Īlthough the Inspector Montalbano series of novels is staged in the Sicilian context, Camilleri uncompromisingly confronts many contemporary political and social problems. Montalbano excels at balancing between these two, while being true to his principles. On the opposite side is the particularistic "southern" culture with complex webs of relationships that affect the way things are done. There is the "northern" force, coming from Rome, Milan that attempts to standardize regulations and increase transparency. In this role he is balancing between the demands of his superiors and the realities of local crime and life in general in fact, a determining factor of his success as a Sicilian policeman seems to be his ability to bridge between different cultures. He is the chief of the police station ( Italian: Commissario) of the fictional town of Vigata. This also allowed me to show the progression and evolution in the character of Montalbano." In my books, I deliberately decided to smuggle into a detective novel a critical commentary on my times. In many crime novels, the events seem completely detached from the economic, political and social context in which they occur. In fact, Camilleri has said that social commentary "was always my aim. 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. One of the strengths of the novels is Montalbano's ability to navigate through a murky world, a world of shady connections and favours owed and owing, without compromising himself beyond what he can live with. He has his own way of doing things, and his superiors regard him as something of a loose cannon. Inspector Montalbano is an engaging hero – honest, decent and loyal. The detective's character encapsulates astute detective work and a fractious manner.