The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri =)

The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri will sweep you away to Sicily (with hopefully good weather!)  These characters have the same resonance as Precious Ramotswe in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.  You want to know what is happening with them. (Yes I  know they are not real, but...)  Again, an example of this, with Hurricane Sandy in the North East recently, the opening of the novel was poingant from the opening paragraphs...

"He had just fallen asleepafter a night worse than almost any other in his life, when a thunderclap as loud as a cannon blast fired inches from his ear startled him awake.  He sat up with a jolt, cursing the saints.  Sleep seemed a distant membory, never to return.  It was useless to remain in bed."

"He got up and went over to the window, and looked outside.  It was a textbook storm:  sky painted uniformly black, bone-chilling lightning bolts, billows ten feet high charging forward, shakng their great white manes.  The surging sea had eaten up the beach, washing all the way up under the veranda.  He glanced at his watch: not quite 6 am."

What I don't understand just yet, mid way into C5, is the opening dream sequence that Montalbano recalls in the first chapter.  We shall see... 

Again, another poisoning.  I haven't read so many mysteries with poisinings in I don't know how long!  From page 50-51, "Poison, my friend.  With what?  Common rat poison.  Montalbano was so obviously bewildered that Pasquano noticed.  Do you find that distrubing?  Yes.  Nowadays, poison is--  No longer in fashion?"

"Listen, I would strongly advise all aspiring murderers to use it.  A gunshot makes such a racket that the neighbors are sure to hear it; stabbing spatters blood all over the place: on the floor, the walls, your clothes...  Whereas poison...  Don't you agree?"

This book was better than expected.  I could not put it down at the end.  I had to find out what happened.  The dream sequence in C1 does have bearing at the end of the novel.  The tie in comes with  the character of Laura B.  The opening dream sequence represents things in life that you have not acted upon that you wish you had.  (Or that is my take based on how the author has the events unfold at the end of the novel.)  I don't know if I agree with the way he ended the novel with Laura, especially if there is going to be another book in the series.  The tensions with Livia are still very high, Laura would have been an interesting diversion?  Also, I would like to have know more about Laura.  Everything we find out about her comes from Montabano.  She needed to have more of a voice in the story to make the experience complete.  Cat was usual great comic relief and made me laugh! I would high recommend this book for anyone to read.