# Where should you start with Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/starting-montalbano/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Books & ideas · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Start with the first novel, The Shape of Water (La forma dell'acqua, 1994), then read roughly in publication order, at least for the first handful, so you watch the regulars and the inspector's long-distance romance develop. After that you can dip in anywhere: each book is a self-contained case. In English, the long-running translations by Stephen Sartarelli keep a flavour of Camilleri's Sicilian Italian and come with helpful notes. Andrea Camilleri (1925-2019) had a long career as a theatre and television director before Montalbano made him one of Italy's best-selling writers. According to [Wikipedia's profile of Camilleri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Camilleri), the first Montalbano novel appeared in 1994, when he was already in his late sixties, and the series ran for the rest of his life; the final novel, Riccardino, came out in Italian in 2020, the year after his death. ## Who is Montalbano? Salvo Montalbano is the *commissario*, the police chief, of Vigàta, an invented Sicilian seaside town. He is clever, stubborn, honest and impatient with bureaucracy; his superiors find him a loose cannon. He lives alone in a house by the sea, carries on a long-running, long-distance relationship with Livia in Genoa, and works with a memorable team: his deputy Mimì Augello, the quietly brilliant Inspector Fazio, and Catarella, the switchboard officer whose mangled language is one of the comic pleasures of the series. Under the comedy there is real bite: [Wikipedia's article on the character](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvo_Montalbano) notes that Camilleri deliberately used the crime novel to comment on Sicilian and Italian society. ## Reading order The cases stand alone, so you can't really get lost. But order matters for the regulars: relationships shift, people come and go, and the inspector grows older and more reflective. Our suggestion: 1. **The Shape of Water (1994).** The first, and a fine introduction to the town, the team and the tone. 2. **The Terracotta Dog (1996).** The second novel, by which point you will know the town's rhythms. 3. **The Snack Thief (1996).** Important for Montalbano's personal life: it is where we learn about his childhood. After the first three, read in publication order if you like continuity, or pick by title if you just want a good case on holiday. There are also short-story collections; save them for when you already know the characters. ## The Sicilian setting Vigàta is modelled on Camilleri's home town of Porto Empedocle, on Sicily's south-west coast, and the provincial capital Montelusa is based on Agrigento. The connection is strong enough that Porto Empedocle briefly added "Vigàta" to its official name. Expect sea, heat, slow lunches and a lot of people who know more than they say. ## The food Montalbano eats seriously, and silently: he likes to give a good meal his full attention. His housekeeper Adelina, a superb cook, often leaves a Sicilian dish for him to find when he gets home; on the nights she doesn't, he makes do with olives and cheese. Camilleri even named one story collection after arancini, the stuffed fried rice balls. Read these books hungry at your peril. If they send you to the kitchen, the vegetable side of Sicilian cooking is a happy place to start: caponata, pasta with aubergine, simple dishes built on olive oil, lemons and good tomatoes. ## Translations Camilleri wrote in a mix of standard Italian and Sicilian, which is part of the charm and the challenge. In English, the series has been translated by Stephen Sartarelli, who tries to keep that mix in the dialogue and adds notes at the end of each novel explaining Sicilian and Italian details. Read the notes; they are full of good things. ## FAQ ### Should you watch the TV series first? Either works. The RAI series starring Luca Zingaretti, running since 1999, is beautiful to look at and was largely shot around Ragusa, so the landscape differs from Camilleri's Agrigento coast. The books are funnier and more interior. ### Are the books violent? They are crime novels, so there are murders, but the tone is wry rather than graphic. The pleasure is in the investigation and the characters. ### Can you read them in Italian? If your Italian is good, yes, but the Sicilian makes them harder than standard novels. Many learners read a book in English first, then the same one in Italian. ### Is there a prequel? Yes. There are short stories about Montalbano's early cases, and a separate TV prequel, The Young Montalbano. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Andrea Camilleri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Camilleri) - [Wikipedia: Salvo Montalbano](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvo_Montalbano) - [Wikipedia (Italian): Commissario Montalbano](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissario_Montalbano) ## Related - [What novels set in Italy are best for a summer holiday?](https://zestasy.com/books/novels-set-in-italy-for-summer/) - [Why is The Talented Mr Ripley set in Italy?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/the-talented-mr-ripley/) - [Do you miss something when you read a book in translation?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/reading-in-translation/) - [How many books should you pack for a holiday?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/books-for-a-holiday/) - [What is Il talismano della felicità?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/il-talismano-della-felicita/) - [All Books & ideas answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#books)