The Dance of the Seagull, by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli – review

In the first six pages of Andrea Camilleri’s new novel, Inspector Montalbano drinks at least four cups of coffee and watches a seagull dance to its death in front of his verandah. Its beak pointing at the sky, the bird spins in its last agony. Afterwards, the inspector places its corpse in a plastic bag, swims into the sea and commits it to the deep.

It’s an arresting, eccentric episode which, together with the coffee, gives a glimpse of what lies in store. Montalbano is never far removed from his next cup of coffee. He’s also strangely sensitive, alert to the nuances of life and death; his imagination often tips him into nightmare, which is not always convenient, particularly at the scene of a crime. The seagull’s death turns out to have a macabre if metaphorical connection with a brutal murder, one of several in his latest case.

Camilleri’s Montalbano series has already shown remarkable stamina — this novel is the 15th to be translated into English, and at least five more are waiting in the wings, as well as four collections of short stories.