The
Marshal Makes His Report
A
Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia Mystery
Magdalen
Nabb
Soho
Crime (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-532-6 (1569475326)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-532-4 (9781569475324)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): The suspicious looking suicide of the husband of the Marchesa of one of Florence's oldest families has the Marshal once again refusing to accept the easy answer. When the powers that be grudgingly admit it might be suicide, he's still unhappy. He's not accusing the Marchesa of killing her husband, so what exactly does he believe? He insists on looking for the truth, knowing it could well be the end of his career should he find it.
Review:
The Marshal has been assigned to investigate the death of a member of
Florence's elite high society in The
Marshal Makes His
Report, the eighth mystery in
this series by Magdalen Nabb. Originally published in 1992, Soho Press
is reissuing trade paperback editions of many of the early books in
this exceptional series.
Buongianni Corsi, the husband of the Marchesa Ulderighi, is discovered
shot to death in the gun room located in the basement of their estate.
There seem to be few reasons why Corsi would take his own life and
there are ample explanations of how an accident could occur. The
Marshal, while investigating the scene of Corsi's death, concludes it
could have been suicide or an accident or a homicide. The motives for
murder suggest to the Marshal that this idea should be investigated
thoroughly. There is no love lost between the dead man and his wife and
Corsi was known to have been unfaithful in his marriage. His son
believed he was unloved and was ignored by his father. The estate is in
a state of general disrepair and some of the larger rooms on the upper
levels have been rented out. Clearly in need of money, the Marchesa is
particularly anxious to settle her husband's death to collect his life
insurance. The Marshal's interrogations of the renters reveal
conflicting stories. In this particularly puzzling case, the Marshal
does not believe the case can be quickly closed and is permitted the
assistance of another officer, Lieutenant Lorenzini. Together they must
sift through the myriad tales told to them, sorting out what is truth
and what is fiction, before the Marshal can make his report on the
circumstances surrounding the death of Corsi.
In The
Marshal Makes His Report,
Nabb once again displays an effortless elegance in both plotting her
mystery and the manner in which it is told. Despite the contradictory
information presented to him and the doubt he has in the expedient
solution, the Marshal shows more confidence here than in some previous
books in how he conducts his investigation and in his relationship with
his superiors. The strong development of supporting characters and the
sense of place contribute mightily to the success of this book in
particular and to the series as a whole.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Marshal Makes His Report and to Soho Crime for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Mysteries in this series ...
Death
of
an
Englishman
Scribner (Hardcover), November 1982
ISBN-10: 0-684-17757-9 (0684177579)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-17757-1 (9780684177571)
Death
of a Dutchman
Scribner (Hardcover), March 1983
ISBN-10: 0-684-17847-8 (0684178478)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-17847-9 (9780684178479)
Death
in
Springtime
Scribner (Hardcover), May 1984
ISBN-10: 0-684-18133-9 (0684181339)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-18133-2 (9780684181332)
Death
in
Autumn
Scribner (Hardcover), June 1985
ISBN-10: 0-684-18337-4 (0684183374)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-18337-4 (9780684183374)
The
Marshal and
the Murderer
Scribner (Hardcover), December 1987
ISBN-10: 0-684-18884-8 (0684188848)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-18884-3 (9780684188843)
The
Marshall and
the Madwoman
Scribner (Hardcover), December 1988
ISBN-10: 0-684-18984-4 (0684189844)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-18984-0 (9780684189840)
The
Marshal's Own Case
Scribner (Hardcover), July 1990
ISBN-10: 0-684-19201-2 (0684192012)
ISBN-13: 978-0-684-19201-7 (9780684192017)
The
Marshal Makes His Report
HarperCollins (Hardcover), September 1992
ISBN-10: 0-06-016914-1 (0060169141)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-016914-5 (9780060169145)
The Marshal at the Villa Torrini
HarperCollins (Hardcover), July 1994
ISBN-10: 0-06-016915-X (006016915X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-016915-2 (9780060169152)
The
Monster of
Florence
Never published in the US
Property
of Blood
Soho Crime (Hardcover), September 2001
ISBN-10: 1-56947-251-3 (1569472513)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-251-4 (9781569472514)
Some
Bitter Taste
Soho Crime (Hardcover), October 2002
ISBN-10: 1-56947-317-X (156947317X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-317-7 (9781569473177)
The
Innocent
Soho Crime (Hardcover), October 2005
ISBN-10: 1-56947-414-1 (1569474141)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-414-3 (9781569474143)
Vita
Nuova
Soho Crime (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-493-1 (1569474931)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-493-8 (9781569474938)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Marshal Makes His
Report ...
Location(s) referenced: Florence, Italy.
