The latest mystery in Andrea Camilleri's internationally bestselling Inspector Montalbano series.

Winning fans in Europe and America for their dark sophistication and dry humor, Andrea Camilleri's crime novels are classics of the genre. Set once again in Sicily, The Patience of the Spider pits Inspector Montalbano against his greatest foe yet: the weight of his own years. Still recovering from the gunshot wound he suffered in Rounding the Mark, he must overcome self-imposed seclusion and waxing self-doubt to penetrate a web of hatred and secrets in pursuit of the strangest culprit he's ever hunted. A mystery unlike any other, this emotionally taut story brings the Montalbano saga to a captivating crossroads.

"Camilleri's agreeable eighth contemporary police procedural featuring the crotchety but insightful Inspector Montalbano finds the Italian detective at home in Marinella enjoying the ministrations of his wife, Livia, after he was shot by a child trafficker in 2006's Rounding the Mark. But his recuperation is hampered by the demands of a new case: the abduction of Susanna Mistretta, an attractive university student and daughter of a geologist. Unable to trust his colleagues to handle the case properly, Montalbano focuses on subtle anomalies — such as the direction the missing girl's motorbike was pointed — that suggest the kidnapping is more than the simple extortion attempt it appears to be. The witty writing and acerbic protagonist should appeal to fans of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Montalbano is a delightful creation." USA Today

"In his eighth outing, the inspector may be aging, but he's still at the top of his game." Library Journal

Winning fans in Europe and America for their dark sophistication and dry humor, Camilleri's crime novels are classics of the genre. Set once again in Sicily, this newest work pits Inspector Montalbano against his greatest foe yet: the weight of his own years.

Andrea Camilleri, a bestselling author in Italy and Germany, is the author of the Montalbano mystery series and several historical novels set in nineteenth-century Sicily. His books have been translated into seven languages.