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A man is gunned down by a machine gun on a Tunisian boat. Inspector Montalbano is called to report to the scene of the crime; however, the message is so jumbled that he goes back to sleep. Since he did not report to the scene of the crime, he is willing to leave this political nightmare in the hands of the officer on the scene. Unfortunately, many people keep attempting to push the responsibility of this case on to him. Montalbano has his hands full with the other large crime -- an elderly man is found dead in his apartment elevator. Once the body is moved, it becomes apparent that this man was murdered where he stood. Somehow these two events are linked and Montalbano will not rest until he has found the murderer. The title of this book refers to a young boy caught up in these two murders, who is stealing the lunches of other young boys for food. While Montalbano sees the boy primarily as a suspect/ witness to tragic events, Livia sees him as a child to take under her wing. This title also hints at the irony of the situation in which Montalbano finds himself. With two unsolved murders, Montalbano is more interested in finding a child than the murderers. Unlike the previous books in the series, Montalbano's girlfriend Livia plays a much larger role in this book. Her relationship with Montalbano is unusual. In many ways it seems as though they are simply together for the sex; however, maintaining a long-distance relationship just to satisfy that urge is more effort than it is worth. Even though it seems as though they are in each other's way the majority of the time, they somehow make everything work. I am uncertain as to whether this complex relationship hints at the complexities hidden within Montalbano or if it merely demonstrates his perverse nature. THE SNACK THIEF is the third book in the Inspector Montalbano series.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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