Vita Nuova Audio CD – 1 Jan. 2009

Capturing the hot humid Florintino August this book paints a dark and sordid picture of a society where even the forces of law and order are constrained by corruption. Well worth a read, if only for the complex characters revealed.

A woeful year for fans of Italian crime novels with the death of Magdalen Nabb as well as Michael Dibdin. And, as with Dibdin, another fitting finale. No need to outline the plot as that's amply covered in the product description. Suffice it to say the book is poignant, gripping and a sad indictment of the Italian system. Well worth reading, but if you're new to Marshall Guarnaccia, start with the earlier novels and work forward. I've read them all, as with Dibdin's Zen. I'm now reduced to waiting for new Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri books, and I can read them far quicker than they can write them!

I have only recently found Magdalen Nabb through the recommendation of a friend and very much enjoy her writing. Well written thrillers, not too much gore, and rather intelligent plots. I wish there were more on Ebooks and it is not easy to find them in paperback either.

Usual Zen type story

The fourteenth novel in Magdalen Nabb’s series about Marshal Guarnaccia and his Carabinieri colleagues in Florence was published posthumously in 2008.Daniela Paoletti, a single mother and an outstanding Chemistry PhD student, is found shot dead by her younger sister in their expensive home. The family’s wealth results in the case being personally investigated by Prosecutor Fulvio De Vita, who has a poor opinion of Guarnaccia. The Marshal makes little headway until he receives information by a crime reporter friend suggesting that Daniela’s father is involved in prostitution and human trafficking, and that the murder may be a warning from the Russian mafia.Guarnaccia’s investigation is impeded by his family’s absence since his wife is looking after his sister who is being treated for cancer. He is barely able to manage on his own and his frustration is increased by her insistence that he look into deciding on a new mortgage and by the killings of gypsy children in an unprovoked attack on their camp.When Guarnaccia embarks on a personal investigation of Paoletti’s luxury nightclub he finds himself faced with an increasingly difficult dilemma when he uncovers corrupt behavior in the higher levels of the investigatory authorities but is unsure how best to bring the guilty to justice without putting in danger the lives of many illegal immigrants. Guarnaccia is beset by physical and mental problems, a sensitivity to bright light, overweight, frequently obtuse and inarticulate, guilt-ridden, lacking in self-confidence about his professional and personal life, and defeated by the complexities of cooking food and washing clothes.Nabb allows the reader to share the Marshal’s ruminations and indecisions. This is a remarkable experience as we see a very human character seeking to follow an honourable path and coming to realise that it is likely to cost him his job. Guarnaccia’s compassion has never been more clearly revealed than in his understanding of the inhabitants of his Quarter and the importance of their problems to them, even if these are insignificant when compared to what he has to struggle with.He feels guilty over the way that he has used people and made decisions on their behalf without taking their opinions into consideration. Nabb perfectly describes his indecision and repeated agonising to try to resolve his problem with less disruption and distress to the vulnerable. This process causes his normal thought processes become slower and less efficient. Like many indecisive individuals, Guarnaccia cannot imagine what life would be like if he stopped doing what he does and what his family would do and think. This adds to his inner turmoil.Florence itself was not such a central character here as in the other books that I have read in the series and the Marshal’s family is primarily considered through his personal reflections. Having made up his mind to resign the scene where he explains this to his commanding officer, Captain Maestrangelo [a beautifully understated character], is symptomatic of the humanity of both and is genuinely moving.There is nothing new in the idea of an honest policeman battling with the individual or organisational corruption but it has rarely been done so convincingly as here. Whilst it is sad to see the series end, it is salutory to see the author finish with her inventiveness and literary skill undiminished. On reflection this is a perfect place to leave the Marshal, questioning yet again whether justice has truly been meted out.

I was greatly saddened when I learned of the death of Magdalen Nabb. Her writing had evolved and the stories likewise with an assurance that was most compelling. And so the long wait (around 18 months) to be able to purchase this book was one of expectation: entirely fulfilled. The marshall is here so familiar to his creator that he eases into words of great felicity. The last page may or may not have been crafted in a rush. And yet so it seems. Irony is a tone very much out of character for this deeply humane and much missed author. Rereading earlier works in the series is equally pleasing.

This is the Marshall at his best. His observations are, as always, wholly believable and yet so revealing of both the character and the author. Magdalen Nabb will be sorely missed!

I enjoyed this book.