Introducing Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia of the Florentine carabinieri, a Sicilian stationed far from home. He wants to go south for Christmas to spend the holiday with his family, but he is laid up with the 'flu. At this awkward moment, the death of a retired Englishman is reported. A most inconvenient time for a murder case. Who has shot Mr Langley-Smythe in the back? And why has Scotland Yard felt it appropriate to send two detectives, one of whom speaks no Italian, to 'help' the marshal and his colleagues with their investigation? Most importantly for the marshal, ever the Italian, will he be able to solve the crime in time to join his family over the holiday season? This first book in the ever popular detective series is a wonderfully evocative piece of crime fiction and quasi-travel writing, as the reader is immediately transported into the heart of Florence, one of Italy's most beautiful cities.

“Artfully understated. . . . [An] elegant series.”—The New York Times Book Review “The richest mystery here, however, is Florence itself, whose intricate politics and class structure Nabb parses with precision and wit. . . . Nabb is sweetly droll.”—The Washington Post Book World “[Nabb] writes in graceful, calm prose.”—The Associated Press “Lovely measured language. . . . Offers such pleasures as great local atmosphere and rich characterizations.”—Publishers Weekly “Lean, elegant prose that surpasses the best of Simenon.”—Kirkus Reviews “[A] superb series.”—Booklist “Guarnaccia’s Florence is a delightful place to visit.”—Mystery Scene The body of a woman has been found half-submerged in an ornamental fish pond high up in Florence’s Boboli Gardens. At first, the woman cannot be identified; only her skull remains. The marshal must use her clothing and a shoe to trace her. She turns out to be a young Japanese woman apprenticed to one of Florence’s legendary custom shoemakers, crotchety old Peruzzi. Could he have killed his protégé? Or did jealousy drive his other apprentice to murder? The neighbors have seen Akiko with a lover—a brilliant young Carabinieri—who has disappeared. Has he fled to avoid arrest? The marshal must go to Rome to complete his investigation. When he returns to Florence he can identify the killer, but can he bring him to justice?

Praise for Magdalen Nabb: "Magdalen Nabb is so good she’s awesome."—Philadelphia Inquirer "First rate. Engrossing, artful and -completely satisfying. Nabb is a fine writer."—Frank Conroy "Elegant of style and elegant of mind."—Publishers Weekly, starred "Nabb is formidable."—Houston Post An elderly woman is found dead in her apartment. The marshal’s search for the villains brings him into confrontation with the past, with Jewish refugees from fascism, and with an English expatriate. Magdalen Nabb was born in Lancashire. She has lived in Florence since 1975.From Publishers WeeklyFans of George Simenon's Inspector Maigret will find much to like in Nabb's 12th police procedural (after 2001's Property of Blood) to feature Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia. A native of Sicily taken with the charms of his adopted Florence, Guarnaccia has earned the trust of its residents at all social levels as well as the high regard of his commanding officer, Captain Maestrangelo, at Borgo Ognissanti Headquarters. After an intruder breaks into Sara Hirsch's apartment but steals nothing, the frightened, impoverished spinster goes to the Palazo Pitti Station of the Florence Carabinieri for the marshal's help. When a wealthy English art collector is robbed of some silver brushes, possibly by a member of his palace staff, the two incidents seem unconnected, as does the subsequent murder of an Albanian prostitute. The marshal insists that he isn't a detective, but he shows himself to be a careful observer as he untangles multiple mysteries through insight into the Florentine community. While deferring to his superiors, Guarnaccia puts together the seemingly unrelated parts of a large picture they fail to see. Glimpses of our hero's family and home life, plus his reactions to the oppressive summer heat of the lovingly evoked setting, add to his humanity. The several subplots may tie together somewhat improbably in the end, but Nabb's elegant style and sensitivity to character more than compensate.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalExceedingly tactful and patient, Marshal Guarnaccia of the Florentine police has at last lined up a case against a man accused of importing and exploiting Albanian prostitutes. But he is distracted when a seemingly paranoid old woman who had complained to him about people entering her apartment winds up murdered. Though not strictly a detective, the marshal begins to reconstruct the life of the victim, an early refugee from the Nazis. Sedate, comforting prose belies the inner resolve of the marshal and the surprising plot twists he uncovers. The British-born, Florence-based Nabb is a best-selling author in Europe (Soho is releasing paperbacks of two older titles in the series), and her lastest is strongly recommended for readers who like sophisticated, literate mysteries in foreign settings. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Praise for the Marshal Guarnaccia series: “The exquisite sensibility of Magdalen Nabb’s police procedurals has all to do with the feeling of displacement that haunts her sensitively observed characters.”—The New York Times Book Review A well-known writer is found dead in the Villa Torrini near Florence without a mark of violence on her. Marshal Guarnaccia of the carabinieri must solve the mystery while struggling with a new legal system and a strict diet. Magdalen Nabb was born and educated in England. She lived and wrote in Florence, where she died in August 2007.About the AuthorMagdalen Nabb was born and educated in England. She lived and wrote in Florence, where she died on August 18, 2007.

"A final reminder of why [Nabb] is irreplaceable among English-speaking novelists who write mysteries with Italian locales.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review “Nabb’s books display all the rich prose and quirky characters that Christie was famous for.”—BookPage “The world of crime fiction [is] poorer for the loss of Magdalen Nabb.”—The Boston Phoenix “Charming. . . . Lovely.”—Rocky Mountain News “If you didn’t make it to Florence this summer, don’t despair. . . . There’s a new Marshal Guarnaccia investigation.”—Chicago Tribune “Surpasses the best of Simenon.”—Kirkus Reviews “There is no other series quite like the Guarnaccia stories.”—The Washington Post Book World Daniela is a quiet single mother studying for a doctorate in chemistry. She rarely goes out, so her murder in her bedroom at the family’s new villa seems inexplicable. It is true that her mother, who appears to be an alcoholic; her younger sister, who has had mental problems; and her father, who has made his money running nightclubs and is probably involved in the international sex trade, are not your average home-loving Italian nuclear family, but what can she have done to be singled out for slaughter? And why has the prosecutor asked specifically for Marshal Guarnaccia to head the investigation? This is the fourteenth book in this acclaimed series. Magdalen Nabb, who was born and educated in England, lived and wrote in Florence, where she died on August 18, 2007.From BooklistStarred Review 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 zone—the shopkeepers and blue-collar residents whom he encounters on the streets of Florence—to the world of the city’s 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 Guarnaccia’s mixture of surface bumbling and subtle shrewdness, mixed with a heightend sensitivity to both everyday woes and heart-wrenching tragedy. Fans of Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti will find in Guarnaccia the ideal workingman’s 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 policeman’s life is both a source of support and frustration. This series will be missed by all devotees of the Italian crime novel. --Bill Ott Review"Vita Nuova is a skilfully plotted mystery which shows Guarnaccia at his most vulnerable ... a splendid addition to this enjoyable series." Sunday Telegraph, Seven "[there is] much to enjoy, combining a tale of dark family secrets with an expose of sex trafficking to produce a classic crime puzzle with touching flashes of insight into human nature." Telegraph

Based on a chilling true crime, The Monster of Florence follows the reopening of a cold case—a serial killer who targeted unmarried couples and terrorized Florence for two decades. Marshal Guarnaccia's job with the carabinieri—the local Florentine police—usually involves restoring stolen handbags to grateful old ladies and lost cameras to bewildered tourists. So when he is assigned to work with the police in trying to track down a vicious serial killer, he feels out of his league. To make matters worse, the Proc he must report to is Simonetti, the same man he knows drove an innocent man to suicide several years earlier in his blind quest for a conviction. The Marshal can't let the stress of the case get to him if he wants to make sure justice is upheld.From BooklistNabb’s death, in 2007, left a serious hole in the roster of A-list mystery writers, and the publication of a posthumous novel starring her series hero, Marshal Guarnaccia, of the Florence Carabinieri, is a welcome event for all fans of international crime fiction. The novel, originally published in the UK in 1999, has curiously never appeared in the U.S. It’s an odd book in some ways, based on a real-life serial killer, the Monster of Florence, whose reign of terror lasted more than 20 years and who may or may not have been apprehended. Guarnaccia, assigned to a cold-case squad tasked with reopening the still-unsolved murders, spends much of the book reading files (and the marshal is not a reader by nature) and mulling over not only whether the suspect being investigated is in fact the killer but also why he was chosen for the task force. The reliance on so many secondary sources, though no doubt fascinating to those who know the real-life case, tends to slow the narrative flow, but, fortunately, there is more than enough of Guarnaccia’s Columbo-like mix of bumbling and shrewdness to please fans. --Bill Ott ReviewPraise for The Monster of Florence "One of Nabb's darkest novels, almost shocking in its disenchanted acknowledgment of human brutality." —The New York Times Book Review "The late Magdalen Nabb never wrote a bad book.... She’s well worth discovering by a new generation of readers... [Monster of Florence] is one of the best of her works and readers can revel in the streets, sounds, smells of Florence." —The Globe and Mail “It is so good to walk with [Magdalen Nabb] through the animated streets of Florence, with its carabinieri, its ordinary people, its little trattorie and even its noisy tourists. It's all so alive, you can hear the noises, smell the smells, see that morning mist on the fast flowing Arno…. Bravissimo!”—Georges Simenon "Monster is powerful in its indirection and its presentation in a fictional context of the facts of a real and celebrated case.... It's both a very effective crime novel and something more than a crime novel." —Glenn Harper, International Noir Fiction "A haunting thriller where past and present collide, where ambition brutalizes those who have most need of compassion and where lies are often more credible than truth."—Val McDermid  "Nabb's account of the details is freshly horrifying.... The vicious, incestuous suspect is so vivid on the page that the reader feels the need of a shower after each of his many appearances."—Donna Leon for the *Sunday Times* “Fans who mourned [Nabb’s] death in 2007 will want this mystery.”—Library Journal "Nabb’s death, in 2007, left a serious hole in the roster of A-list mystery writers, and the publication of a posthumous novel starring her series hero, Marshal Guarnaccia, of the Florence Carabinieri, is a welcome event for all fans of international crime fiction." —Booklist Praise for Magdalen Nabb "It takes a writer as good as Magdalen Nabb to remind us how subtle the art of the mystery can be."—*New York Times*

The kidnapping for ransom of a beautiful American-born contessa poses Marshal Guarnaccia's gravest challenge.From Publishers WeeklyElegant is the word for Nabb's (The Monster of Florence; The Marshal at the Villa Torrini; etc.) 11th Salvatore Guarnaccia psychological police procedural elegant in style and elegant of mind. Guarnaccia, marshal of the carabinieri, finds clues in the way people behave. His colleagues appreciate his talents, but tend to keep him on the sidelines of any investigation. For them, his greatest talent is in dealing with difficult people, questioning those reluctant to speak, calming those who refuse to be calmed. The unpretentious Sicilian sleuth, whose adopted city is Florence, has a gift for inspiring trust and encouraging others to confide in him. He also has a home life that includes a loving wife who nags him and two kids who give him problems. He is endearingly absent-minded. In the present tale, an American-born woman, Countess Olivia Brunamonti, has been kidnapped by a band of professional thugs. Italian law forbids the paying of ransom, and the family does not report the kidnapping for a week, deepening Olivia's danger. In addition, the gang has left a false trail to a rival clan. Time, as they say, is running out. Olivia is a wonderful character. Her graphic account of her ordeal, which runs intermittently throughout the book, gives the reader a perspective on the physical and psychological seriousness of her situation. Nabb, an Englishwoman who has lived in Florence since 1975, is a fine writer with a sharp intelligence and deep sensitivity to human pain and frailty. (Sept. 18)an Englishman (1982), will be reissued in paperback simultaneously.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalMarshal Guarnaccia, featured in some ten previous titles, investigates the kidnap-for-ransom of an American-born countess in Florence. With a low-key narrative and protagonist but effective nonetheless. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Praise for Magdalen Nabb: “The best mystery news in ages is that Soho is restoring to the canon Magdalen Nabb and her tremendous crea-tion, Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia of the Italian police in Florence.”—Chicago Tribune “First rate. Engrossing, artful, and completely satisfying. Nabb is a fine writer.”—Frank Conroy “Magdalen Nabb is so good she’s awesome.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Nabb is formidable.”—Houston Post Everyone is so distracted by the phenomenon of a March snowfall in Florence that no one notices two foreign girls being abducted from the piazza at gunpoint in broad daylight. Even Marshal Guarnaccia has trouble piecing together what he has actually seen: tourists in a car holding up a big map, children going to school, a bus, a drug addict on the steps of Santo Spirito church, a single Sardinian bagpiper in a long, black shepherd’s cloak. One of the girls, a Norwegian university student, turns up in Pontino, a village in the Chianti hills, where she is hospitalized for a concussion, a leg wound, and possible pneumonia. She says she has been released by the kidnappers so she can make contact. The other kidnap victim, an American girl, is being held for ransom. But the marshal thinks she’s lying. Kidnapping has become a local racket. It is up to Marshal Guarnaccia to save the young American and put a stop to a flourishing criminal enterprise.