April 28, 2008
In Nabb's somber final Marshal Guarnaccia mystery (after 2007's Death of a Dutchman
), Guarnaccia investigates the shooting death of beautiful 25-year-old Daniela Paoletti, the elder daughter of a wealthy Florentine nightclub owner, in her tower bedroom of the family's villa in the hills above the city. Daniela's murder unsettles the marshal, a compassionate, sensitive man who's preoccupied with such midlife issues as taking early retirement from the military. Guarnaccia senses something is amiss in the Paoletti household, where everyone suffers from one malady or another. The father is recovering from a mild stroke in the hospital while his wife appears to be in a constant state of alcoholic intoxication. Rumors of the lucrative trafficking of young women from Eastern European countries sound alarm bells for the marshal, who decides he has to put aside personal concerns to pursue the truth. Nabb, who died in Florence in 2007, will be much missed by those who like their mysteries to raise the big questions of life.
April 1, 2008
A murder investigation uncovers a nest of corruption that proves career-threatening to Marshall Salvatore Guarnaccia of the Florence carabinieri. An unwed mother is found shot in her bedroom in her parents' upscale home. It has the look of a professional job yet seems motivated by hate. When the marshall learns of the victim's father's role in the international sex trade and about the involvement of his prosecutorial nemesis, De Vita, he faces a profound professional problem that he's unable to share with his wife, Teresa. There's never any doubt that the ruminating technophobic marshall will do what is morally right, particularly when innocent women and children are at risk. This 14th series outing is sadly the last since Nabb, a longtime resident of Florence, died there last August. Fortunately, her mysteries, with Florentine settings and complex characterizations, live on. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 2/1/08.]
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2008
Adult/High School-Some of Marshal Guarnaccias superiors describe him as slow and dim-witted, but, like TVs Columbo, his appearance is deceiving. As the story begins, Daniela Paoletti, daughter of a notorious underworld gangster, has been murdered. Guarnaccia arrives to investigate and, as he looks over the crime scene, he feels apprehensive and wary. The villa emits a feeling of unease and oppression. Conditions dont improve when prosecutor Fulvio De Vita, a man with whom the marshal has had unpleasant interactions, arrives to assist in the investigation. His help is distracting, and Guarnaccia gets the idea that he would prefer that someone else were in charge. But he perseveres and slowly unravels the ugly underside of Paolettis legal-looking businesses. Women are being sold into prostitution, and others are forced to be strippers, exotic dancers, cleaners, and house servants. What puts Guarnaccia into overdrive to solve the murder is learning that children are also being used in the nefarious ventures. With the help of a cagey newspaper reporter, he uses his perceived slow-wittedness to solve the crime and in doing so provides a new life for the people caught up in Paolettis heinous world. This book works like an episode of "Columbo" or a fast food meal. Its filling and quick, and will satisfy readers whether they have a preference for action or characterization."Joanne Ligamari, Rio Linda School District, Sacramento, CA"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from March 15, 2008
The final Marshal Guarnaccia mystery (Nabb died in August) reminds us all over again that this quiet, deceptively rich series has never received the acclaim it deserves. This time Guarnaccia, the self-effacing carbinieri marshal, must move well out of his comfort zonethe shopkeepers and blue-collar residents whom he encounters on the streets of Florencetotheworld ofthe citys wealthy and, in particular, to one severely dysfunctional family, the Paolettis, whose oldest daughter has been shot in her home. The more Guarnaccia digs into the case, the more he senses trouble: not only is the head of the family up to his neck in the sex trade, but the prosecutor of the case may be entangled as well, putting the lowly marshal up against powerful foes more than capable of ruining his career. As always, Nabb wins us over with the Columbo-like Guarnaccias mixture of surface bumbling and subtle shrewdness, mixed with a heightend sensitivity to both everyday woes and heart-wrenching tragedy. Fans of Donna Leons Guido Brunetti will find in Guarnaccia the ideal workingmans parallel to the equally sensitive but far more intellectual Venetian commissario. Nabb writes more traditional, Simenon-style mysteries than Leon, but she is every bit as skilled in finding nuance in the smallest detail and in giving readers a sense of how the dailiness of a policemans life is both a source of support and frustration. This series will be missed by all devotees of the Italian crime novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)