Inspector Montalbano Books in Order
Andrea Camilleri has written 31 Inspector Montalbano books, published between 1994 and 2021: 30 in the Inspector Montalbano series and 1 related title. The first book is The Shape of Water (1994) and the newest main-line book is Riccardino (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 31
- Published
- 1994–2021
- Confirmed
- 31 of 31 titles
- Pages on record
- 7,043 in 26 of 31 books
- Reading time
- 117–176 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,043 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 26 of 31 titles with a page count on record.
Inspector Montalbano is Salvo Montalbano, a police detective working in Sicily, in Andrea Camilleri's series. The Shape of Water (1994) opens a run of 31 catalogued books that ends at Riccardino (2021), short stories and novellas included. Murder, crime and police procedure fill the subject tags, and the books reach English through translation. No newer title is dated.
How many Inspector Montalbano books are there?
Inspector Montalbano has 31 books, released between 1994 and 2021. 30 of them belong to the Inspector Montalbano series, and 1 related title sit outside it: short stories and novellas.
Inspector Montalbano Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 31 Inspector Montalbano books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119942403/4
- 219963403/4
- 319962983/4
- 419972493/4
- 5Montalbano's First Case and Other StoriesInspector Montalbano Short Stories/Novellas #181998 · confirmed 3/41998–3/4
- 620002953/4
- 720012293/4
- 82002–3/4
- 920032723/4
- 1020042443/4
- 1120052723/4
- 1220062313/4
- 1320092783/4
- 142010–3/4
- 1520112773/4
- 1620122743/4
- 1720132773/4
- 1820132783/4
- 1920142933/4
- 2020152773/4
- 2120152743/4
- 2220162743/4
- 2320172613/4
- 2420182563/4
- 252018–3/4
- 2620192883/4
- 2720192903/4
- 2820202613/4
- 2920202743/4
- 3020212413/4
- 312021–3/4
Inspector Montalbano Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Death at Sea comes first and Riccardino comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 30 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 25Death at Sea2018 · confirmed 3/42018–3/4
- 1The Shape of Water1994 · 240 pages · confirmed 3/419942403/4
- 2The Terra-Cotta Dog1996 · 340 pages · confirmed 3/419963403/4
- 3The Snack Thief1996 · 298 pages · confirmed 3/419962983/4
- 4Voice of the Violin1997 · 249 pages · confirmed 3/419972493/4
- 5Excursion to Tindari2000 · 295 pages · confirmed 3/420002953/4
- 6The Smell of the Night / Scent of the Night2001 · 229 pages · confirmed 3/420012293/4
- 8Rounding the Mark2003 · 272 pages · confirmed 3/420032723/4
- 9The Patience of the Spider2004 · 244 pages · confirmed 3/420042443/4
- 10The Paper Moon2005 · 272 pages · confirmed 3/420052723/4
- 12August Heat2009 · 278 pages · confirmed 3/420092783/4
- 11The Wings of the Sphinx2006 · 231 pages · confirmed 3/420062313/4
- 13The Track of Sand2010 · confirmed 3/42010–3/4
- 14The Potter's Field2011 · 277 pages · confirmed 3/420112773/4
- 15The Age of Doubt2012 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/420122743/4
- 16The Dance of the Seagull2013 · 277 pages · confirmed 3/420132773/4
- 17Treasure Hunt2013 · 278 pages · confirmed 3/420132783/4
- 19Angelica's Smile2014 · 293 pages · confirmed 3/420142933/4
- 20Game of Mirrors2015 · 277 pages · confirmed 3/420152773/4
- 21A Beam of Light / A Blade of Light2015 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/420152743/4
- 22A Voice in the Night2016 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/420162743/4
- 23A Nest of Vipers2017 · 261 pages · confirmed 3/420172613/4
- 24The Pyramid of Mud2018 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/420182563/4
- 26The Overnight Kidnapper2019 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/420192883/4
- 27The Other End of the Line2019 · 290 pages · confirmed 3/420192903/4
- 28The Safety Net2020 · 261 pages · confirmed 3/420202613/4
- 7The Fourth Secret2002 · confirmed 3/42002–3/4
- 29The Sicilian Method2020 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/420202743/4
- 30The Cook of the Halcyon2021 · 241 pages · confirmed 3/420212413/4
- 31Riccardino2021 · confirmed 3/42021–3/4
Do you have to read Inspector Montalbano books in order?
You should read the Inspector Montalbano series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 1 related title (short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Inspector Montalbano book also stands alone.
What order should you read Inspector Montalbano books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with The Shape of Water (1994), the earliest published book in the Inspector Montalbano series. After it come The Terra-Cotta Dog (1996), The Snack Thief (1996), Voice of the Violin (1997) and Excursion to Tindari (2000); the numbered table above continues from there. In the chronological order, Death at Sea comes first.
What is the newest Inspector Montalbano book?
Riccardino (2021) is the newest book in the Inspector Montalbano series.
Is there a new Inspector Montalbano book coming?
No next Inspector Montalbano book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Inspector Montalbano has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Inspector Montalbano. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Bancarella Literary Prize2001Wonfor Excursion to Tindari
Inspector Montalbano at a glance
- Paused
- No new main-line Inspector Montalbano title has appeared for 5 years. The last was Riccardino (2021).
- Release pace
- Inspector Montalbano books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 7,043 pages across the 26 of 31 books with a recorded length, a median of 274 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Inspector Montalbano books, 14 of 31, were published in the 2010s.
What the Inspector Montalbano books are about
29 of the 31 Inspector Montalbano books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 16 of 29. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Police 16 of 29 books
- Salvo Montalbano (Fictitious character) 16 of 29 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 12 of 29 books
- Sicily (italy) 11 of 29 books
- Mystery & detective 10 of 29 books
- Suspense 10 of 29 books
- Murder 9 of 29 books
- Crime 8 of 29 books
- Investigation 8 of 29 books
- Italian Detective and mystery stories 3 of 29 books
More books by Andrea Camilleri
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Andrea Camilleri books in order 38 books