his case for the best story and making hilarious asides about how he's not allowed to be too erudite given that he's a 'genre' writer, and how the TV Montalbano, sauve and sophisticated, would do things!

It's a fine meta ending to a marvellous series - Montalbano and his humane, compassionate, sharp and witty author will be missed.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of Riccardino, the twenty eighth and final instalment of the Inspector Montalbano series.

Montalbano is not best pleased when his phone rings at 5am and Riccardino asks him when he will be there. Obviously a wrong number, but when a man is gunned down by a motorcyclist and he turns out to be the eponymous Riccardino Montalbano’s troubles are only starting.

Riccardino is a strange novel in comparison with the rest of the series. It was originally written in 2004-5 and dusted off in 2016 as a finale to the series and this is very much on the author’s mind. He inserts himself into the story, providing a critique of Montalbano’s investigation and offering alternative solutions to the crime. It’s a bit literary for me nowadays (I did my time in literary criticism and now prefer mindless entertainment), but then the author regrets being bundled into the niche of crime fiction so perhaps this is his final bid for something more. Montalbano is not quite himself either. He’s more introspective and preoccupied by his televised self and how he measures up. Again, a bit deep for my shallow tastes. He’s also not firing on all cylinders, investigatively speaking and when he is the powers that be are working against him. This part seems realistic and all too believable.

Meanwhile the investigation is the usual mixture of the absurd and comical. It made me laugh a lot, from the verbal malapropisms of Cat and the vision of the fortune teller and her sex life to the various crimes uncovered. It is clever and interesting. I must admit that I didn’t see the ending coming and while I’m not sure of the implications of it I think it would be ideal for a book club discussion, offering as it does so many possibilities.

Riccardino is not the usual Montalbano fare, but I think it is a fitting farewell to a much loved character so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

#Riccardino #NetGalley I have for many years enjoyed the Montalbano series on TV but this is the first book I have read in the series. Whilst I enjoyed the storyline and Montalbano's search to find the truth behind the murder, I did find the premise about the book and tv series discussed in the book quite irritating and distracted me from the plot a lot of the time. I don't know if this is the case in all of the books or just this one. Also, whilst I appreciate that this book has been translated from Italian, I found the dialogue from Catarella very jumbled and difficult to follow (and yes I know this is one of his characteristics!)

Andrea Camilleri gives us the last chapter of Inspector Salvo Montalbano series set in Sicily, the final case, a book that the author wrote and had locked away to be published after his death. It all begins with Montalbano receiving a call, a wrong number from a Riccardino, asking him why he has not joined them yet, to which he irately gets his own back by misleadingly saying he is on his way. Later, he gets a call about a murder, a shooting by a killer on a motorbike. It turns out the victim is Riccardo Lopresti, aka Riccardino, his early morning caller, with his 3 closest friends present and all witnesses to the killing. Finding himself surrounded by a crowd cheering at the crime scene, unable to distinguish between the TV Montalbano and his real self, Montalbano whisks the 3 friends to the police station to interview them in peace.

A tired and out of sorts Montalbano is conflicted as to how to conduct the murder inquiry, oddly feeling as if he is competing with the popular TV version of himself. All of which means he is not that bothered when the case is transferred to the Chief of the Flying Squad, Inspector Toti. However, he finds himself once again in charge after a meeting with the influential Bishop Partanna, whose nephew is one of the 3 friends who all work at the local salt mine, applies pressure on the Commissioner. Matters become even more intriguing when mystic and fortune teller, Augustina 'Tina' Maca, informs Montalbano of strange goings on at night with a truck regularly leaving behind packages. Given the number of obstacles in his way, including philosophical questions from the Bishop designed to trap him, is this one case Montalbano is destined to not be able to solve?

Camilleri uses the literary devise of inserting himself as the author into the novel, interacting with his chief character, concerned that Montalbano is no longer up to the job and coming up with ways of solving the case for his novel, telling him that readers are wearying of the constant focus on the Mafia and corrupt politicians. With the author and Montalbano each feeling the other is losing the plot, where will it all end? So here we are, at the closing offbeat episode of what has been a fabulously entertaining series that I have loved. This was a great read, and I must admit I did not expect it to end in the way it did, fans of this wonderfully fun and humorous series I think will enjoy this addition. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Around five o’clock in the morning, Inspector Montalbano’s phone rings. The caller identifies himself only as Riccardino and says, “We’re all here already, outside the Bar Aurora, and you’re the only one missing!” Annoyed at being disturbed, Montalbano tells the stranger he’ll be right there, hangs up, and goes back to bed. A second call comes an hour later from his police colleagues asking him to come to the Bar Aurora to investigate the murder of one Riccardo Lopresti. Montalbano realises that the victim was the same person who had called him on the phone, possibly by ringing a wrong number.
“Riccardino” is the last novel featuring the Sicilian police inspector Salvo Montalbano which is being published a year after the death of his creator, writer Andrea Camilleri. The book was written and finished in 2005 and refined in 2016, after which Camilleri delivered it to his publisher with the proviso that it would not be released until after his death. He died on 18 July 2019 at the age of 93.
Fans are in for a special treat in “Riccardino” - not only do they get another murder for Montalbano to solve, but Camilleri himself makes a metafictional appearance. He turns up to chastise Montalbano after he is reluctant to get on with the new case, and to offer him a few bizarre clues.
“Riccardino” is full of the usual wit, excitement and satire fans have come to expect from the series, and Montalbano’s farewell fling is insightful and intriguing, with a clever twist. The reader strongly gets the sense that Camilleri wanted to go out with a flourish, and while the novel’s twist may not be to everyone’s taste, it still works as a first-rate crime novel. “Riccardino” is the perfect swansong for the singular Italian detective.