In this episode of the detective series the Inspector (Luca Zingaretti) investigates the death of a local politician, and becomes involved in a complicated tale of local rivalries, ambition and thwarted love. Among the shady characters he encounters are a smooth-as-silk lawyer Rizzo, an impatient doctor, and a Swedish woman accused of being heavily involved in the murder (Isabell Sollman). Alberto Sironi's production makes clever use of the Sicilian locations, contrasting the relative freedom of the outdoor sequences with the prison-like atmosphere of the local bourgeoisie's houses, where Montalbano pursues his investigations. Although opulently appointed, the interior sequences tend to hem in their inhabitants; a fitting metaphor for a class of people who rarely disclose their emotions, especially to someone not of their specific social class. As the episode unfolds, so the main plot-line becomes slightly lost, as Montalbano discovers that his father is dying and makes a futile journey to visit him before the old man passes away. This provides an opportunity for us to see the softer side of the inspector, but holds up the denouement slightly. In the end the inspector has to explain the case to his girlfriend Livia (Katharina Böhm) in a rather labored sequence of shot/reverse shots, almost as if director Sironi had to bring the episode to an end as speedily as possible. Nonetheless there are some strong performances, not least from Zingaretti and Peppino Mazzotta as his sidekick Facia.
