The Marshal at the Villa Torrini (A Florentine Mystery Book 9)

As Magdalen Nabb continued to write I detected a subtle change in the focus of her concerns. Whereas some authors obsess over a particular city or region and present cardboard cutouts for characters e.g. Donna Leon, Ms. Nabb presents us with characters who are not only influenced by the region they came from, but also the region in which they live at the moment.In this novel the characters of the Sardinian recruit Giuseppe Fara, Substitute Prosecutor Fusari, and Captain Maestrangelo, lend a different flavor to the Florentine mix. If there is one disappointment with the Nabb novels, it is that Captain Maestrangelo was never fully developed. But this book does present us with a rich collections of characters, even the least sympathetic of characters and I mean the Englishman widow Forbes who is one the most unappealing characters I have met in mysteries, and as such should be read with particular attention to the author's nuances.Yes, this a competent and befuddling mystery but so much more, a carnival of people preforming on the stage of florence.

I would recommend this book, but not for someone looking for forensic explanation or page-turning suspense. Although the story is not exactly gripping, the writing is good and the Marshall is an intriguing character, so a person wants to finish the book. That's more than I can say about some books it has been my misfortune to buy over the last few years.Like some well-selling mysteries set in Italy and Canada, nothing much happens, and what does happen involves more thinking than action. It's not as dull as some cozies, and is better written than a lot of mysteries. The reader cares about the Marshall, but the other characters are written so sketchily that it's difficult to summon much interest in them. Some of the characters are unsympathetic, and it's not clear that the author intended all of them to be. Most readers will guess the big secret midway through the book, but there are still a couple of mild surprises at the end.

The entire series of 14 books is excellent! I purchased each but completely believe they are too expensive for old books,when the original author isn’t alive to benefit? You will enjoy but know you are being totally taken advantage of financially.

Nabb has written several books in this series, but I found this particular one too slow moving. It has strong description, so it does a good job setting the scene, but I thought there was too much dialog and not quite enough action.

Nabb is so overlooked. Memorable setting and characters, strong plot. A main character unlike any other,and one you develop a loyalty to.

great

Very much in the spirit of Simenon's Maigret series, Magdalen Nabb's Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries are equal parts procedural insight, portrait of society, and character study. Nabb captures the spirit of real police work, especially when complicated by the politics and bureaucracy that dominate present-day Italy. She also presents Florence in all its beauty and tawdriness, as seen through the eyes of her southern-born hero. The Marshal is a marvellous creation, an eternal outsider who thinks himself to be slow and is regularly underestimated by colleagues and criminals alike. Nabb's books are too often underestimated as well--by the likes of people who cannot spell either aficionado or eccentric--which is a shame. While Michael Dibdin's fine books centering on the adventures of Aurelio Zen are more sensational, Nabb's Guarnaccia novels have every bit as much heart and shrewd observation. I recommend them all and devoutly wish that *The Monster of Florence* would finally be published in the U. S.

This mystery has it all: awkward writing, a simplistic plot with no twists or turns, a plodding protagonist who never redeems himself, and snippets of a totally unnecessary and unexplained second mini-police/judicial case crowding its way throughout the main story.This book may be the ideal reading material for excentric elderly English spinsters who speak to their dead Pomeranians or Pekinese and don't wish to have their pulses quickened.I actually read every last word -- even to the final page -- to ensure that there was not some exceedingly clever turn of events that would make the pedestrian writing and jumble of disjointed events come together brilliantly. Nothing to fear: the author did not pull a Columbo.If you have the choice, watch water dehydrate. It will prove to be more satisfying by several orders of magnitude.

The marshal does not have a high opinion of his talents but he knows that his plodding methods get results as do his superiors. He is so human, slow and repetitive in his thinking at times but sincere and able. He can see the flaws in people without always connecting the dot first time rounds but he gets there and it is a really lovely ride with a nice determined human being. Love the books. Love the man.