Inspector[a] Salvo Montalbano is a fictional police chief and detective created by Italian writer Andrea Camilleri in a series of novels and short stories.

There is a great deal of humour in his character, such as his unconditional love for silence while enjoying a good meal, but the primary subtext is hard criticism of the social and political situation of both the Sicilian and Italian contexts.

[2] Although the Inspector Montalbano series of novels is set in Sicily, Camilleri uncompromisingly confronts many contemporary political and social problems.

The English translations, by Stephen Sartarelli, began after five novels had been published in Italian and gained popularity among the Italian-speaking public.

In 2009, a statue of the inspector, commissioned by the then-mayor, was placed in the centrally located Via Roma in Porto Empedocle Giuseppe Agnello.

It does not resemble the Montalbano depicted in the TV series, picturing him with his hand on a lamppost, wrinkles and a full head of hair, as described in Camilleri's books.

[4] Since 1999, RAI has produced a television series based on the novels, called in Italian, Il commissario Montalbano.