Patience of the Spider

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 engag-ing 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

Also by Andrea Camilleri

The Shape of Water

The Terra-Cotta Dog

The Snack Thief

Voice of the Violin

Excursion to Tindari

The Smell of the Night

Rounding the Mark

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a pe ng u i n myste ry

rginanni

a Gio

Elvir

T H E PAT I E N C E O F T H E S P I D E R

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 and the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Open Vault.

THE PATIENCE OF THE SPIDER

A N D R E A CA M I L L E R I

Translated by Stephen Sartarelli

P E N G U I N B O O KS

PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 1311, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Translation copyright © Stephen Sartarelli, 2007

All rights reserved

Originally published in Italian as La pazienza del ragno by Sellerio Editore, Palermo.

Copright © 2004 Sellerio Editore.

Publisher’s Note

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Camilleri, Andrea.

[Pazienza del ragno. English]

The patience of the spider Andrea Camilleri ; translated by Stephen Sartarelli.p>

p. cm.

“A Penguin mystery.”

ISBN: 1-4295-2992-X

I. Sartarelli, Stephen, 1954– II. Title.

PQ4863.A3894P3913 2007

853'.914—dc22 2006051527

Set in Bembo Designed by Jaye Zimet

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THE PATIENCE OF THE SPIDER