You know what? You're an asshole!

...or so says Livia to her famously non-committal boyfriend/companion/whatever, Inspector Salvo Montalbano, star of Italian author Andrea Camilleri's long-running mystery series. Camilleri's books are gradually making their way stateside via translations by Stephen Sartarelli, and they are truly a delight. I recently raced through two of Montalbano's adventures, The Terra-Cotta Dog and The Snack Thief, and both were absolute charmers every step of the way. Montalbano is certainly not the kind of cop you typically find on American TV; he's mercurial, well-read, a gourmet, and will do anything to avoid that terrible fate known as promotion. While he's clearly outsized in every way, Camilleri injects just enough humanity that you forgive Montalbano all his faults. The supporting cast is fantastic as well, including the hot-headed Livia, the showboating colleague Augello, and the frustratingly incompetent Catarella. I think my favorite's probably Adelina, the easily offended housecleaner/cook Montalbano interacts with only through hilariously accented notes.

Camilleri's stories are wonderfully crafted little gems, and ideal for anyone daydreaming about Sicilian seafood spiced with a little madcap comedy.