Best Stephen Sartarelli Books

The best books by Stephen Sartarelli — 22 titles spanning Mystery, averaging 3.96 BLT stars.

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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.

Stephen Sartarelli's highest-rated book in our collection is Rounding the Mark (4.11 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Stephen Sartarelli

  1. 1
    Rounding the Mark cover

    Rounding the Mark

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 7

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.11 BLT Score (7.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (7.4K)
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  2. 2
    Excursion to Tindari cover

    Excursion to Tindari

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 5

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.10 BLT Score (9.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.06 Goodreads (9.1K)
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  3. 3
    The Other End of the Line cover

    The Other End of the Line

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 24

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.07 BLT Score (3.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.05 Goodreads (3.9K)
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  4. 4
    The Patience of the Spider cover

    The Patience of the Spider

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 8

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.06 BLT Score (7.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (7.2K)
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  5. 5
    The Potter's Field cover

    The Potter's Field

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 13

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.05 BLT Score (5.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (5.7K)
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  6. 6
    August Heat cover

    August Heat

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 10

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.04 BLT Score (7.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.01 Goodreads (7.2K)
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  7. 7
    The Snack Thief cover

    The Snack Thief

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 3

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.04 BLT Score (11.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (11.1K)
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  8. 8
    The Pyramid of Mud cover

    The Pyramid of Mud

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 22

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 4.00 BLT Score (3.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (3.8K)
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  9. 9
    The Dance of the Seagull cover

    The Dance of the Seagull

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 15

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.99 BLT Score (5.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (5.1K)
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  10. 10
    The Smell of the Night cover

    The Smell of the Night

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 6

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.99 BLT Score (7.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.03 Goodreads (7.9K)
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  11. 11
    Game of Mirrors cover

    Game of Mirrors

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 18

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.98 BLT Score (4.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (4.0K)
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  12. 12
    The Track of Sand cover

    The Track of Sand

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 12

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.97 BLT Score (5.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.93 Goodreads (5.0K)
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  13. 13
    The Age of Doubt cover

    The Age of Doubt

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 14

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.95 BLT Score (5.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.95 Goodreads (5.3K)
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  14. 14
    The Wings of the Sphinx cover

    The Wings of the Sphinx

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 11

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.95 BLT Score (5.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.95 Goodreads (5.6K)
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  15. 15
    A Nest of Vipers cover

    A Nest of Vipers

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 21

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.94 BLT Score (4.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (4.0K)
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  16. 16
    The Overnight Kidnapper cover

    The Overnight Kidnapper

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 23

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.92 BLT Score (3.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (3.6K)
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  17. 17
    The Paper Moon cover

    The Paper Moon

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 9

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.88 BLT Score (7.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (7.0K)
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  18. 18
    Angelica's Smile cover

    Angelica's Smile

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 17

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.88 BLT Score (4.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.85 Goodreads (4.1K)
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  19. 19
    The Sicilian Method cover

    The Sicilian Method

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 26

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.85 BLT Score (3.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (3.6K)
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  20. 20
    The Cook of the Halcyon cover

    The Cook of the Halcyon

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 27

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.85 BLT Score (3.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (3.3K)
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  21. 21
    The Terra-Cotta Dog cover

    The Terra-Cotta Dog

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 2

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.83 BLT Score (14.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.95 Goodreads (14.5K)
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  22. 22
    The Shape of Water cover

    The Shape of Water

    Commissario Montalbano • Book 1

    by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

    ★ 3.57 BLT Score (26.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.74 Goodreads (26.5K)
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