DEATH IN SPRINGTIME - A Florentine Mystery [Import] [Hardcover]

MAGDALEN with introduction by SIMENON, GEORGES NABB (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Collins (1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002319306
• ISBN-13: 978-0002319300
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read, January 8, 2009

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death in Springtime (Hardcover)

First Sentence: "It can't be."

It is the first of March and snowing in Florence. This is such an unusual event, no one notice two college woman being kidnapped at gunpoint. One of the girls is released but the second, the daughter of a wealthy American business, is still being held.

Although Marshal Guarnaccia does what he can to help, it is up to Captain Maestrangelo, under the eye of the new Substitute Prosecutor to find and save the girl.

Within 165 pages, Ms. Nabb has provided a well-crafted, classic police procedural. This isn't a guns-blazing, car chase story. It is one of gathering clues, knowing the area and the residents and putting together the evidence piece by piece.

It is certainly evident how different the Italian system is from the American, but at the same time similar in the way the investigation was done and the determination to rescue the victim and find the kidnappers. Nabb provides a visual sense of the area, a bit of history of the Sardinian sheepherders and the impact of changing times.

Guarnaccia plays a minor role in this story, but it is all handled so realistically. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing with the series.

3.0 out of 5 stars Skipping this one would be OK, November 26, 2011

By 

northkona (Kailua-Kona, HI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death in Springtime (Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation) (Paperback)

I really like the series, but there are 2 or 3 that are weak, and this is one of them. After building up her main character in the first two books, she sets him in a minor role in this one, and it's a bit confusing switching to other characters -- I kept thinking the Marshal would make his entrance and take over the story, but he doesn't. Demerits for the typesetting errors, misspellings, and wrong words, it makes the book seem slipshod. That's too bad, Nabb deserves better. Although a little disappointing, the tidbits about how Sardinians immigrated to Italy is interesting, as well as the very real problem with kidnapping in Italy. It's the cultural insights that make the series more than just police procedurals. When you read Nabb's books, you learn something about Florence and about Italy. In general, the series is great for those who like stories set in foreign locations. I like Magdalen Nabb, Donna Leon, Andrea Camilleri, and Simenon, all for the same reasons -- you're transported.

3.0 out of 5 stars More Marshal Guarnaccia Next Time Please, September 9, 2011

By 

Ciaramine "ciaramine" (Barrington Hills, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death in Springtime (Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation) (Paperback)

The author of Death in Springtime manages to do in 165 pages what it takes some authors 300 pages to accomplish. The setting in Florence is atmospheric and in this, the third in the series, many scenes take place away from the city where the reader gets a taste of the life of the people who live in the countryside, raising sheep and making cheese. The bucolic way of life in the mountains and valleys can hide a host of discontented and sinister people who turn to drugs and other petty crimes.
The main plot concerns the kidnapping of an American young woman, but even the smallest incident in any scene is important to the plot. My biggest disappointment is that Marshal Guarnaccia, who is usually the star of the series, makes only brief appearances in this book. I missed his eccentricities and his wisdom. The character of the step-mother of the kidnapped girl was endearing, but too many of the characters left me wanting to know more about them. I liked the first two books in this series enough that I will keep reading them, especially because the Marshal will have a bigger role in the next one.