The Snack Thief (Commissario Montalbano #3) by Andrea Camilleri.

In the third Inspector Montalbano novel, one victim was found stabbed in a lift and another is shot on a fishing boat. Follow Inspector Montalbano as he solves the mysteries surrounding these deaths. Like the other novels in this series, The Snack Thief can be read as a standalone.

This is the third Inspector Montalbano book I have read on-the-trot. I am enjoying this series and love the consistency of Andrea’s writing. Salvo Montalbano now seems like an old friend to me and the books have developed a cosy feeling as I follow him through his work and private life. The crimes he investigates are very different in each book and I love how Andrea uses the returning cast of characters to develop the brand. This long running theme among the regulars is engaging and makes the reader feel as though they belong within the community. Having these regulars adds so much value to the novels and I can imagine Andrea having these imaginary little people playing on his mind when he was not writing his books. I found his use of returning characters very similar to that of Elly Griffiths in her Dr. Ruth Galloway series.

Like the other books in the Inspector Montalbano series, I just loved Andrea’s play on language. Subtle fun is made of characters who speak Italian as a second language. I must thank the translator of this series, as I am reading the English version, yet the humour aimed at migrants shines brightly through. The banter between all the characters is entertaining, sharp and witty, with never a boring conversation.

I have enjoyed reading this trio of books in the series. I like that the quality of each one is the same and I consider The Snack Thief is a GOOD 4 star read. My lasting impression on reading these books is that if I were to read another in the series, I know exactly what to expect. Strangely enough, I also feel the same about Elly Griffiths books too.

The Snack Thief was written in 1996 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

The Terra-Cotta Dog (Commissario Montalbano #2) by Andrea Camilleri.

This is the second book in the Inspector Montalbano series but it can be read as a standalone. This time there is a robbery and elsewhere a murder scene. Follow Inspector Montalbano as he solves these two mysteries on his home turf of Sicily.

I liked how many of the characters carried on from the first novel. I liked the tone and author’s voice that sounded loudly from the pages. I got the feeling that Inspector Montalbano plus his workmates and friends became family to me. Having read the first novel, I found the characters very easy to engage with. Because of Andrea’s writing style I found it extremely easy to engage with the new characters, whether they were the good or the bad guys. Andrea has a great skill at smoothly developing realistic characters.

The two mysteries were a great puzzle for the reader to grapple with. Neither mystery made any sense but because of the people Inspector Montalbano interviewed, he was able to get to the bottom of both mysteries. This was great because nothing made sense, the proceeds of a robbery were abandoned and the murder scene formed a triangle around the victims bordered by a bowl, a jug and a Terra-Cotta dog. I loved how folklore and religion were used to explain the significance of the murder scene. This added great depth to this story.

I found The Terra-Cotta Dog to be a jolly read with great banter and wit between the characters. The dialogue had great humour and constantly made me smile. The undertones of each character were subtly played and Inspector Montalbano is quite a randy old devil on the quiet.

There was an extensive vocabulary used throughout this novel and I loved how Andrea would explain and play on how his characters spoke depending on whether they came from the north, the south or a foreign country.

There was a good mixture of people in this mystery making this a bright story. I thought the novel progressed at a good pace with lots going on. On the one side Inspector Montalbano is a lovable cop and on the other the Mafioso are making things awkward. Then there are the many people caught between, making the violent and murderous scenes all part of a cosy mystery.

I thought The Terra-Cotta Dog was a GOOD 4 star read and I am very comfortable with this series.

The Terra-Cotta Dog was written in 1996 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

The Shape of Water (Commissario Montalbano #1) by Andrea Camilleri.

I have not read any books written by the Italian author Andrea Camilleri, so I thought I would start with his first novel in the Commissario Montalbano series. Andrea Camilleri was born on the 6th September 1925 but will be unable to write any more books as he sadly died on the 17th July 2019.

I enjoyed reading The Shape of Water with all it’s colourful descriptions of life in Sicily. I have never been to Italy and found this mystery accessible for British readers as the local cultures were gently explained. I found this mystery well paced and the jolly dialogue made for a warm and cosy read. The style of this novel is very similar to the popular BBC television series Death in Paradise.

I liked the development of the central character in this series and how Inspector Montalbano is an old school cop who has no problem with bending the rules in his investigations.

I thought the story was lively, with the details bright, sexy and vibrant. This was NOT a dull mystery surrounding the death of a prominent man in his car but a shining tale of things are not always what they appear at first glance. I found The Shape of Water to be a GOOD 4 star read and look forward to reading some more in the Inspector Montalbano series.

The Shape of Water was written in 1994 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Dark Game by Rachel Lynch.

DI Kelly Porter leaves the Metropolitan Police and returns to her home turf of the Lake District. How will she get on serving the tourist areas that are a quiet peaceful contrast to the violence and disorder of London? This is the first novel in the DI Kelly Porter series.

I really enjoyed reading Dark Game and I think that Rachel Lynch is top of her league in the British Crime Thriller genre. The quality writing made this a gripping thriller which had a great plot.

I thought the atmosphere was great with plenty of lively characters and lots of detail. The whole story is bright and sexy with lots of attitude and presented life in all it’s gritty glory. The action is both graphic and entertaining, with the sexy bits making the reader smile. There was even some sibling rivalry between DI Kelly Porter and her sister Nikki. I really enjoyed the sharp dialogue and great wit, like when Kelly was chatting to her mother...

‘I called your sister.’

‘What? Why?’

Kelly was livid. Any moment now, Joan of Arc would waft in with her brood of snot-covered kids and rescue her mother from her wayward,  irresponsible daughter.

‘You didn’t need to do that! I’ll call her.’

… So Dark Game ticked all the boxes for me and this OUTSTANDING read gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Dark Game was written in 2018 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Her Deepest Fear by Kelly Utt.

Cate Brady gets a knock on her door and it is bad news, her husband Mick has been killed in an accident. How will she and her three young children cope?

Oh dear, this thriller does drone on a lot. There is a lot of padding around a shallow plot and I thought that Cate's deepest fear was being stuck in a mundane story with no way out of the pages. 

Yes, this book is easy reading but it is too light with no bite or depth. It is B-Movie material and the whole tale is unlikely. I found Her Deepest Fear to be a disappointing, POOR 2 star read. I thought the ending was stupid, extremely unrealistic and had me gasping "as if!".

The best bit of the whole book was the penultimate paragraph, which made me cry for Cate Brady and the time I had wasted reading this dull novel.

Her Deepest Fear was written in 2019 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Map of the Dead by Murray Bailey.

Follow Alex MacLure as he unfolds the mystery surrounding his friend's death and legends entombed in Egypt.

I found Map of the Dead to be a regular secret code mystery with the usual conspiracies, lies and speculation thrown in. The plot was average with no real surprises. There was the usual mix of bad and good guys with the standard question of who can you trust. There was nothing in this story that made it stand out from others in this genre.

I did enjoy how the author threaded mathematics into the story. I thought those parts were very interesting. I was impressed by the research about Egypt and it's history of language, records and hidden data. But the religious mumbo jumbo simply left me cold. I thought the inclusion of a discovered story dating from 1,300 BCE a tiresome bore.

Map of the Dead filled the time but did not excite me. It was an okay, 3 star read with only 1 joke within the pages.

Map of the Dead was written in 2016 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks.

Tamara is a young woman who knows what she wants. Stacey has a lovely marriage to Dom and they adore their children Arthur and Ivy. Tamara would very much like a life like Stacey's and if her plans work out, she can have the life of her dreams.

Deserve to Die gets off to a very dramatic start and I was gripped. It is creepy but realistic. Then in the next chapter the point of view changes from Tamara to Stacey. Deserve to Die is a psychological thriller with the stress put on both the characters and the reader. The tension starts from the first chapter all the way to the end.

Character development is wonderful, it just builds and builds. Tamara and Stacey are so different. Tamara is youthful, sexy, sharp and dynamic, with shed loads of attitude. Stacey is a yummy mummy running a messy, untidy home. I loved all the bitchy remarks Tamara made about Stacey, they made me chuckle because they were so catty. There is something so funny when women have a go at each other.

I thought Deserve to Die has a good pace and a great plot. I was impressed by the quality of writing and amazed by the extensive vocabulary used. Every chapter I had to call up an obscure word to check it's definition. I do not feel this was the author showing off, I believe she simply has the linguistic skills to finely describe what is going on.

I loved the format of Deserve to Die with alternating chapters from Tamara and Stacey. It also has a linear time line which pleased me big time as one of my pet hates is novels that jump backwards and forwards in time.

Okay Tamara is a nasty woman but she makes for a thrilling read. You do not have to like her but she is not some boring bimbo into beauty and cupcakes.

I really enjoyed reading Deserve to Die and found it an engaging story. I loved the tension and the way the story was told. I think Deserve to Die is an OUTSTANDING read which gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher Inkubator Books for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.