THE WINGS OF THE SPHINX

Grover Gardner is the perfect performer for Camilleri's series, giving a slyly funny reading of Inspector Montalbano and the Sicilian cops he works with. For instance, he gives the imbecile desk sergeant who can't spell, write clearly, or ever get a name right, an amusing Bronx accent. Great performance, but therein lies a problem. If Catarella is such a buffoon, why does he have a job? The writing (and/or translation) is clunky, and the plotting either predictable or unbelievable, not a good combination. The titular sphinx is a four-winged moth tattooed on a naked dead girl found in a dump on the first page or so. What follows doesn't quite succeed as farce or thriller, but Gardner keeps the experience fairly painless for the listener. B.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2010]