The Potter’s Field

Witty and entertaining, the Montalbano novels by Andrea Camilleri—a master of the Italian detective story—have become favorites of mystery fans everywhere. In this latest installment, an unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter’s clay. Meanwhile, a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be related to a local mobster. Then Inspector Montalbano remembers the story from the Bible—Judas’ betrayal, the act of remorse, and the thirty pieces of silver for the potter’s field, where those of unknown or foreign origin are to be buried—and slowly, through myriad betrayals, finds his way to the solution to the crime.