No, this is not a movie review. Andrea Camilleri is a Sicilian writer of the Inspector Montalbano series. The Shape of Water is the first in the series.
The body of a prominent politician with an impeccable reputation is found by two city street cleaners in his car in an area of town known for sex and drugs. (In Sicily, at least in the 90s, they had people who walk around and pick up trash? If only they would do that here.) Although it appears he died from natural causes, Inspector Montalbano thinks something is off. Lupanello died with his pants around his ankles. It is his wife who notices later that his underpants are on backwards. (This is the only thing that seemed unlikely to me—that the coroner wouldn’t notice that.)
Lupanello’s second almost immediately takes his position. Everyone wants Montalbano to close the case, but he asks for two more days.
Other complications turn up. One of the street cleaners finds an expensive necklace near the site. Also, the car apparently got to the site using an almost impossible route.
Montalbano is an honest cop, but he is cynically aware of the levels of corruption in city government. He has some slyly funny thoughts.
I wouldn’t say this novel is telegraphic in style, but portions of it are told only with telephone calls, and we don’t often learn what Montalbano is thinking. Also, Camilleri holds back some of the detective’s findings to the end. Cheating a little, but this series is very popular in Europe and so far seems promising. I like Montalbano, who has his own ideas about justice.
What? Me Read? 
I’ve often been tempted by this series but something always seems to hold me back from it. I don’t think I’m ready to jump in yet but I’ll be interested to see how you think it develops if you do read on.
I don’t know if I liked it enough to continue, although it was okay.
Interesting, and kinda confirms what I usually feel when I read reviews of them – that they’re OK but not wonderful!
Yes, I think they hide too much from the reader.