"The Patience of the Spider" is the eighth novel in Andrea Camilleri's series featuring Inspector Montalbano. Inspector Montalbano is on mandatory sick leave. However, when a local girl mysteriously disappears, the whole community takes an interest in the case. Why are the kidnappers sure that the girl's poor father and dying mother will be able to find a fortune? The ever-curious Montalbano gets involved in the case to get to the heart of the problem in his own unique way. "The Patience of the Spider" is followed by the ninth novel in the series, "The Paper Moon."