This is where (apparently) the TV show differs from the source book. This is number 10 in the Commisario Montalbano books which is called “August Heat”.
Please note that I watched this episode/read the book over two years ago and this post has been sitting around pretty much since then. I am aware I am out of sequence at this point. I decided to publish in order to clear up my scheduled posts. Apologies if i have missed something as a result.
August is the hottest summer month in Sicily and Montalbano is forced to remain at Vigata, taking care of police business. Apparently in the book, Livia joins him, and brings a friend (with husband and baby) and asks Salvo to rent a beach house for them. In the TV Programme, a heard but unseen Livia goes out on a boat with a friend called Gianfranco and is fed up with Salvo refusing to come out and join them. It is Mimi who rents the rather nice house and all is well as the holiday develops nicely, until the day Mimi’s little boy Salvo disappears. Montalbano rushes into the garden to help in the search and discovers a tunnel that will reveal sensational surprises, including a trunk with the body of a missing girl who disappeared six years before.
As he begins his investigation, Montalbano makes the acquaintance of the victim’s twin sister Adriana Monreale. Suffering in the terrible August weather, and jealous of what might be happening with Livia on the boat, Salvo is grumpy, jealous and out of sorts. Having previously rejected the come-ons by various other women, it is the attentions of the much younger and very attractive Adriana – who makes no bones about finding Salvo attractive – that breaks his resolve one night when she strips on the beach to go swimming in the sea. Next thing, Salvo has come up behind her in the water, and one thing leads to another, with the pair finally making it back to the house to finish business.
Along with Fazio – who has spotted the underlying tension between the two and tries to warn Salvo not to take it forward – the pair hatch a plan to bring the killer to justice, using Adriana as bait. The following morning finds Salvo arriving at the holiday let, Adriana, Fazio and Galuzzo already in place. There’s a short, post-coital kiss between Salvo and Adriana (Salvo looks embarrassed and confused, as if he doesn’t want to be caught by Fazio, or is immediately regretting things) before he hides in the corner for the killer to arrive. Adriana tempts the killer into the basement before grabbing Salvo’s gun and shooting the killer dead. Fazio and Galuzzo, who have been hiding outside, hear the gunshot and arrive after Salvo has taken the gun off Adriana and he takes responsibility for the killing. Despite suspecting otherwise Fazio and Galuzzo don’t argue with him.
It’s an interesting balancing act when it comes to the relationship between Salvo and Livia – he does seem to love her; has been faithful to her (apparently) all these years, despite the temptations – something Ingrid throws back in his face in a later episode – but he wont marry her and seems satisfied with them living a plane trip apart. It was therefore a case of “oh Salvo, really!?” when he follows Adriana into the sea – he chooses her (of all people) to have his mid life crises with? (she’s early 20s and judging by elapsed time, he’s in his mid 40s . I did the maths at one point and I think Zingaretti’s actual age closely matches Montalbano’s in the series – there’s 15 years between the first episode and the last of series 9 in terms of both storyline and rate of episode production).
The heat of August is also reflected in the clothes the characters wear – they haven’t resorted to tshirts and shorts, but gone are the leather jackets and the long woollen overcoats favoured during the rest of the series (which is filmed in the off season in Sicily, and therefore relatively cool). Fazio looks suitably hot and out of sorts, and somehow Salvo has managed to acquire the only battery operated fan in the station.