Death of An Englishman [Paperback]

Magdalen Nabb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2004

Introducing Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia of the Florentine carabinieri, a Sicilian stationed far from home. He wants to go south for Christmas to spend the holiday with his family, but he is laid up with the 'flu. At this awkward moment, the death of a retired Englishman is reported. Who has shot Mr Langley-Smythe in the back? And why has Scotland Yard felt it appropriate to send two detectives, one of whom speaks no Italian, to 'help' the marshal and his colleagues with their enquiries? Most importantly for the marshal, ever the Italian, will he be able to solve the crime sufficiently quickly for him to be able to join his family over the holiday season?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A coupe de maitre as we say in French...It is one of the tastiest books I have read for years."--Georges Simenon

"Magdalen Nabb is so good she's awesome."--Philadelphia Inquirer

"Neatly plotted and well written. It is a more than sparkling debut."--Times Literary Supplement
-- Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Magdalen Nabb was born in Lancashire in 1947 and trained as a potter. She has lived in Florence since 1975, where she pursues a dual career as crime writer and children's author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Random House (February 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099443341
• ISBN-13: 978-0099443346
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,517,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forza Firenze, May 9, 2002

By 

Fergus Bastock (York, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of an Englishman: A Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation (Paperback)

The re-release of Magdalene Nabb's Florentine stories is long overdue ( and shame on her UK publisher for dropping her ).

Congratulations are due to SoHo Press for their continuing ressucitation of some of the finest crime writers ( Van Der Wetterring , Tokagi and Janes etc )who all seem to have been dropped in favour of half-witted serial killer clones.

These are some of the finest crime stories ever written and their evocation of Florence is flawless.Marshal Guarnaccia is one of the most engaging protagonists since Maigret and the stories have a similar emphasis on the observation of character and cause rather than Chritie-esque puzzles.In many ways the mystery seems secondary to Ms. Nabb's exceptional ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters and the bustle of Florentine daily life.

Buy three copies, one to read and re-read to destruction , one to keep for the time when your first falls to bits and one to give to your best friend.

Brava Signora !

53 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For all the future reviwers- Pease do not spoil the mystery, April 13, 2004

By 

Neerja Tripathi "Ardent Reader" (North Potomac, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of an Englishman: A Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation (Paperback)

I was going to read this book which looked nicely recomended but thanks to the kindly meant but unfortunately revealing review of Maiko Shimoi from Osaka, Japan I will not be reading this book.

Any one else who is planning to read the book please do not read Maiko's review...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising, May 8, 2011

By 

Caroline Lim (Lexington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of an Englishman: A Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation (Paperback)

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.