I thought The Dance of the Seagull was horrible and hard to read. It started off in a bizarre fashion, and then progressively got worse. I finished the book this morning, and then maybe an hour later couldn't remember if I finished it or not. It was that forgettable.

Camilleri's one good character, Dr. Pasquano, is largely missing or completely absent from this one. And Catarella is far too prevalent throughout making it that much more unbearable. Everyone else is a complete idiot, and Montalbano is their idiot savant (in regione caecorum rex est luscus).

And for whatever reason there were a number of instances where Inspector Montalbano thought he'd pull some tricks to be cute. Nothing cute whatsoever about his "clever" ideas, just more of his moronic behavior.

About the only good part, the only part that made sense was near the end of the book when Augello finally got fed up with Montalbano's antics and said, "You know, with all the respect due a superior, I must say you're a perfect idiot." Yep. ( )

Does Montalbano get through his andropaus or is it going to be a permanent drag on the rest of the series? This installment included no real episodes of gustatory enjoyment and seemed scattershot. ( )

Another swell Andrea Camilleri book. Enjoyable mystery, just one instance of real gore (had to stop listening, it was too close to bedtime). Still not sure why the seagull was dancing. Also can't figure out how Livia continues to put up with Montalbano. Catarella amusing as always. Grover Gardner an excellent narrator. Long may he read and Camilleri write! ( )

Livia comes to take Inspector Salvo Montalbano on a three-day holiday, but naturally things go bonkers at work and he completely forgets about her for 24 hours because his deputy Fazio disappears without warning. Bodies start piling up, actually they are pulled from adjacent wells, and Montalbano has to connect the killings and find Fazio, which he does in his usual inimitable style. Fazio is found, but has memory loss and Montalbano has to protect him from unsavory element and find out what is going on at the local port. ( )

Montalbano sees a seagull do an odd dance before dropping dead on the sand outside his house. The image, burned on his mind, actually helps him find a vital clue at the end. In this one, Fazio is missing and a search is made and he's found. He's been shot and has lost his memory of the events leading to his situation. The case leads into some rather gruesome aspects. ( )