A man who collects Rolexes as a hobby awakens from being overcome with gas during the night to discover he has lost an entire gallery of art worth a fortune. This burglary opens Angelica's Smile, the 17th mystery in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series; oddly, it duplicates a burglary that happened three nights before. In both cases, keys are cleverly extricated from a summer residence and used to rob the victims' homes in Vigàta, Sicily.
It's clear a mastermind is orchestrating these crimes, daring the famous Inspector Salvo Montalbano to stop the string of similar burglaries. One of the victims is a gorgeous blonde who shares a name with the elusive beauty in the Italian Renaissance epic Orlando Furioso. In the poem, Angelica drives the hero so furioso he's ripping up trees. Poor Montalbano doesn't fare much better. Though beautiful women regularly throw themselves at him, he usually remains faithful to his steady girlfriend. This time, the inspector is reciting love poetry and concealing evidence.
Otherwise, it's delightfully familiar territory for fans of this long-running series. As usual, the plot is crowded with colorful minor characters--doormen, thugs, inept drivers, restaurant cooks, key makers, plumbers and bank clerks--all with that extra-sharp Sicilian flavor. Camilleri (Hunting Season) writes in a lean, economical, straightforward style and dispenses with plot mechanics swiftly and forgettably; Montalbano's gruff, delightful presence provides the mystery's real pleasure. With the wisdom of a writer approaching 90 in full control of his powers, Camilleri can focus on what's important: his hero facing a brief, stolen opportunity to sample the pleasures of life. --Nick DiMartino, Nick's Picks, University Book Store, Seattle, Wash.