Vita
Nuova
A
Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia Mystery
Magdalen
Nabb
Soho
Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-493-1 (1569474931)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-493-8 (9781569474938)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $24.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): 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?
Review:
Marshal Guarnaccia has been called in by old adversary, Prosecutor
Fulvio DeVita, to investigate the murder of a young single mother, the
eldest daughter of wealthy business man, in Vita Nuova,
the fourteenth mystery in this series by the late Magdalen Nabb.
The young woman is Daniela who is found by her younger sister in her
bedroom, shot six times in the stomach and once in the back of her
head. As is his custom, the Marshal visits the scene, exploring the
actual place of death as well as the house and grounds. He then
carefully reflects on everything he has observed over and over again.
What appear to be conclusive answers at first are eventually reversed
in his mind, and his keen observations provide him with a clear (or at
least clearer) concept of the murder. Because all the windows had bars
like a prison, an outsider could not possibly have been able to enter
into the villa. So, naturally, it appears to the Marshal that it was
someone in the villa who had killed Daniela. Then he wonders if the
bars were to keep someone out, or more ominously, to keep someone in.
When the marshal investigates the dead woman's father’s
business ventures, he becomes aware of illegal immigrants from Poland
and elsewhere being hired by Paolette, some being placed in legitimate
jobs as maids, nannies, or other unskilled laborers, but some as
“special” girls to work in his nightclub. The
Marshal must not only solve the murder in Paolette’s home,
but also save the young girls from a miserable life that faced them in
Florence.
Nabb's mysteries have an amazing effect on the reader. It's as if they
are standing with the Marshal, participating in his thought process and
reasoning with him throughout the case. The reading experience with Vita Nuova,
the author's last novel, is no different. At times anxious, at times
tranquil, always riveting and forever touching. The mystery world has
lost a great crime writer with the passing of Magdalen Nabb last year,
but it is with pleasure that Soho Press is reissuing some of her
mysteries for a generation of new fans to enjoy.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Vita Nuova and to Soho Crime for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Vita Nuova? How would you rate it?
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 Vita Nuova
...
Location(s) referenced: xlinkx, xlinkx, xlinkx.
