On New Year's Day a man is found dead in the hotel where Montalbano is staying; it is initially assumed that he was killed by accident when somebody fired a gun in to the air during the New Year's Eve festivities. There are a few odd things about the case however; most notably the fact that he was in that room as he'd got a different room that he'd moved to from the one he was found in due to the noise. Also the man was staying in one of the guest rooms despite the fact that he owned the hotel
his wife said he always did that because of his sensitivity to noise when he tried to sleep. Once it is determined that his death was murder Montalbano must sift through a variety of motives and suspects before he can solve the case.
While working on that case he is given a second, much older case, when a priest approaches him about a dying woman who confessed to doing a great wrong many years before. She starts to tell Montalbano what she did but dies before she has said much; the priest has heard it all but refuses to repeat it because that would violate the sanctity of the confessional if he is to keep his promise to the dying woman he will have to solve a fifty year old case with minimal information. If these two cases weren't enough for him to worry about his girlfriend visits and things don't go well.
This, the second 'Young Montalbano' story was as much fun as the first with Michele Riondino continuing to impress as the eponymous inspector. The story was enjoyable as much because the characters are fun to watch as it was because of the mysteries. As usual there are quite a few laughs to be had; frequently because of the hilarious Catarella; the scene where he trips over while bringing a plate of biscuits into Montalbano's office was priceless. It was nice to see how the inspector came to live in the house that will be familiar to fans of the original series. Over all I'd say this is a good episode, which fans of the series should enjoy.
While working on that case he is given a second, much older case, when a priest approaches him about a dying woman who confessed to doing a great wrong many years before. She starts to tell Montalbano what she did but dies before she has said much; the priest has heard it all but refuses to repeat it because that would violate the sanctity of the confessional if he is to keep his promise to the dying woman he will have to solve a fifty year old case with minimal information. If these two cases weren't enough for him to worry about his girlfriend visits and things don't go well.
This, the second 'Young Montalbano' story was as much fun as the first with Michele Riondino continuing to impress as the eponymous inspector. The story was enjoyable as much because the characters are fun to watch as it was because of the mysteries. As usual there are quite a few laughs to be had; frequently because of the hilarious Catarella; the scene where he trips over while bringing a plate of biscuits into Montalbano's office was priceless. It was nice to see how the inspector came to live in the house that will be familiar to fans of the original series. Over all I'd say this is a good episode, which fans of the series should enjoy.
