The Scent of the Night - Hardcover

Andrea Camilleri is the author of the New York Times bestselling Inspector Montalbano mysteries as well as historical novels that take place in nineteenth-century Sicily. His books have been made into television shows in Italy and translated into thirty-two languages. His thirteenth Montalbano novel, The Potter's Field, won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger Award and was long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator and poet.

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over eight hundred titles to his credit. Named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Author’s Note

Notes

Praise for Andrea Camilleri and the Montalbano series

“The idiosyncratic Montalbano is totally endearing.”

—The New York Times

“Like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, Montalbano is the kind of guy who can’t stay out of trouble.... Still, deftly and lovingly translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Camilleri makes it abundantly clear that under the gruff, sardonic exterior our inspector has a heart of gold, and that any outbursts, fumbles or threats are made only in the name of pursuing truth.”

—The Nation

“Once again, violence is muted, complications rule, politics roil, but humor ... prevail[s] in the end, Italy is good to visit, even if only in print. And what better way to shorten a flight to Palermo than by gobbling this tasty snack along the way?”

—Los Angeles Times

“[Camilleri’s mysteries] offer quirky characters, crisp dialogue, bright storytelling—and Salvo Montalbano, one of the most engaging protagonists in detective fiction.... Montalbano is a delightful creation, an honest man on Sicily’s mean streets.”

—USA Today

“The Montalbano mysteries offer cose dolci to the world-lit lover hankering for a whodunit.”

—The Village Voice

“The reading of these little gems is fast and fun every step of the way.”

—The New York Sun

“Wittily translated from the savory Italian, Camilleri’s mysteries ... feature the sardonic Inspector Salvo Montalbano, whose gustatory adventures are at least as much fun as his crime solving.”

—Rocky Mountain News

“Camilleri once again thrills with his fluid storytelling and quirky characters.”

-Publishers Weekly

A PENGUIN MYSTERY

THE SMELL OF THE NIGHT

Andrea Camilleri is the author of many books, including his Montalbano series, which has been adapted for Italian television and translated into nine languages. He lives in Rome.

Stephen Sartarelli is an award-winning translator. He is also the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Open Vault.

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published in Penguin Books 2005

Translation copyright © Stephen Sartarelli, 2005 All rights reserved

Originally published in Italian as L’odore della notte by Sellerio editore.

© 2001 Sellerio editore via Siracusa 50 Palermo.

Publisher’s Note