Reading order · 28 books · 1994 to 2020 · Set in the fictional Vigàta, Sicily
Inspector Montalbano Books in Order
Inspector Salvo Montalbano runs the police station in Vigàta, an invented town on the south coast of Sicily. He loves good food, swims in the sea before breakfast, quarrels on the phone with his girlfriend Livia in Genoa and solves crimes with humour, intuition and a healthy disregard for his superiors.
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Series facts
- Books
- 28
- Published
- 1994 to 2020
- First book
- The Shape of Water
- Latest
- Riccardino (2020)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Vigàta, Sicily
The reading order
Every Inspector Montalbano book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
28 books · Set in the fictional Vigàta, Sicily
- 1The Shape of Water1994With Salvo MontalbanoA prominent engineer and politician is found dead in his car in the Pasture, a rubbish-strewn spot outside Vigàta used by prostitutes and drug dealers.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Terra-Cotta Dog1996With Salvo MontalbanoA tip-off leads Montalbano to a cave full of weapons, and behind it a hidden chamber holding the bodies of two young lovers from the Second World War, guarded by a terracotta dog.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Snack Thief1996With Salvo MontalbanoA Tunisian sailor is shot on an Italian fishing boat, and an elderly man is stabbed in a lift in Vigàta on the same day.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Voice of the Violin1997With Salvo MontalbanoAfter a minor car accident, Montalbano finds a beautiful young woman dead in a villa, and the investigation leads to a reclusive violinist.Buy on Amazon
- 5Excursion to Tindari2000With Salvo MontalbanoA young man is shot on his doorstep in Vigàta, and an elderly couple disappears after a coach excursion to the sanctuary of Tindari.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Smell of the Night2001With Salvo MontalbanoA financier who has persuaded many local people to invest with him has disappeared, along with their money, and Montalbano looks for him as the town grows angry.Buy on Amazon
- 7Rounding the Mark2003With Salvo MontalbanoWhile swimming, Montalbano collides with a corpse in the sea, and soon afterwards he sees a small migrant boy run away from the docks, leading him to a story of child trafficking.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Patience of the Spider2004With Salvo MontalbanoA young woman, the daughter of a wealthy family, is kidnapped on her way home, and Montalbano finds the case is not the usual ransom kidnapping.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Paper Moon2005With Salvo MontalbanoA man is found shot in his apartment in a compromising position, and Montalbano’s investigation centres on two women, his sister and his lover.Buy on Amazon
- 10August Heat2006With Salvo MontalbanoMontalbano rents a summer house for Livia’s friends, and their small son falls through a hole into a hidden apartment underneath, where a body is found in a trunk.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Wings of the Sphinx2006With Salvo MontalbanoThe body of a young woman is found in an illegal dump, and a tattoo links her to other young women from Russia helped by a Catholic charity.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Track of Sand2007With Salvo MontalbanoA dead horse is found on the beach outside Montalbano’s house, then vanishes, leaving only a trail in the sand.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Potter’s Field2008With Salvo MontalbanoA body is found in a clay field after heavy storms, apparently a Mafia killing, and Montalbano must find out who the victim was.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Age of Doubt2008With Salvo MontalbanoA body is found in the water near Vigàta harbour, and Montalbano grows suspicious of the crew of a luxury yacht.Buy on Amazon
- 15The Dance of the Seagull2009With Salvo MontalbanoMontalbano’s holiday plans are wrecked when his colleague Fazio disappears during a secret investigation of his own.Buy on Amazon
- 16The Treasure Hunt2010With Salvo MontalbanoAfter an elderly man fires on the street below his flat, Montalbano receives a riddle from an anonymous challenger, and is drawn into a deadly game.Buy on Amazon
- 17Angelica’s Smile2010With Salvo MontalbanoA series of perfectly planned burglaries targets Vigàta’s well-to-do, and Montalbano finds the victims have more in common than their stolen goods.Buy on Amazon
- 18Game of Mirrors2011With Salvo MontalbanoAfter Montalbano helps his attractive neighbour when her car is sabotaged, he wonders whether her interest in him is sincere.Buy on Amazon
- 19A Beam of Light2012With Salvo MontalbanoA robbery report with an odd detail raises Montalbano’s suspicions, and a Mafia-style killing follows.Buy on Amazon
- 20A Voice in the Night2012With Salvo MontalbanoA supermarket robbery with links to the Mafia leads to trouble, and Montalbano finds himself treated as a suspect.Buy on Amazon
- 21A Nest of Vipers2013With Salvo MontalbanoAn elderly man is shot in his beach house, and although his son has most to gain, Montalbano finds that half of Vigàta had a motive.Buy on Amazon
- 22The Pyramid of Mud2014With Salvo MontalbanoFloods hit Vigàta, and a body found in a large pipe at a building site points Montalbano towards public works and the Mafia.Buy on Amazon
- 23The Overnight Kidnapper2015With Salvo MontalbanoWomen in Vigàta are being kidnapped, drugged and released unharmed, and Montalbano must find out why before it happens again.Buy on Amazon
- 24The Other End of the Line2016With Salvo MontalbanoAs the police deal with an influx of migrants, the town’s dressmaker is found dead, and the case leads Montalbano into the lives of her clients.Buy on Amazon
- 25The Safety Net2017With Salvo MontalbanoA Swedish film crew asks locals for old home movies, and a strangely repeated piece of film from the 1950s draws Montalbano into an investigation.Buy on Amazon
- 26The Sicilian Method2017With Salvo MontalbanoA theatre director is found dead, and Montalbano suspects a link to another recent death and the world of the theatre.Buy on Amazon
- 27The Cook of the Halcyon2019With Salvo MontalbanoA murder and a suicide lead Montalbano to a mysterious ship with few crew and no passengers, while a trip to see Livia may cost him his job.Buy on Amazon
- 28Riccardino2020With Salvo MontalbanoAn early morning phone call is followed by the killing of a man named Riccardino in broad daylight, in Camilleri’s final Montalbano novel.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
The books can be read in any order, but Montalbano grows older over the series, and his relationships with Livia and his team develop, so publication order is best.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Salvo Montalbano | Mimì Augello | Giuseppe Fazio | Agatino Catarella | Livia Burlando | Dr Pasquano | Adelina | Nicolò Zito |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Shape of Water | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 2 The Terra-Cotta Dog | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 3 The Snack Thief | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 4 The Voice of the Violin | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 5 Excursion to Tindari | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 6 The Smell of the Night | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 7 Rounding the Mark | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 8 The Patience of the Spider | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 The Paper Moon | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 August Heat | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 11 The Wings of the Sphinx | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 12 The Track of Sand | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 13 The Potter’s Field | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 14 The Age of Doubt | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 15 The Dance of the Seagull | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 16 The Treasure Hunt | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 17 Angelica’s Smile | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 18 Game of Mirrors | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 19 A Beam of Light | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 20 A Voice in the Night | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 21 A Nest of Vipers | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 22 The Pyramid of Mud | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 23 The Overnight Kidnapper | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 24 The Other End of the Line | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 25 The Safety Net | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 26 The Sicilian Method | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 27 The Cook of the Halcyon | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 28 Riccardino | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Inspector Montalbano books
10 characters from Andrea Camilleri’s chart, with the number of Inspector Montalbano books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Salvo MontalbanoPolice inspector in Vigàta, Sicily | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Mimì AugelloDeputy inspector and womaniser | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Giuseppe FazioInspector Montalbano’s most reliable officer | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Agatino CatarellaDesk officer who mangles every message | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Livia BurlandoMontalbano’s girlfriend in Genoa | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Dr PasquanoIrascible coroner | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| AdelinaMontalbano’s housekeeper and cook | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Nicolò ZitoTelevision journalist and Montalbano’s friend | 28 | The Shape of Water 1994 |
| Ingrid SjöströmSwedish friend of Montalbano | 4 | The Voice of the Violin 1997 |
| FrançoisTunisian boy Livia wants to adopt | 1 | The Snack Thief 1996 |