Rounding the Mark

Finished March 17
Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli

The seventh book in the series featuring Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a definite winner. It had me hooked from the beginning, when Salvo expressed his unhappiness with the state of police ethics over the outcome of the G8 inquiry (about Genoa in 2001) and wanted to resign. With the police activities around the G20 in Toronto more recently, I could definitely relate.
When Salvo goes for his morning swim, he encounters a dead body, one that has been dead for some time, and exerts himself to tow it to shore. Bothered by the official lack of interest, he and his men begin an unofficial investigation into the man's identity and origin. Later, when assisting a local immigration officer on a minor matter, Salvo is present at the landing of a ship of refugees and sees a small boy try to take off. He manages to catch him and return him to the family group he belongs to, but is bothered by the incident. When he has a later encounter involving the boy, he resolves to figure out what is going on, and finds himself in a case involving the trafficking of minors. With alternating despair and humour, this novel shows a caring man, trying to make a difference in whatever way he can. Very satisfying.