Inspector Montalbano mysteries - The Safety net - Andrea Camilleri

In The Safety Net, Inspector Montalbano is juggling two cases. The first involves a sudden panic at a local school when a student believes there is an active shooter on campus. The other is a much quieter, stranger mystery: during school renovations, old film reels are found in the attic of a student’s home—shot by his grandfather decades ago, always on the same date, every year.

As Montalbano investigates the meaning behind the repetitive footage, he senses there is something deliberately hidden in those silent images—something tied to a secret long buried in Vigàta’s past. What seems like an uneventful series of recordings soon reveals a tale of corruption and shame wrapped in layers of denial.

Main Themes of the Book

• Silence and Suppression: The narrative explores what people choose not to speak about and how silence can hide truth.
• Memory and History: Old images become key to unlocking unresolved crimes from the past.
• Youth and Anxiety: The school panic highlights generational fears and institutional shortcomings.
• Resilience vs. Fragility: Montalbano balances his methodical calm against a world increasingly frayed by paranoia.
• Change in a Small Town: Vigàta itself emerges as a character, wrestling with the weight of its own history.

Why you should read this book

• Blends historical mystery with contemporary social tension.
• Offers a slower, introspective case ideal for lovers of atmospheric crime.
• Highlights Camilleri’s gift for uncovering moral and psychological depth in everyday details.
• Demonstrates Montalbano’s enduring sensitivity, both to crime and human complexity.
• Reflects on the role of memory, technology, and legacy in solving modern mysteries.

The Safety Net stands out in the Montalbano series for its quiet suspense and layered storytelling. It’s a reflective, haunting mystery that shows how the past continues to shape the present in hidden and unexpected ways. With poetic sensitivity and political insight, Camilleri once again proves that some of the most powerful mysteries are the ones buried in plain sight.