Patience of the Spider

“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

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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.