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Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery #1
Tod eines Engländers - Guarnaccias erster Fall - bk1633
Florenz, kurz vor Weihnachten: Wachtmeister Guarnaccia brennt darauf, nach Sizilien zu seiner Familie zu kommen, doch da wird er krank, und es geschieht ein Mord. Carabiniere Bacci wittert seine Chance: Was ihm an Erfahrung fehlt, macht er durch Strebsamkeit wett! Betrug und gestohlene Kunstschätze kommen ans Licht, aber sie sind nur der Hintergrund zu einer privaten Tragödie. Zuletzt ist es doch der Wachtmeister, der (wenn auch unwillig) dem Mörder auf die Spur kommt - und an Heiligabend gerade noch den letzten Zug nach Syrakus erwischt.
219 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
105 people are currently reading
1313 people want to read
About the author
Magdalen Nabb
61 books54 followersMAGDALEN NABB was born in Lancashire in 1947 and trained as a potter. In 1975 she abandoned pottery, sold her home and her car, and came to Florence with her son, knowing nobody and speaking no Italian. She has lived there ever since, and pursues a dual career as crime writer and children's author.
She has written fourteen crime novels featuring Marshal Guarnaccia of the carabinieri, all set in Florence, which she describes as 'a very secret city. Walk down any residential street and you have no idea what is going on behind those blank walls. It's a problem the Marshal comes up against all the time.'
Magdalen Nabb also writes the immensely successful Josie Smith books, set in her native Lancashire, which form the basis of the Granada children's TV series, Josie Smith, scripted by the author. Her first book, Josie Smith, was runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award in 1989, and in l99l, Josie Smith and Eileen was winner of the prestigious Smarties Book Prize for the 6-8 age group.
Series:
* Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery
* Josie Smith
She has written fourteen crime novels featuring Marshal Guarnaccia of the carabinieri, all set in Florence, which she describes as 'a very secret city. Walk down any residential street and you have no idea what is going on behind those blank walls. It's a problem the Marshal comes up against all the time.'
Magdalen Nabb also writes the immensely successful Josie Smith books, set in her native Lancashire, which form the basis of the Granada children's TV series, Josie Smith, scripted by the author. Her first book, Josie Smith, was runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award in 1989, and in l99l, Josie Smith and Eileen was winner of the prestigious Smarties Book Prize for the 6-8 age group.
Series:
* Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery
* Josie Smith
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
August 30, 2016
At first, I was somewhat stunned when I realized that most of the action in this book would take place while the marshal-- the main character-- is flat on his back in bed. But then I fell under the spell of Magdalen Nabb's Florence. This slim volume contains an entire feast of the streets and neighborhoods of the city, of the Italian way of life, of the keen observation of people's behavior and habits, that I willingly let Guaraccia recuperate while I did my own observing and putting clues together.
Part of the magic of this book is having two Scotland Yard detectives working with the Italian caribinieri. There is the difficulty of not speaking each other's language as well as the differences in investigative procedures. While I watched this group of policemen slowly piece together facts that show the deceased Englishman wasn't as respectable as they first thought, I put together what I'd observed. Nabb is masterful at using Conan Doyle's Holmes and Watson Method: the Italian and British police being Watson, the marshal being Holmes, and the reader somewhere between the two.
First published in 1981, Death of an Englishman, isn't a foray into the dazzling science of forensics. This is a mystery for those who like to observe, ponder and arrive at their own conclusions. How close your deductions are to the author's solution depends on how well you've observed and pondered a disparate group of people all living in the same old apartment building. A batty old Englishwoman operating her own museum, a husband who always seems to be coming home during the wee hours of the morning, a high-spirited little girl (who reminded me more than a little of "The Ransom of Red Chief"), and several more should provide readers with everything they need to know... but it's not until Marshal Salvatore Guaraccia has recuperated sufficiently that everything falls into place. He proves that there's scarcely a thing that can escape his eagle eye.
The setting, the characters, the intricately constructed plot with its touches of humor and compassion... Death of an Englishman is a leisurely-paced book that I enjoyed even more than I'd anticipated. I look forward to returning to Florence and observing the marshal in the future.
Part of the magic of this book is having two Scotland Yard detectives working with the Italian caribinieri. There is the difficulty of not speaking each other's language as well as the differences in investigative procedures. While I watched this group of policemen slowly piece together facts that show the deceased Englishman wasn't as respectable as they first thought, I put together what I'd observed. Nabb is masterful at using Conan Doyle's Holmes and Watson Method: the Italian and British police being Watson, the marshal being Holmes, and the reader somewhere between the two.
First published in 1981, Death of an Englishman, isn't a foray into the dazzling science of forensics. This is a mystery for those who like to observe, ponder and arrive at their own conclusions. How close your deductions are to the author's solution depends on how well you've observed and pondered a disparate group of people all living in the same old apartment building. A batty old Englishwoman operating her own museum, a husband who always seems to be coming home during the wee hours of the morning, a high-spirited little girl (who reminded me more than a little of "The Ransom of Red Chief"), and several more should provide readers with everything they need to know... but it's not until Marshal Salvatore Guaraccia has recuperated sufficiently that everything falls into place. He proves that there's scarcely a thing that can escape his eagle eye.
The setting, the characters, the intricately constructed plot with its touches of humor and compassion... Death of an Englishman is a leisurely-paced book that I enjoyed even more than I'd anticipated. I look forward to returning to Florence and observing the marshal in the future.
October 6, 2016
This is the 1st in Nabb's Marshal Guarnaccia series. There are weaknesses in the plot which left me unsure what was happening, but the charming descriptions of the city of Florence (we are currently vacationing around the corner from the site of the murder), and also of several of the characters, overcomes the plot confusion. I was encouraged enough to put additional volumes on my "to read" list.
January 3, 2022
It’s a few days before Christmas and all Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, a Sicilian based in Florence, wants to do is travel south to spend the holiday with his family. But he is in bed sick with the flu. The city's police stations are understaffed due to the impending holidays and anyway Pitti station usually only has minor crimes to deal with, so when a call comes through about a murder Carabinieri Bacci, a young cadet still at police school, is unsure whether to wake the Marshal or begin investigating himself. Bacci is always impeccably dressed, well intentioned and knows all the textbook procedures has absolutely no practical experience.
When Bacci arrives alone at a small apartment complex he discovers the body of Mr. Langley-Smythe, a seemingly respectable English bachelor who had previously worked for the British embassy in Rome before retiring to Florence. More puzzling however, is an ancient Roman majolica bust found nearby and a safe filled with various foreign banknotes. Langley-Smythe was an apparent reclusive miser with no known friends or enemies, so who shot him in the back and where did all the money come from?
Being a British citizen with some influential family members two detectives from New Scotland Yard are sent to assist in the investigation. The British detectives have very limited Italian language skills whilst Bacci's Captain speaks no English at all so Bacci is kept on the investigation to act as an interpreter.
Initially it seemed somewhat disconcerting that Guarnaccia is pretty well permanently laid up in bed and has very little involvement in the actual investigation given that he is supposedly the central figure of these books. Initially we only see him through Bacci's eyes, who regards him as an obese old man with possible Mafia links. But as the book reaches its climax we see Guarnaccia in a very different light, as a sensitive man and a good detective.
It's always interesting to see how different cultures react to one another when thrown together in a situation, throw in the added complication of a language barrier and you have the ingredients of an interesting tale, and Nabb seems to have been a keen observer.
There is a real motley crew of neighbours living in the victim's apartment block who add both colour and humour. We are shown the role of Italian night guards, given a glimpse into the relations between the North and the South of the country, the shady world of illegal antique exports and Nabb takes a sly poke at British ex-pats who live in the country without bothering to try to learn the language or the food. But the most important element is the city itself. You can almost visualise its narrow streets with its once grand buildings now struggling under the ravages of modern traffic.
In truth I'm not a real fan of detective novels but it felt like a homage to the Sherlock Holmes' novels, where others do all the grunt work and then Holmes or in this case Guarniccia with a piece of insight solves the crime. This also had the distinction that come the end of the book I felt that the murderer was the real victim here.
I found this a quick, entertaining read with some interesting characters. I'm curious to learn more about the Marshal and I cannot help but feel that Nabb was only testing the water with this book so surely those that follow must be even better so consequently I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book in the series. However, if I give this book 5 stars then I will have nowhere else to go but down.
When Bacci arrives alone at a small apartment complex he discovers the body of Mr. Langley-Smythe, a seemingly respectable English bachelor who had previously worked for the British embassy in Rome before retiring to Florence. More puzzling however, is an ancient Roman majolica bust found nearby and a safe filled with various foreign banknotes. Langley-Smythe was an apparent reclusive miser with no known friends or enemies, so who shot him in the back and where did all the money come from?
Being a British citizen with some influential family members two detectives from New Scotland Yard are sent to assist in the investigation. The British detectives have very limited Italian language skills whilst Bacci's Captain speaks no English at all so Bacci is kept on the investigation to act as an interpreter.
Initially it seemed somewhat disconcerting that Guarnaccia is pretty well permanently laid up in bed and has very little involvement in the actual investigation given that he is supposedly the central figure of these books. Initially we only see him through Bacci's eyes, who regards him as an obese old man with possible Mafia links. But as the book reaches its climax we see Guarnaccia in a very different light, as a sensitive man and a good detective.
It's always interesting to see how different cultures react to one another when thrown together in a situation, throw in the added complication of a language barrier and you have the ingredients of an interesting tale, and Nabb seems to have been a keen observer.
There is a real motley crew of neighbours living in the victim's apartment block who add both colour and humour. We are shown the role of Italian night guards, given a glimpse into the relations between the North and the South of the country, the shady world of illegal antique exports and Nabb takes a sly poke at British ex-pats who live in the country without bothering to try to learn the language or the food. But the most important element is the city itself. You can almost visualise its narrow streets with its once grand buildings now struggling under the ravages of modern traffic.
In truth I'm not a real fan of detective novels but it felt like a homage to the Sherlock Holmes' novels, where others do all the grunt work and then Holmes or in this case Guarniccia with a piece of insight solves the crime. This also had the distinction that come the end of the book I felt that the murderer was the real victim here.
I found this a quick, entertaining read with some interesting characters. I'm curious to learn more about the Marshal and I cannot help but feel that Nabb was only testing the water with this book so surely those that follow must be even better so consequently I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book in the series. However, if I give this book 5 stars then I will have nowhere else to go but down.
January 15, 2014
First in a series. Takes place in Florence. Fairly short. Once I got into it, relatively enjoyable.
Of course there are a few false/questionable trails. You think the case is about one thing and then it appears to be about something totally different.
Of course there are a few false/questionable trails. You think the case is about one thing and then it appears to be about something totally different.
September 29, 2016
A member of the English community in Florence is murdered and the local cops investigate, with the "unofficial" assistance of a couple of officers flown in from Scotland Yard -- the superiors of the latter are, because the dead man was connected to someone high up in the English pecking order, keen to make sure that a simple case of murder doesn't blow up until it gets out of control, with who knows what repercussions.
The English cops are kept largely on the periphery by their Italian counterparts, who soon discover they're investigating not one but two crimes -- not just the murder of the enigmatic Englishman but also the sordid business in which the Englishman was engaged. Also kept on the periphery for much of the book, not by his colleagues but by the flu, is the novel's specified protagonist, Marshal Guarnaccia. (I assume he plays a bigger role in the subsequent books.) Once he has recovered enough to participate in the investigation, he soon has the case solved.
I found a fair amount to like here. Nabb has a good knack for characterization, and figures like the elderly Miss White -- a garrulous upstairs neighbor of the dead man's who's far less dotty than everyone thinks she is -- the Marshal's youthful trainee sidekick, Carabiniere Bacci, and the younger of the two English cops, Inspector Jeffreys, come through loud and clear. So too does the Marshal, although he doesn't spend all that much time on stage, so to speak, and is ill most of that meager time. This creation of three-dimensional characters whom it's easy to like, plus some evocative descriptions of Florence, for me (a) went a long way toward compensating for the fact that the solution of the murder mystery was not exactly a complex one but (b) couldn't quite obscure my sense that in places this fairly short book is woefully padded. The pads -- as when we get an extensive, irrelevant street confrontation in the lead-up to what proves a useful plot point -- are quite fun to read, but they're nonetheless irritating.
I liked this novel more than I can recall liking any of Donna Leon's similarly Italian-cop-centered police procedurals, so I imagine I'll be reading more of Nabb's Guarnaccia novels should I come across them.
The English cops are kept largely on the periphery by their Italian counterparts, who soon discover they're investigating not one but two crimes -- not just the murder of the enigmatic Englishman but also the sordid business in which the Englishman was engaged. Also kept on the periphery for much of the book, not by his colleagues but by the flu, is the novel's specified protagonist, Marshal Guarnaccia. (I assume he plays a bigger role in the subsequent books.) Once he has recovered enough to participate in the investigation, he soon has the case solved.
I found a fair amount to like here. Nabb has a good knack for characterization, and figures like the elderly Miss White -- a garrulous upstairs neighbor of the dead man's who's far less dotty than everyone thinks she is -- the Marshal's youthful trainee sidekick, Carabiniere Bacci, and the younger of the two English cops, Inspector Jeffreys, come through loud and clear. So too does the Marshal, although he doesn't spend all that much time on stage, so to speak, and is ill most of that meager time. This creation of three-dimensional characters whom it's easy to like, plus some evocative descriptions of Florence, for me (a) went a long way toward compensating for the fact that the solution of the murder mystery was not exactly a complex one but (b) couldn't quite obscure my sense that in places this fairly short book is woefully padded. The pads -- as when we get an extensive, irrelevant street confrontation in the lead-up to what proves a useful plot point -- are quite fun to read, but they're nonetheless irritating.
I liked this novel more than I can recall liking any of Donna Leon's similarly Italian-cop-centered police procedurals, so I imagine I'll be reading more of Nabb's Guarnaccia novels should I come across them.
June 15, 2017
This one has been on my shelf for so long that I have forgotton why I put it there . I think that it was possibly because I had read a review of a later book in the series and decided to start at the beginning, although, I see from the authors bibliography that the last in the series was written 8 years ago and this one is 35 years old.
Actually as the first of the series by a new author to me, I feel a bit cheated, out of what , at the end, I think was a nice neat 'who-done-it'. I think that not knowing the history of the characters well enough and not what kind of novel to expect, I missed so many of the delicately placed clues.
i admit to some difficulty in keeping track of the Chiefs and the Captains and the Inspector not to mention the Marshal.
This is a story about a provincial Carabinieri. I looked up what it was exactly and wikipedia describes it as " a military force charged with police duties under the authority of both the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of the Interior (for public order tasks). Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations." There seemed similarities between the Marshal and Martin Walker's "Bruno - Chief of Police" although this is set in a small town in the Périgord France.
I wonder if future books will keep Carabiniere Bacci as a Lewis to Marshal Guarnaccia' Inspector Morse; as a Jones to Barnaby in Midsomer or even as a Hathaway to Lewis? We shall have to wait and see.
I enjoyed this simple tale set in Florence (especially as it avoided the gratuitous sex and violence that mar so many books these days , in my opinion), and I feel that I should have been able to solve it but found myself too wrapped up in trying to sort out the players.
Now that I have done that and realised what a clever little story it actually was, I am keen to go in search of the rest of the series. Marshall Guarnaccia, you have another follower.
My score is lower than this deserves, perhaps, perhaps in addition to the comments above, because it didnt 'sell' the Marshal to me as well as I believe if could have done. My keeness to follow the series should leave my review reader in no doubt about my belief in the series to develope.
Actually as the first of the series by a new author to me, I feel a bit cheated, out of what , at the end, I think was a nice neat 'who-done-it'. I think that not knowing the history of the characters well enough and not what kind of novel to expect, I missed so many of the delicately placed clues.
i admit to some difficulty in keeping track of the Chiefs and the Captains and the Inspector not to mention the Marshal.
This is a story about a provincial Carabinieri. I looked up what it was exactly and wikipedia describes it as " a military force charged with police duties under the authority of both the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of the Interior (for public order tasks). Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations." There seemed similarities between the Marshal and Martin Walker's "Bruno - Chief of Police" although this is set in a small town in the Périgord France.
I wonder if future books will keep Carabiniere Bacci as a Lewis to Marshal Guarnaccia' Inspector Morse; as a Jones to Barnaby in Midsomer or even as a Hathaway to Lewis? We shall have to wait and see.
I enjoyed this simple tale set in Florence (especially as it avoided the gratuitous sex and violence that mar so many books these days , in my opinion), and I feel that I should have been able to solve it but found myself too wrapped up in trying to sort out the players.
Now that I have done that and realised what a clever little story it actually was, I am keen to go in search of the rest of the series. Marshall Guarnaccia, you have another follower.
My score is lower than this deserves, perhaps, perhaps in addition to the comments above, because it didnt 'sell' the Marshal to me as well as I believe if could have done. My keeness to follow the series should leave my review reader in no doubt about my belief in the series to develope.
July 25, 2011
The book looked interesting, the jacket blurbs that raved about the author were from writers I really like, but I found this not that interesting and hard to follow. I also didn't feel like I got much local color on Florence, and the setting had been one of the things that appealed to me. I doubt I'd read this author again.
January 26, 2014
Having read all the Donna Leon books I thought I'd try Marshal Guarnaccia books. Like the Leon books, there are several threads going on..perhaps in this book more than some others. I enjoy police procedurals where you are also getting depictions of the other pursuits of the main characters. Ian Rankin also a favorite.
June 22, 2020
Death Of An Englishman by Magdalen Nabb is the first book in her mystery series featuring Marshal Guarnaccia of the Florentine Carabinieri. Guarnaccia is a Sicilian resident and is planning to return to his family for Xmas. Unfortunately, he is suffering from the flu.
With Guarnaccia sick in bed, his assistant, Carabinieri Bacci takes a call about a dead body in an apartment building. Not wanting to wake the Marshall, he goes to the call and then calls his Captain. This is the beginning of a somewhat convoluted case that will also involve two inspectors from England as the body is of an English ex-patriot.
The mystery itself is somewhat confusing. Guarnaccia, himself, is absent from the middle part of the story as he is incapacitated in bed for that portion. The investigation will consider theft of Italian art treasures. Ultimately, the Marshal will struggle out of bed to take a new look at the information and come up with an interesting resolution. I liked the overall story. I had some difficulties with the Carabinieri rank structure as the Marshal seems to work for the Captain. I did search for an Italian carabinieri rank structure synopsis but didn't come up with a satisfactory answer. I liked the characters as well although this was really only a teaser for the series. It was translated satisfactorily and left me looking forward to exploring it more. (3.5 stars)
With Guarnaccia sick in bed, his assistant, Carabinieri Bacci takes a call about a dead body in an apartment building. Not wanting to wake the Marshall, he goes to the call and then calls his Captain. This is the beginning of a somewhat convoluted case that will also involve two inspectors from England as the body is of an English ex-patriot.
The mystery itself is somewhat confusing. Guarnaccia, himself, is absent from the middle part of the story as he is incapacitated in bed for that portion. The investigation will consider theft of Italian art treasures. Ultimately, the Marshal will struggle out of bed to take a new look at the information and come up with an interesting resolution. I liked the overall story. I had some difficulties with the Carabinieri rank structure as the Marshal seems to work for the Captain. I did search for an Italian carabinieri rank structure synopsis but didn't come up with a satisfactory answer. I liked the characters as well although this was really only a teaser for the series. It was translated satisfactorily and left me looking forward to exploring it more. (3.5 stars)
July 2, 2008
DEATH OF AN ENGLISHMAN (Trad. Mystery/Pol. Proc-Marshal Guarnaccia-Italy-Cont) – G+
Nabb, Magdalen – 1st in series
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1981, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0684177579
First Sentence: The small office was in darkness, except where the red night lamp stood by the telephone on the desk, and the white kid gloves lying on top of a sheaf of papers within the patch of light were flushed pink.
Marshal Guiarnaccia is a Carabiniere stationed in Florence. He wants to get home for Christmas with his family in Sicily but is laid low with a bad case of the flu so it’s his young new police cadet, Carabiniere Bacci, faced with the investigation into the murder of a well-connected Englishman. Inspectors from Scotland Yard appear on the scene and want to keep things quite.
As he begins to recover, it is the subtle observations of Marshal that solve the case.
I was not familiar with this author, but it was recommended to me and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It’s the first of the series and a bit misleading since the actual protagonist spends most of the story being sick. I didn’t learn much about Marshal in this book, but when he did make an appearance, I became completely intrigued and wanted more.
I loved the Florentine setting. Nabb is a wonderfully visual writer. Unfortunately, now I’ve found another author whose backlist I need to seek out and read.
Nabb, Magdalen – 1st in series
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1981, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0684177579
First Sentence: The small office was in darkness, except where the red night lamp stood by the telephone on the desk, and the white kid gloves lying on top of a sheaf of papers within the patch of light were flushed pink.
Marshal Guiarnaccia is a Carabiniere stationed in Florence. He wants to get home for Christmas with his family in Sicily but is laid low with a bad case of the flu so it’s his young new police cadet, Carabiniere Bacci, faced with the investigation into the murder of a well-connected Englishman. Inspectors from Scotland Yard appear on the scene and want to keep things quite.
As he begins to recover, it is the subtle observations of Marshal that solve the case.
I was not familiar with this author, but it was recommended to me and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It’s the first of the series and a bit misleading since the actual protagonist spends most of the story being sick. I didn’t learn much about Marshal in this book, but when he did make an appearance, I became completely intrigued and wanted more.
I loved the Florentine setting. Nabb is a wonderfully visual writer. Unfortunately, now I’ve found another author whose backlist I need to seek out and read.
January 30, 2021
A so-so mystery set in Florence. Shortly before Christmas, a retired, loner Englishman is found dead in his flat. A team of Italian policemen joined by 2 English detectives to investigate the murder. I found the book a bit stilted and formal. I didn’t overly identify with any of the characters. The ending was alright though.
December 2, 2021
Nabb's books precede those of Donna Leon, but I am not sure that I will love Marshal Guarnaccia the way I do Guido Brunetti, or love Florence the way I have come to love Venice. Guarnaccia spends most of this book in bed with the flu, and a good deal of the focus is on a pair of British policemen and a young man who is still in police training. That doesn't really set things up well for a series where Guarnaccia is supposed to be the main character! I will try the next book, but am not sure if I will get much further in this series.
February 12, 2008
Rarely do I give a series opener higher than 3.5 points, but this one is well worth the extra ratings point. This first entry was very well written, so much so that I bought a copy of the 2nd installment in the series, which is out of print and so cost some $. It was worth it...generally I've found that series mysteries only get better after the first one.
On to this one:
It's Christmas, and everyone in Florence is rushing off to go somewhere for the holidays, including Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, who is planning a trip to Sicily to see his family. He is quite ill, however, with a flu or something, and as such, has to be in Florence longer than he'd planned. One night while sleeping through a raging fever, the telephone rings in his office, to be answered by a member of the carbiniere who was answering phones for Guarnaccia while he is ill. There is a voice on the other end saying that an Englishman had been killed. The carbinieri does not want to wake the Marshal, so he goes himself to the crime scene where he finds an Englishman who is dead from a gunshot to the back. The question is who shot the Englishman and why? Why was this so important that Scotland Yard send out two of its own to investigate?
A very good mystery story that I highly recommend.
On to this one:
It's Christmas, and everyone in Florence is rushing off to go somewhere for the holidays, including Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, who is planning a trip to Sicily to see his family. He is quite ill, however, with a flu or something, and as such, has to be in Florence longer than he'd planned. One night while sleeping through a raging fever, the telephone rings in his office, to be answered by a member of the carbiniere who was answering phones for Guarnaccia while he is ill. There is a voice on the other end saying that an Englishman had been killed. The carbinieri does not want to wake the Marshal, so he goes himself to the crime scene where he finds an Englishman who is dead from a gunshot to the back. The question is who shot the Englishman and why? Why was this so important that Scotland Yard send out two of its own to investigate?
A very good mystery story that I highly recommend.
March 28, 2022
First of the Marshall Guarnaccia mysteries, this book is less mystery than rumination of the condition of man, and I don’t mean that in any pejorative sense. Written in 1981, the book makes plain that even in the post-war industrial and economic revolution sweeping the globe, daily life remained a struggle for many, and Nabb integrates their existence into the story well.
An Englishman, currently resident in Florence, has been found shot in the back. A seemingly respectable man, it isn’t long before official inquiries begin to strip away that facade. He was evidently part of an operation smuggling artworks out of Italy illegally, and it’s assumed his death is related to that, although nothing toward that solution adds up.
It falls to Guarnaccia, himself a humble fellow and a sharp observer of his fellow man, to realize in what direction the truth lies, and he uncovers it gently, sadly, respectfully. While he does that, we see through his eyes a bit of the “human condition” in that place and time. A thoroughly beguiling story, with a likeable protagonist, and I look forward to reading more of these.
An Englishman, currently resident in Florence, has been found shot in the back. A seemingly respectable man, it isn’t long before official inquiries begin to strip away that facade. He was evidently part of an operation smuggling artworks out of Italy illegally, and it’s assumed his death is related to that, although nothing toward that solution adds up.
It falls to Guarnaccia, himself a humble fellow and a sharp observer of his fellow man, to realize in what direction the truth lies, and he uncovers it gently, sadly, respectfully. While he does that, we see through his eyes a bit of the “human condition” in that place and time. A thoroughly beguiling story, with a likeable protagonist, and I look forward to reading more of these.
October 9, 2019
An interesting, short, and imperfect first mystery novel by Magdalen Nabb. The plotting left something to be desired, which is not good in a mystery, but the Florentine background and food were well done. Our group had a good discussion of the role of the Marshal and the rest of the police in Florence and the differences between the Italian and the English. The author's biography was fascinating as well. Even though this is the first of a series with the Marshal, he is sick with the flu for most of the book and only appears at the end.
March 20, 2020
#1 in the Florentine caribinieri Marshall Guarnaccia mystery series.
It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman was shot in the back. Scotland Yard has dispatched two officers to "assist" the Italians in solving the crime.
It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman was shot in the back. Scotland Yard has dispatched two officers to "assist" the Italians in solving the crime.
January 4, 2018
First book of a series. Textbook example of “tell, don’t show”
January 6, 2024
This novel is not an action-packed, twisty-turny kind of mystery. It's very slow and I found it hard to get into. One of the things that distracted me the most is that this is the first in the Marshal Guarnaccia mystery series, but the guy hardly shows up until the very end. Its like naming your hit TV show Gunther instead of Friends.
December 8, 2021
A very quick and pleasant read. You have to adjust to the various jumps within each chapter that you will suddenly be in one place with characters and then suddenly in another place and set of characters. The main three groups are: the Marshall who is sick but the smartest one, the young Carabinieri and Captain who are on the spot investigating, and the two from Scotland Yard as it was an Englishman who was murdered. Sometimes these characters merge-- but in general these are the three points of view. Really lovely descriptions of place and people as well; just great succinct phrases that just make you see the area well. Also, she really captures character of people well.
Will certainly be reading another by Nabb (especially as I was able to get 2 of these books for a good deal in the book store.)
Is it Christmasy- yes. You certain get the feel that everyone is getting ready for the event. And how people behave and the way the stores and places are being set up as well.
Will certainly be reading another by Nabb (especially as I was able to get 2 of these books for a good deal in the book store.)
Is it Christmasy- yes. You certain get the feel that everyone is getting ready for the event. And how people behave and the way the stores and places are being set up as well.
June 21, 2019
A bit predictable. Didn’t see enough of the marshal
June 27, 2011
3.5 out of 5
I thoroughly enjoyed Magdalen Nabb’s Death of an Englishman, which is a traditional murder mystery set in the beautiful city of Florence. I suspect the setting had a lot to do with my enjoyment (and wishful thinking that I was there now rather than here). It’s strange to think of Florence as a small town, since I’ve only seen it from an outsider’s perspective as a tourist, yet you get a sense reading the novel that Florence is in actuality a small community where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Nabb lived there from 1975 until her death in 2007 and wrote more than a dozen mysteries featuring Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia. I believe she based her stories on actual crime cases (however loosely) and was friends with the local marshal as she lived close to the Carabinieri station.
I get the feeling that Nabb must have been testing the waters with Death of an Englishman, as Marshal Guarnaccia takes a back seat for most of the action in this first book. It’s only a few days before Christmas and the Marshal is sick in bed, hoping to recover enough to get on a train south and return to his family in Sicily for the holidays. The Pitti station is usually pretty quiet with only the odd case of purse snatching or some other minor crime to be solved, but when a call comes through about a murder young Carabinieri Bacci is unsure whether to wake the Marshal or begin investigating on his own. Bacci is still a cadet at police school, and while his uniform is always impeccable and he knows textbook procedures, he has no actual experience. Well intentioned as he is, he tends to bumble about. While the Marshal is weak with a fever it falls to the station Captain and Carabinieri Bacci to investigate the murder.
Carabinieri Bacci is confronted with the body of an Englishman when he arrives at a small apartment complex on via Maggio. Mr. Langley-Symthe, a seemingly respectable bachelor who worked for the British embassy and remained in Florence after he retired, is found sprawled on the floor amidst mismatched furniture. Little is known about him, despite the British expatriate community being a tight-knit one, as he kept well to himself. Upon closer inspection, however, there are oddities about the man and how he was living. His apartment is uncared for and covered in a layer of grime and Mr. Langley-Smythe isn’t much neater himself. Most interesting however, is the ancient Roman seal that is found near his body and a safe filled with various foreign currencies. Being a British citizen two detectives from New Scotland Yard are sent to aid in the investigation.
It's always interesting to see how different cultures act and react when thrown together in a situation, and Nabb seems a careful observer. Just as Carabinieri Bacci can speak a little English, Inspector Jeffreys, who's not much older than Bacci, can get by with only a little trouble in Italian. They both know just enough to be wary of each other and curious how the other works. So they set about questioning the residents of the the apartment complex, and a motley crew they are, too. There's the Italian family who lives above with the little daughter who has a precocious but very peculiar fascination with toy guns. She recognizes the sound she heard that woke her. And there is the older British lady who came to Florence for a vacation and stayed but never got around to learning the language. Her apartment is always open as she has a poetry museum in her rooms. She has a view over the courtyard and Langley-Smythe's apartment and is filled with all sorts of interesting information about her neighbors. Everyone is eager to dismiss her as being a little on the batty side, but she's more with it than most give her credit for. It takes the four detectives to do the footwork and questioning, but in the end Guarnaccia comes along and with ease pulls the solution out of the hat.
If the first Marshal Guarnaccia mystery is anything to go by, these will be quick entertaining reads with a puzzle at the heart of the story but also with a good dose of Florentine atmosphere and interesting characters. I'm curious to learn more about the Marshal and wish that Carabinieri Bacci would return, though Guarnaccia and the Captain seem relieved that he'll be going back to school complete his training. A note on Italian police, which I am still working out but a few subtle differences I have gleaned from Andrea Camilleri's novel--Italian Carabinieri are a national police separate from local police. Carabiniere are part of the military and often serve outside their native regions, hence Guarnaccia is from Sicily whereas Inspector Montalbano is a local police officer. And according to the notes in Camilleri's book, the Carabinieri tend to be made fun of and thought less on the ball than local police, but I'll give Marshal Guarnaccia the benefit of the doubt!
I thoroughly enjoyed Magdalen Nabb’s Death of an Englishman, which is a traditional murder mystery set in the beautiful city of Florence. I suspect the setting had a lot to do with my enjoyment (and wishful thinking that I was there now rather than here). It’s strange to think of Florence as a small town, since I’ve only seen it from an outsider’s perspective as a tourist, yet you get a sense reading the novel that Florence is in actuality a small community where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Nabb lived there from 1975 until her death in 2007 and wrote more than a dozen mysteries featuring Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia. I believe she based her stories on actual crime cases (however loosely) and was friends with the local marshal as she lived close to the Carabinieri station.
I get the feeling that Nabb must have been testing the waters with Death of an Englishman, as Marshal Guarnaccia takes a back seat for most of the action in this first book. It’s only a few days before Christmas and the Marshal is sick in bed, hoping to recover enough to get on a train south and return to his family in Sicily for the holidays. The Pitti station is usually pretty quiet with only the odd case of purse snatching or some other minor crime to be solved, but when a call comes through about a murder young Carabinieri Bacci is unsure whether to wake the Marshal or begin investigating on his own. Bacci is still a cadet at police school, and while his uniform is always impeccable and he knows textbook procedures, he has no actual experience. Well intentioned as he is, he tends to bumble about. While the Marshal is weak with a fever it falls to the station Captain and Carabinieri Bacci to investigate the murder.
Carabinieri Bacci is confronted with the body of an Englishman when he arrives at a small apartment complex on via Maggio. Mr. Langley-Symthe, a seemingly respectable bachelor who worked for the British embassy and remained in Florence after he retired, is found sprawled on the floor amidst mismatched furniture. Little is known about him, despite the British expatriate community being a tight-knit one, as he kept well to himself. Upon closer inspection, however, there are oddities about the man and how he was living. His apartment is uncared for and covered in a layer of grime and Mr. Langley-Smythe isn’t much neater himself. Most interesting however, is the ancient Roman seal that is found near his body and a safe filled with various foreign currencies. Being a British citizen two detectives from New Scotland Yard are sent to aid in the investigation.
It's always interesting to see how different cultures act and react when thrown together in a situation, and Nabb seems a careful observer. Just as Carabinieri Bacci can speak a little English, Inspector Jeffreys, who's not much older than Bacci, can get by with only a little trouble in Italian. They both know just enough to be wary of each other and curious how the other works. So they set about questioning the residents of the the apartment complex, and a motley crew they are, too. There's the Italian family who lives above with the little daughter who has a precocious but very peculiar fascination with toy guns. She recognizes the sound she heard that woke her. And there is the older British lady who came to Florence for a vacation and stayed but never got around to learning the language. Her apartment is always open as she has a poetry museum in her rooms. She has a view over the courtyard and Langley-Smythe's apartment and is filled with all sorts of interesting information about her neighbors. Everyone is eager to dismiss her as being a little on the batty side, but she's more with it than most give her credit for. It takes the four detectives to do the footwork and questioning, but in the end Guarnaccia comes along and with ease pulls the solution out of the hat.
If the first Marshal Guarnaccia mystery is anything to go by, these will be quick entertaining reads with a puzzle at the heart of the story but also with a good dose of Florentine atmosphere and interesting characters. I'm curious to learn more about the Marshal and wish that Carabinieri Bacci would return, though Guarnaccia and the Captain seem relieved that he'll be going back to school complete his training. A note on Italian police, which I am still working out but a few subtle differences I have gleaned from Andrea Camilleri's novel--Italian Carabinieri are a national police separate from local police. Carabiniere are part of the military and often serve outside their native regions, hence Guarnaccia is from Sicily whereas Inspector Montalbano is a local police officer. And according to the notes in Camilleri's book, the Carabinieri tend to be made fun of and thought less on the ball than local police, but I'll give Marshal Guarnaccia the benefit of the doubt!
July 23, 2018
An old fashioned who-dun-it set in Italy (Florence) with an interesting cast of characters. A great change of pace from contemporary fiction or mysteries.
January 29, 2021
pretty good murder mystery. The characters are all interesting, the scenery is great, and the plot is fun. Didn't know who did it up to the reveal. A little hard to follow at times.
February 24, 2017
I picked this book up on the spur of the moment and am glad I did. This is the first in the Marshal Guarnaccia series, though the marshal appears very little in it. The author uses a number of police and officials to conduct the investigation and solve the murder of a reclusive Englishman living in Florence in retirement, after a career in the diplomatic service. There is much about the marshal's mode of investigation that I enjoyed, and for that reason alone I'll continue to read the series. I did find the plethora of other officials a bit confusing, but they eventually grew clearer to me. The murder wasn't especially clever or surprising, but the tale was well told, and the characters interesting.
The setting of Florence and its neighborhoods was a definite plus, and getting an insider's look at how Florentines live was another plus. I stayed with a friend who lived in Italy for five years and got to know others, so I enjoyed the descriptions of the Englishman's home and living situation, which seemed vivid to me.
This is a short book, a quick read for a rainy afternoon or evening.
The setting of Florence and its neighborhoods was a definite plus, and getting an insider's look at how Florentines live was another plus. I stayed with a friend who lived in Italy for five years and got to know others, so I enjoyed the descriptions of the Englishman's home and living situation, which seemed vivid to me.
This is a short book, a quick read for a rainy afternoon or evening.
August 9, 2020
Beautifully written, with an excellent sense of place, in this case Florence. For a mystery, though, the plot is a disappointment. The main "detective," Marshal Guarnaccia, is sick most of the time. In the second half of the book, with little preparation for the reader, he quickly pulls the rabbit out of the hat and solves the mystery. The presence of investigators from Britain, potentially intriguing, turns out to have nothing to do with the solution. Moreover, the villain is quite ordinary; when I realized who he was and why he had committed the murder, I thought "Oh, is that all?" Fortunately, I had another book by Nabb on the shelf, "The Marshall and the Madwoman," no. 6 in this series. Published 7 years later, this book is excellent, with the virtues of Nabb's great sense of place and elegant writing plus an exciting mystery puzzle, well laid out and well solved.
January 6, 2021
The first
The first one I’ve read by this author. Took awhile to get used to the style but I read through the long paragraphs quickly. Well developed characters and the plot carries them along. Some humor as I got to know the characters. The mystery is plotted well and kept my interest.
The first one I’ve read by this author. Took awhile to get used to the style but I read through the long paragraphs quickly. Well developed characters and the plot carries them along. Some humor as I got to know the characters. The mystery is plotted well and kept my interest.
May 8, 2011
The first in the Marshal Guarnaccia series makes a promising start. Set in Florence, the marshal wants nothing more than to head home to Sicily for the Christmas holidays but is laid low with the flu. Desperately trying to recover in order that he may return to his family for the holidays, he is called out to a murder site... an Englishman had been shot in the back, the murder weapon is missing and there are no apparent clues.
It turns out the man is from a well-connected family in England, and Scotland Yard dispatches 2 of its own to Florence to work with the local police in solving this mystery.
With an interesting cast of characters and possible suspects, we are led a merry chase, but it's the marshal's quiet observations that solve the case.
It turns out the man is from a well-connected family in England, and Scotland Yard dispatches 2 of its own to Florence to work with the local police in solving this mystery.
With an interesting cast of characters and possible suspects, we are led a merry chase, but it's the marshal's quiet observations that solve the case.
July 30, 2022
Extraordinary Atmosphere
This book came as a surprise. I had never read this author but am always drawn to detective mysteries set in Italy. I have several favorite authors probably known to any fans of the genre, but I am always willing to give a new author a try.
I was very pleasantly surprised at the depth of characters, sense of time and place, excellent plotting and pacing. I am looking forward to continuing this series by Magdalen Nabb. As soon as I post this, I am purchasing book two, Death of a Dutchman, of which a lengthy preview was included in my Kindle book. In 15 Kindle pages, I was hooked. You will be, too.
This book came as a surprise. I had never read this author but am always drawn to detective mysteries set in Italy. I have several favorite authors probably known to any fans of the genre, but I am always willing to give a new author a try.
I was very pleasantly surprised at the depth of characters, sense of time and place, excellent plotting and pacing. I am looking forward to continuing this series by Magdalen Nabb. As soon as I post this, I am purchasing book two, Death of a Dutchman, of which a lengthy preview was included in my Kindle book. In 15 Kindle pages, I was hooked. You will be, too.
October 5, 2016
Not sure. Having read so many crime drama books of late this new author's novel maybe suffered from not standing out. I also got a little lost on some quick plot elements that I didn't catch so it seemed confusing when the whodunit factor was wrapped up the way it did. I probably try another one, but I'm not sure that this series will make the cut for me. That said, the book was engaging enough and the Italian flavor was there, but tempered by all the English folk (note however the eponymous title character was a bit of a a**hole)
August 6, 2019
A Florentine murder- mystery that at first I thought was written...or at least set...in the 1940s/50's as it has rather a old-fashioned air about it.
Its not exactly a "cosy" mystery but it's leaning that way (it's certainly no gritty or gory tale) & it's a shortish read at 172 pages. Okay overall but a bit lacklustre & I felt the conclusion & revealing of the murderer was a bit of a non-event.
Its not exactly a "cosy" mystery but it's leaning that way (it's certainly no gritty or gory tale) & it's a shortish read at 172 pages. Okay overall but a bit lacklustre & I felt the conclusion & revealing of the murderer was a bit of a non-event.
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