The Patience of the Spider is the eighth novel in Andrea Camilleri's wryly humorous Inspector Montalbano series. Chief Inspector Montalbano is on enforced sick leave. But when a local girl goes mysteriously missing, the whole community takes an interest in the case. Why are the kidnappers so sure that the girl's impoverished father and dying mother will be able to find a fortune? The ever-inquisitive Montalbano steps in, to get to the heart of the matter in his own inimitable style. The Patience of the Spider is followed by the ninth novel in the series, Paper Moon.