Inspector Montalbano #6

The Smell (Scent) of the Night - Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli

Andrea Camilleri delivers another solid entry in his Montalbano series with The Smell of the Night, a mystery that’s less about murder and more about moral rot. The setup is classic: Emanuele Gargano, a slick financial “wizard” with movie-star looks, vanishes after swindling nearly everyone in Montelusa out of their savings. The man goes from hero to villain overnight, and the rage on the streets is palpable.

Montalbano, recovering from a previous case, stumbles into the investigation unofficially. He’s not assigned to it, but that’s never stopped him before. He’s nosy, stubborn, and allergic to bureaucracy. His superiors want a quick Mafia explanation, but Montalbano smells something off. He digs deeper, following his gut and ignoring orders, as usual.

Camilleri’s strength lies in how he blends crime with character. Montalbano isn’t just solving a case - he’s wrestling with his own disillusionment. Sicily is changing, and not for the better. Concrete replaces coastline, corruption replaces community. The inspector mourns the loss, and so do we.

The writing is lean, fast, and laced with humor. Camilleri doesn’t waste words, and he doesn’t pad the plot. Officer Catarella provides comic relief, and Montalbano’s clashes with Livia add emotional texture. The ending is especially strong - evocative, surprising, and quietly haunting.

This isn’t a whodunit in the traditional sense. It’s a whydunit, a portrait of greed and desperation, with a detective who sees through the lies but still feels the sting. The Smell of the Night proves that Camilleri doesn’t need a corpse to craft a compelling mystery. He just needs Montalbano - and a world worth fighting for.