Inspector Montalbano is the protagonist in a series of mystery novels by Italian author Andrea Camilleri. Montalbano is a Sicilian detective who works for the fictional town of Vigata. Camilleri has referred to Montalbano as a “serial killer of characters,” in reference to how much attention the character requires from the author. The series was adapted into a television series starring Luca Zingaretti.

The Inspector Montalbano series began in Italian in 1994, which was translated into the 2002 novel The Shape of Water. The series is currently ongoing (the series is approximately four novels ahead in Italian). Below is a list of Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano books in order of when they were published in English:

Publication Order of Inspector Montalbano Books

The Shape of Water(1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Terra-Cotta Dog(1996)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Snack Thief(1996)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Voice of the Violin(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Excursion to Tindari(2000)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Smell of the Night / Scent of the Night(2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Rounding the Mark(2003)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Patience of the Spider(2004)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Paper Moon(2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Wings of the Sphinx(2006)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
August Heat(2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Track of Sand(2010)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Potter's Field(2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Age of Doubt(2012)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Dance of the Seagull(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Treasure Hunt(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Angelica's Smile(2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Game of Mirrors(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Beam of Light / A Blade of Light(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Voice in the Night(2016)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Nest of Vipers(2017)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Pyramid of Mud(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death at Sea(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Overnight Kidnapper(2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Other End of the Line(2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Safety Net(2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Sicilian Method(2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Cook of the Halcyon(2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Riccardino(2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Chronological Order of Inspector Montalbano Books

Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death at Sea(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Shape of Water(1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Terra-Cotta Dog(1996)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Snack Thief(1996)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Voice of the Violin(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Excursion to Tindari(2000)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Smell of the Night / Scent of the Night(2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Rounding the Mark(2003)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Patience of the Spider(2004)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Paper Moon(2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
August Heat(2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Wings of the Sphinx(2006)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Track of Sand(2010)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Potter's Field(2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Age of Doubt(2012)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Dance of the Seagull(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Treasure Hunt(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Angelica's Smile(2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Game of Mirrors(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Beam of Light / A Blade of Light(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Voice in the Night(2016)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Nest of Vipers(2017)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Pyramid of Mud(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Overnight Kidnapper(2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Other End of the Line(2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Safety Net(2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Sicilian Method(2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Cook of the Halcyon(2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Riccardino(2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Notes: The years listed are when the Inspector Montalbano novels were released in English form. The Smell of the Night is also known as The Scent of the Night. The series is translated by Stephen Sartarelli.

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One Response to “Order of Inspector Montalbano Books”

  1. Nicole King: 7 years ago

    It’s debatable whether these books were really written in Italian, when 30% of the words are Sicilian dialect. With a good grasp of Italian, though, you can read them very easily.

    Reply

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