Vita Nuova

Vita Nuova
by Magdalen Nabb

Vita Nuova
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Book Summary Information

Author: Magdalen Nabb
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-01
ISBN: 1569474931
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Soho Crime

Book Reviews of Vita Nuova

Book Review: Marshal Guarnaccia leaves the crime scene
Summary: 3 Stars

Author Magdalen Nabb died recently, bringing an end to her much appreciated Marshal Guarnaccia Investigation books. I haven't read all of the novels in this Florence-based crime series, but I suspect that "Vita Nuova" was not the best of of the group. For me, a 3 1/2-star effort.

While there is laudable humanity and honesty in the Guarnaccia character, the very measured speed at which the character works and the continual repetition of the dialogue in the text as the Marshal ponders and re-ponders the evidence, slow the story line down to a crawl at times. There are moments when the hero's deliberate obtuseness and slow thinking become frustrating for the reader more used to a diet of razor-sharp and cynical detective stories--of Italian or other settings.

This particular crime novel begins with the brutal murder of a female member of one of Florence's nouveau riche families (not sure what the Italian equivalent is), and leads to some unpleasant revelations about the skin trade and trafficking in women and children. The ugliness spreads as members of the city's political and economic elites are implicated with the slow expansion of Marshal Guarnaccia's investigation in new directions. As is often the case in Italian police procedurals, there is political danger for the honest cop when he or she gets too close to criminal/political relationships and Guarnaccia eventually finds himself in very hot water when one of his own bosses appears to be part of the crimes under investigation.

In the end, the Marshal's good heart and common sense do solve the case and win the reader over. This is close to vindication for the long and winding road to denouement. So a regretful good-bye to the Marshal and even more regret for the loss of author Nabb.

Summary of Vita Nuova

Praise for the Marshal Guarnaccia Series:

"It takes a writer as good as Magdalen Nabb to remind us of how subtle the art of the mystery can be. . . . Nabb has Simenon's knack."-The New York Times Book Review

"If you didn't make it to Florence this summer, don't despair. . . . There's a new Marshal Guarnaccia investigation."-Chicago Tribune

"Surpasses the best of Simenon."-Kirkus Reviews

"There is no other series quite like the Guarnaccia stories."-The Washington Post Book World

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?

This is the fourteenth book in this acclaimed series. Magdalen Nabb, who was born and educated in England, lived and wrote in Florence, where she died on August 18, 2007.

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