The Potter's Field

The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The title of the novel refers to the land that was purchased by the priests with the thirty pieces of silver that Judas returned to them before attempting to hang himself. This time Camilleri deals with the subject of betrayal—personal, professional, and even self-betrayal—in a book that is jam-packed with references—biblical, artistic, literary, culinary…the list goes on and on. Quite how Camilleri manages to cram them all into a story that seems painted so lightly is a tribute to his ability as a writer—and to Stephen Sartarelli’s, as his English translator. So what’s it about?
A body is found in a precipitous clay field; it’s been cut into thirty pieces, which Montalbano recognizes as an old Mafia sign. A beautiful Columbian woman reports that her husband has gone missing, whilst Mimi is acting unusually. To say any more would spoil the plot, but I suspect you’ll find yourself wondering (as did I) why the characters take so long to piece things together. I found it impossible to suspend my disbelief.
As for the food references, I’ll just say this…I’ll have what he’s having.

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Monthly Post: November 2019 Just who is Octavius Guy?

Octopus (Send for Octavius Guy, #2) by Michael Gallagher
Current average rating: 4.22 of 5 stars

Simple answer: he’s a minor character from Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone. I shall let Mr Murthwaite elaborate since he manages to do it without spoilers:

‘Colonel Palgrave! Octavius! Calm yourselves, both of you!’ Mr Murthwaite reprimanded us sternly. ‘Colonel, I’ll have you know that if it were not for this lad here, the little matter of the Moonstone might never have been resolved!’
Colonel Palgrave frowned. ‘The Moonstone, sir?’
‘Before he was elected to Parliament, the MP Mr Franklin Blake was embroiled in a mystery that nearly brought him to the very brink of madness—the theft of a rare and precious jewel. By a concerted effort, he and his friends managed to trace the gem’s location to a certain bank, and yet had this boy not been present on the day the thief redeemed it—well, I dread to imagine the outcome! It is through his efforts and his efforts alone that the perpetrator was ever unmasked. Do not be misled by his age, sir; there is no sharper-eyed, quicker-witted youth in all of England than the lad you see before you in this room.’
—From the forthcoming Oh, No, Octavius!: Octavius Guy and the Case of the Quibbling Cleric. Read on…

This month’s giveaway is a free download of Octopus: Octavius Guy & The Case of the Throttled Tragedienne (#2). When the leading actress dies in mysterious circumstances during a performance of The Duchess of Malfi, Gooseberry feels duty-bound to investigate. It is, after all, a great deal more exciting than the last case he was assigned to: the tracking down of a rich old lady’s errant cat! Offer ends on November 30th 2019.

“The 'case' for our young investigator is darker and more complex this time, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, with twists and turns that sometimes rival Agatha Christie. What I enjoyed most though, was Octavius' personal story.”—Anita Dow, Smashwords Reviewer (5 stars)

Happy investigating!
Michael

Find me on my website Michael Gallagher Writes and on Facebook, and make sure to follow me on Twitter @seventh7rainbow.