Best Stephen Sartarelli Books
Stephen Sartarelli is the translator who gave English-language readers one of crime fiction's great pleasures: Andrea Camilleri's Commissario Montalbano. Sartarelli's translations don't just convert Italian to English — they preserve the sun-drenched, sardonic texture of Camilleri's Sicily, the bureaucratic absurdity, the food-obsessed rhythms, the casual melancholy of a detective who'd rather be eating than solving murders. The result reads like something written in English from the start. From The Shape of Water to The Potter's Field, the Montalbano series has a wry, unhurried voice that Sartarelli renders with remarkable consistency across dozens of novels. Readers who love procedurals with genuine regional atmosphere — where place is as much a character as the detective — will find Sartarelli's work essential. He's the invisible hand behind one of translated crime fiction's most beloved franchises.
Where to Start with Stephen Sartarelli
- Best entry point → The Shape of Water
- What readers keep coming back to → The Terra-Cotta Dog
- Highest rated by readers → The Potter's Field (Commissario Montalbano #13)
Best Stephen Sartarelli Books
- 1
The Snack Thief
Commissario Montalbano • Book 3
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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When an elderly man dies in an elevator and Tunisian patrol boats attack Italian fishermen, only Montalbano sees the connection between murder and international conspiracy.
★ 4.07 Goodreads (11.1K ratings) - 2
Rounding the Mark
Commissario Montalbano • Book 7
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Inspector Montalbano's investigation of two seemingly unrelated deaths exposes a secret world of human trafficking in this Sicilian mystery.
★ 4.09 Goodreads (7.4K ratings) - 3
Excursion to Tindari
Commissario Montalbano • Book 5
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Sicily's most beloved detective tackles a puzzling triple murder linking a dead lothario to two missing pensioners. Camilleri serves up his usual blend of sharp police work and Mediterranean charm.
★ 4.06 Goodreads (9.1K ratings) - 4
The Potter's Field
Commissario Montalbano • Book 13
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Montalbano faces a murder victim dismembered into exactly 30 pieces and left in a potter's field, a crime that evokes Judas and the silver coins while testing his patience with the volatile Augello.
★ 4.10 Goodreads (5.7K ratings) - 5
The Smell of the Night
Commissario Montalbano • Book 6
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Montalbano investigates a massive Ponzi scheme targeting Sicilian retirees while battling interference from his own police department in this ingeniously plotted mystery.
★ 4.03 Goodreads (7.9K ratings) - 6
The Patience of the Spider
Commissario Montalbano • Book 8
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Aging Inspector Montalbano confronts mortality while solving a kidnapping case in Sicily, balancing dark humor with the weight of passing years.
★ 4.04 Goodreads (7.2K ratings) - 7
The Terra-Cotta Dog
Commissario Montalbano • Book 2
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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A supermarket heist leads Montalbano to a hidden grotto where fifty-year-old lovers lie embracing in death, guarded by a ceramic dog. Camilleri weaves modern crime with historical tragedy against Sicily's vivid backdrop.
★ 3.95 Goodreads (14.5K ratings) - 8
The Paper Moon
Commissario Montalbano • Book 9
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Montalbano's mid-life crisis deepens as he tackles another case in Sicily, where personal doubts intersect with criminal investigation. Camilleri's ninth entry balances dark sophistication with moments of unexpected humor.
★ 4.02 Goodreads (7.0K ratings) - 9
August Heat
Commissario Montalbano • Book 10
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Montalbano's August vacation with girlfriend Livia becomes a nightmare when a young boy vanishes into a mysterious shaft beneath their beach rental.
★ 4.01 Goodreads (7.2K ratings) - 10
The Dance of the Seagull
Commissario Montalbano • Book 15
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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A seagull drops dead after an eerie dance, then Montalbano's right-hand man Fazio disappears, connecting Sicily's natural omens to very human dangers.
★ 3.98 Goodreads (5.1K ratings) - 11
The Wings of the Sphinx
Commissario Montalbano • Book 11
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Inspector Montalbano grapples with his own aging while pursuing a killer who destroys faces. Camilleri weaves existential dread through Sicilian noir.
★ 3.95 Goodreads (5.6K ratings) - 12
The Age of Doubt
Commissario Montalbano • Book 14
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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A post-storm beach reveals both a woman's corpse and a strange vessel, drawing Inspector Montalbano into another complex Sicilian mystery. Camilleri's fourteenth Montalbano novel maintains the series' perfect blend of melancholy and wit.
★ 3.95 Goodreads (5.3K ratings) - 13
Game of Mirrors
Commissario Montalbano • Book 18
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Mysterious bombings target empty warehouses while the alluring Liliana Lombardo attempts to seduce Montalbano, creating a web of distraction and cocaine kingpin connections.
★ 3.97 Goodreads (4.0K ratings) - 14
The Pyramid of Mud
Commissario Montalbano • Book 22
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Camilleri's wholly addictive Sicilian detective series continues as Inspector Montalbano encounters another case that will transport readers straight into Sicily's magical criminal underworld.
★ 3.97 Goodreads (3.8K ratings) - 15
The Track of Sand
Commissario Montalbano • Book 12
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Montalbano wakes to find a brutally killed horse outside his seaside home, but when investigators arrive, only mysterious sand tracks remain as evidence.
★ 3.93 Goodreads (5.0K ratings) - 16
The Shape of Water
Commissario Montalbano • Book 1
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Inspector Montalbano's first case takes him to Vigàta's seedy underbelly where prostitution and drugs flourish on an old garbage dump. Camilleri introduces his beloved detective with trademark Sicilian wit.
★ 3.74 Goodreads (26.5K ratings) - 17
A Nest of Vipers
Commissario Montalbano • Book 21
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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The death of wealthy accountant Cosimo Barletta reveals a trail of mistresses and buried family secrets that challenge even Montalbano's investigative skills.
★ 3.89 Goodreads (4.0K ratings) - 18
Angelica's Smile
Commissario Montalbano • Book 17
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Inspector Montalbano faces a seemingly random series of burglaries that don't follow typical criminal logic, leading him deeper into Sicilian secrets and motivations.
★ 3.85 Goodreads (4.1K ratings)