I received an ARC ebook copy of this novella from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book that I have read of this series and I loved it. I felt like I had taken a short trip to a quaint little Italian town and got a sense of the life and people there.

The mystery surrounds a series of deaths at construction sites that may be the result of a sinister mafia extortion plot. The mystery was very interesting and well done, but the charm of this novella lies in the characters and the overall light, humorous tone of the work. Much like Agatha Christie novels often re-create a different time and world than we have today, this series, at least for an American audience, transports us to the Italian coast. These detectives are nothing like their gritty and jaded American or British counter-parts. Opera, cultural and food references abound, and we see more of the personalities of the detectives than a display of their skills or physical prowess. Oh, they are highly skilled and get the job done, to be sure, but it is the way they go about it, with humor, wit, and a distinctive Italian mind set that sets this series apart and makes The Fourth Secret a thoroughly enjoyable novella.

Highest recommendation to lovers of classic style mysteries.
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A Valentine's gift from my husband, so of course I'm inclined to review this favorably. At first I thought I might have already read it; the components are all familiar, but in the end, Mr. Camilleri surprises. He always does. ( )

Dipping back into Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series after a bit of a break. A novella at a mere 77 pages in length, this one suffers from the same issues I usually encounter with novellas: the constraints of character and plot development produce a weaker story than expected. I also found the writing to be on the weak side. While some stories suffer in translation - this one was not translated by skilled Stephen Sartarelli, translator for the English versions of the full length stories in the series – some online information indicates this one may have been written early in the series and published later. If this is correct, that could explain the lack of polish, although some commentators have listed this one is poorly translated. That being said, this is still a decent read. Salvo is still Salvo and the crime is interesting enough to keep my attention. This was a good story to read as a refresher before I dive back in to the series midstream as most of the regulars in an appearance here, with Cat gets extra “screen time” in this one. ( )

This novella was not translated by Camilleri's usual translator, and it shows instantly. I had to think really hard to realize that Catarella was who he was, although his sweet innocence does come through more and more as the story progresses. Montalbano is impulsive as usual, and the usual stunning young woman piques his interest. But this story involves the carabinieri in a most unusual way, and Montalbano has a chance to show his admiration for someone he will never get a chance to work with, alas. ( )

I enjoy mystery books set in parts of the world I have visited. Inspector Montalbano, a detective in Sicilly, has a brain that lets him connect events others miss. In this very short mystery he solves a murder as well as several others in record time ( )