Opening Riccardino feels like visiting an old, dear friend for the last time. The familiar scents of arancini and sea salt, the squabbling with Catarella over the phone, the ritualistic lunch at Enzo’s trattoria—it’s all there. But from the very first page, Camilleri breaks the fourth wall in a way he never has before. Montalbano directly addresses the author , complaining about the plot, the characters, and even his own aging body.
Note: The 27th novel is titled Riccardino . Camilleri wrote it years before his death in 2019, with strict instructions that it be published posthumously. As such, it functions as the true, final episode of the series. Andrea Camilleri Commissario Montalbano 27 ...
Riccardino is not the best Montalbano novel ( The Shape of Water or The Terracotta Dog hold that crown). But it is the most honest one. Camilleri refuses to give us a tidy, heroic send-off. Instead, he gives us a tired, brilliant, stubborn man doing his job one last time, fully aware that justice is a messy, often futile pursuit. Opening Riccardino feels like visiting an old, dear
★★★★☆ (4/5)
If you have read the previous 26 novels, you must read this one. It’s the closing of a chapter in crime fiction. If you are new to Montalbano, for heaven’s sake, start with The Shape of Water (Book #1). This is not an entry point; it’s a farewell. Montalbano directly addresses the author , complaining about
Addio, Salvo. It was a pleasure.