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Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery #8
The Marshal Makes His Report
When the body of Buongianni Corsi is found lying face down in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ulderighi there seems no doubt in the minds of his family that his death was an accident. The Marchesa, wife of the dead man, will entertain no other possibility and her power and status in the city means that Marshal Guarnaccia questions at his peril. But question he does.
The death could have been suicide, or even murder. Guarnaccia knows something is not quite right, and resents being expected to go along with any possible cover up. The Palazzo is a maze of passageways, darkened corridors, locked rooms and something else, a family secret. Can he ignore his instincts and his integrity? Should he press on with the case, risk his job, and maybe more? As he paces the courtyard of the Palazzo, he is haunted by the strange piano and flute music that filters down from above, as well as by the irresistible conviction that something truly sinister has happened there...
The death could have been suicide, or even murder. Guarnaccia knows something is not quite right, and resents being expected to go along with any possible cover up. The Palazzo is a maze of passageways, darkened corridors, locked rooms and something else, a family secret. Can he ignore his instincts and his integrity? Should he press on with the case, risk his job, and maybe more? As he paces the courtyard of the Palazzo, he is haunted by the strange piano and flute music that filters down from above, as well as by the irresistible conviction that something truly sinister has happened there...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Magdalen Nabb
66 books54 followersMAGDALEN NABB was born in Lancashire in 1947 and trained as a potter. In 1975 she abandoned pottery, sold her home and her car, and came to Florence with her son, knowing nobody and speaking no Italian. She has lived there ever since, and pursues a dual career as crime writer and children's author.
She has written fourteen crime novels featuring Marshal Guarnaccia of the carabinieri, all set in Florence, which she describes as 'a very secret city. Walk down any residential street and you have no idea what is going on behind those blank walls. It's a problem the Marshal comes up against all the time.'
Magdalen Nabb also writes the immensely successful Josie Smith books, set in her native Lancashire, which form the basis of the Granada children's TV series, Josie Smith, scripted by the author. Her first book, Josie Smith, was runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award in 1989, and in l99l, Josie Smith and Eileen was winner of the prestigious Smarties Book Prize for the 6-8 age group.
Series:
* Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery
* Josie Smith
She has written fourteen crime novels featuring Marshal Guarnaccia of the carabinieri, all set in Florence, which she describes as 'a very secret city. Walk down any residential street and you have no idea what is going on behind those blank walls. It's a problem the Marshal comes up against all the time.'
Magdalen Nabb also writes the immensely successful Josie Smith books, set in her native Lancashire, which form the basis of the Granada children's TV series, Josie Smith, scripted by the author. Her first book, Josie Smith, was runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award in 1989, and in l99l, Josie Smith and Eileen was winner of the prestigious Smarties Book Prize for the 6-8 age group.
Series:
* Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery
* Josie Smith
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 2, 2011
First sentence: The Marshal’s memory of the scene that night remained vivid in every detail.
What really goes on behind the walls of Palazo Ulderighi? We begin with the Marshal looking down on a body in a courtyard. We are taken back to a body found in a gun room. The question is whether these were suicides, accidents or murders.
Without the need of a prologue, Nabb draws us straight into the story with a scene that is visually compelling, emotionally evocative and mysteriously intriguing.
The Marshal is a character I so appreciate. He is not physically handsome, nor is he a senior officer. He is self-depreciating and cannot go into the sun without sunglasses. He is not verbal, although sometimes he thinks he is. He is sensitive to the atmosphere around him and highly observant, even without realizing it. In this book, Guarnaccia feels he is faced with the conflict of doing what is right versus doing what is expected in order to keep his position and ensure the security of his family. I very much appreciated the explanation of the relationship Guarnaccia has with his Captain, and that not even the two men fully understand it.
Nabb skillfully points out the subtle demonstrations of class snobbery and makes fascinating observations Florence as opposed to Venice; both in the character of the people and their homes.
The story has a strong and very effective plot, but it is the Marshal who drives the story. That’s not to say he’s alone. Nabb has provided a fascinating, diverse group of secondary characters I found very involving.
Ms Nabb has a style which is unique. While her books are police procedurals, they are really character studies and I find them fascinating. It is not always easy to understand and follow the path down which she takes us, but it is so worthwhile in the end.
THE MARSHAL MAKES HIS REPORT (Pol Proc-Marshal Guarnaccia-Florence, Italy-Cont) – VG
Nabb, Magdalen – 8th in series
Collins Crime Club, ©1991, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 000232332X
What really goes on behind the walls of Palazo Ulderighi? We begin with the Marshal looking down on a body in a courtyard. We are taken back to a body found in a gun room. The question is whether these were suicides, accidents or murders.
Without the need of a prologue, Nabb draws us straight into the story with a scene that is visually compelling, emotionally evocative and mysteriously intriguing.
The Marshal is a character I so appreciate. He is not physically handsome, nor is he a senior officer. He is self-depreciating and cannot go into the sun without sunglasses. He is not verbal, although sometimes he thinks he is. He is sensitive to the atmosphere around him and highly observant, even without realizing it. In this book, Guarnaccia feels he is faced with the conflict of doing what is right versus doing what is expected in order to keep his position and ensure the security of his family. I very much appreciated the explanation of the relationship Guarnaccia has with his Captain, and that not even the two men fully understand it.
Nabb skillfully points out the subtle demonstrations of class snobbery and makes fascinating observations Florence as opposed to Venice; both in the character of the people and their homes.
The story has a strong and very effective plot, but it is the Marshal who drives the story. That’s not to say he’s alone. Nabb has provided a fascinating, diverse group of secondary characters I found very involving.
Ms Nabb has a style which is unique. While her books are police procedurals, they are really character studies and I find them fascinating. It is not always easy to understand and follow the path down which she takes us, but it is so worthwhile in the end.
THE MARSHAL MAKES HIS REPORT (Pol Proc-Marshal Guarnaccia-Florence, Italy-Cont) – VG
Nabb, Magdalen – 8th in series
Collins Crime Club, ©1991, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 000232332X
January 1, 2009
What a pleasant surprise this book was! I received it as a hand-me-down from someone travelling through the area and placed it in a "low-priority" reading pile. This mystery is set in contemporary Florence, but the Byzentine politics of money and class make it somewhat timeless.
The detective is a fresh and wonderful treat for mystery fans. He is not brilliant, nor especially perceptive. Instead he is "bothered" by crime and persists in his investigation until satisfied. I loved Marshal Guarnaccia and hope to meet him again in other books.
The detective is a fresh and wonderful treat for mystery fans. He is not brilliant, nor especially perceptive. Instead he is "bothered" by crime and persists in his investigation until satisfied. I loved Marshal Guarnaccia and hope to meet him again in other books.
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September 1, 2011This one deserves a closer reading than I managed during a too-busy week--some of the time-shifts confused me. It's still a compelling story, with the Marshal feeling intimidated by a Marchesa who lives in an old house that gives him the creeps (for very good reasons, it turns out). As usual in the series, readers get a glimpse of Florentine history as well as the activities of contemporary Florence.
January 26, 2026
🍷
Just a really good entry in a really good series! Magdalen Nabb was the master of portrayal for the humble, the menial, the little people. She is at the top of her game here. Every character delineated with clarity and concise wording, every one of these people “real” as we read about them; it’s a special talent, not every writer can do it but Nabb does it so successfully that we sometimes stop to savor the moments we’ve just read.
Here, the husband of the Marchesa Ulderighi - she a member of one of the oldest families in Florentine history - has been found dead; while there’s some evidence of suicide, the family says it was an accident…the powers-that-be are content to accept that, but Marshal Guarnaccia finds the one not believable and the other difficult to accept, and so he begins an investigation into the circumstances of the death before he will turn in his report, which is necessary to closure of the case. The Marshal has become a favorite of mine, so stolid, so plodding and methodical in his quirky way, and so honest that he can never just “go along” if he doesn’t agree, no matter the political/social pressure that is so often applied in Florence by the high and mighty, and thus he continues to ask questions, continues to get better verification of the facts, and just generally pesters folks (in his humble way, of course!) until at last he finds the kernel of truth that explains all. Here he is at his best!
Just a really good entry in a really good series! Magdalen Nabb was the master of portrayal for the humble, the menial, the little people. She is at the top of her game here. Every character delineated with clarity and concise wording, every one of these people “real” as we read about them; it’s a special talent, not every writer can do it but Nabb does it so successfully that we sometimes stop to savor the moments we’ve just read.
Here, the husband of the Marchesa Ulderighi - she a member of one of the oldest families in Florentine history - has been found dead; while there’s some evidence of suicide, the family says it was an accident…the powers-that-be are content to accept that, but Marshal Guarnaccia finds the one not believable and the other difficult to accept, and so he begins an investigation into the circumstances of the death before he will turn in his report, which is necessary to closure of the case. The Marshal has become a favorite of mine, so stolid, so plodding and methodical in his quirky way, and so honest that he can never just “go along” if he doesn’t agree, no matter the political/social pressure that is so often applied in Florence by the high and mighty, and thus he continues to ask questions, continues to get better verification of the facts, and just generally pesters folks (in his humble way, of course!) until at last he finds the kernel of truth that explains all. Here he is at his best!
March 7, 2022
This was a more difficult read than previous books in the Marshal Guarnaccia series. On the surface it followed a theme familiar to readers of Simenon’s Maigret series: the decline of the old aristocracies of Europe. To wit, the head of the household is found dead in the gun room. Very Simenon. But unlike Simenon, Nabb gives the story a taste of gothic horror, where the building itself (the home of an ancient Florentine family) exerts a malevolent hold over the people who spend any time there.
Throughout his investigation, the Marshal is plagued by unsettling dreams, and these make their way into the story. (Honestly, I could have done without all the dream sequences.)
One significant character is a dwarf called Grillo, which means “cricket”. He looks after the son and heir of the household, but he is also knowledgeable of nearly everything that takes place in the building. He is a timeless symbol of the unseen servant class that the aristocracy has always relied on.
To keep the house running financially, there are paying tenants, who start out as cooperative—even pleasant—outsiders, but gradually we find out they are more involved in the story than first appears.
In the end, the whole thing was just exhausting, but well-written, so it still gets 3 stars.
Throughout his investigation, the Marshal is plagued by unsettling dreams, and these make their way into the story. (Honestly, I could have done without all the dream sequences.)
One significant character is a dwarf called Grillo, which means “cricket”. He looks after the son and heir of the household, but he is also knowledgeable of nearly everything that takes place in the building. He is a timeless symbol of the unseen servant class that the aristocracy has always relied on.
To keep the house running financially, there are paying tenants, who start out as cooperative—even pleasant—outsiders, but gradually we find out they are more involved in the story than first appears.
In the end, the whole thing was just exhausting, but well-written, so it still gets 3 stars.
December 22, 2021
Quite good. Much better than the average police story. An old family in an ancient Florentine palace that seems haunted and cursed back to it and the family’s origins. A disturbing cast of characters, especially the powerful matriarch. Corruption is the order of the day, both personal and political as the Marshal tries to navigate this foreign world, investigating the matriarch’s husband’s death. The book is especially good because it shows the Marshal’s self doubt and anxiety.
It should be noted that there is something wrong with the electronic formatting as sections aren’t correctly separated and run into each other in a jarring way.
It should be noted that there is something wrong with the electronic formatting as sections aren’t correctly separated and run into each other in a jarring way.
January 4, 2017
The Marshal Challenges Your Brain
Oh, this marshal! Guarnicca tickles your grey cells!
Magdalena Nabb skillfully weaves us through this ancient Florentine house of intrigue. What a tangled puzzle the marshal has to solve! Stay on your toes!
Oh, this marshal! Guarnicca tickles your grey cells!
Magdalena Nabb skillfully weaves us through this ancient Florentine house of intrigue. What a tangled puzzle the marshal has to solve! Stay on your toes!
January 28, 2020
Let’s say 3.5. An engaging mystery which takes place in Florence, Italy.
February 20, 2021
Florentine frailty
The mystery resides in the family of wealth and power. A well told tale of murder in a modern castle.
The mystery resides in the family of wealth and power. A well told tale of murder in a modern castle.
May 22, 2012
The Marshall, whose name is Salvatore Guarnaccia, although the author never uses it , referring to him all the time as The Marshall gets called to the site where a dead body has been found. The place is an ancient Florentine castle and the corpse was once Buongiannini Corsi a wealthy producer of a famous aperitif and the husband to Marchesa Ulderighi a member of the onetime ruling classes.
The Marshall had been watching the uniquely violent Florentine football which resembled a melee between aggressive males fighting almost to the death with no holds barred. The only restriction is that one player may not kick another in the head.
From the moment the Marshall enters the castle he gets a feeling of claustrophobia and foreboding of evil. A young man explains to him that this feeling is quite the norm side these palaces in Florence are built to keep people out, rather than invite them in. It is one city where the great houses have their backs on the streets and the facade and gardens on the inside. The Marshall has the feeling that he is observed at all times.
The Marshall is asked to make a report on the death and he fears that because he is dealing with very powerful people his job and life here in Florence is at risk. The scion of the family is a young man who has ailed most of his life but he is quite intuitive, intelligent and simplistic. He holds the answer to many of the questions the Marshall has but he is guarded well.
The Marshal goes forward in the routine of investigation and uncovers secrets that have existed in the long past and exist in the present.
The facts are straight foreword, but the people are not and Magdalen Nabb tells an excellent story with a wonderful atmosphere and a inevitable conclusion. The Marshall and his cases are addicting.
The Marshall had been watching the uniquely violent Florentine football which resembled a melee between aggressive males fighting almost to the death with no holds barred. The only restriction is that one player may not kick another in the head.
From the moment the Marshall enters the castle he gets a feeling of claustrophobia and foreboding of evil. A young man explains to him that this feeling is quite the norm side these palaces in Florence are built to keep people out, rather than invite them in. It is one city where the great houses have their backs on the streets and the facade and gardens on the inside. The Marshall has the feeling that he is observed at all times.
The Marshall is asked to make a report on the death and he fears that because he is dealing with very powerful people his job and life here in Florence is at risk. The scion of the family is a young man who has ailed most of his life but he is quite intuitive, intelligent and simplistic. He holds the answer to many of the questions the Marshall has but he is guarded well.
The Marshal goes forward in the routine of investigation and uncovers secrets that have existed in the long past and exist in the present.
The facts are straight foreword, but the people are not and Magdalen Nabb tells an excellent story with a wonderful atmosphere and a inevitable conclusion. The Marshall and his cases are addicting.
June 2, 2011
“The Marshal Makes His Report” is the 8th book in Magdalen Nabb’s Marshal Guarnaccia series that is set in Florence.
Jacket notes: “Homicide, Suicide or Accident. When sudden death occurs in one of the oldest noble families in Florence, the only acceptable version is Accident. Marshal Guarnaccia doesn't believe that what happened in the Palazzo Ulderighi was an accident, but he will be risking his career if he voices his conviction that something sinister has occurred. Yet when, after nine hundred years of survival by bloodshed, the ancient palazzo yields up its latest victim, the Marshal is proved right.”
You can’t help but really like Guarnaccia. He is plodding and slow, taking his time with everything he does. While others are willing to let a murder pass as an accident or suicide, Guarnaccia’s methodical pace and introspective thinking don't allow him to overlook what he’s feeling. He doesn’t just jump in with both feet, but rather takes his time gathering the evidence he needs to eventually bring conclusion to the case...even if there is often a lack of justice to go along with that conclusion. This is definitely one of my favourite mystery/crime series.
Jacket notes: “Homicide, Suicide or Accident. When sudden death occurs in one of the oldest noble families in Florence, the only acceptable version is Accident. Marshal Guarnaccia doesn't believe that what happened in the Palazzo Ulderighi was an accident, but he will be risking his career if he voices his conviction that something sinister has occurred. Yet when, after nine hundred years of survival by bloodshed, the ancient palazzo yields up its latest victim, the Marshal is proved right.”
You can’t help but really like Guarnaccia. He is plodding and slow, taking his time with everything he does. While others are willing to let a murder pass as an accident or suicide, Guarnaccia’s methodical pace and introspective thinking don't allow him to overlook what he’s feeling. He doesn’t just jump in with both feet, but rather takes his time gathering the evidence he needs to eventually bring conclusion to the case...even if there is often a lack of justice to go along with that conclusion. This is definitely one of my favourite mystery/crime series.
January 27, 2016
The Marshall is summoned to the Palazzo of a Marchessa, who for financial reasons has sublet several of the smaller buildings out. Her son, a young man of "delicate" condition, lives up in the tower with the dwarf to care take him.
The Marchessa's husband has been found dead, seemingly by suicide, but the preferred verdict needs to be "by accident" in order for the Marchessa to collect on the insurance policy. The problem is that the body had been moved and there is much more going on than meets the eye.....
This book just didn't really hold my interest, but I finished it.
July 18, 2013
Again the Marshal must find his way into the home and lives of the aristocratic to determine whether a death is accident, suicide, or something else. It is a sad story. While I generally appreciate his neighborhood work more, the characters the Marshal met were human and the Marshal so humanizing that it was a good read.
March 3, 2015
I'd read more of these--the aura and detail of Florence and the personality of the Marshal--kinda flat and thoughtful and believable--were very appealing.
February 14, 2013
For most mystery series I like to feel a place and have interesting/complex characters. This does.
May 10, 2015
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The easy going prose makes it an easy read. The description of Florence life and politics is as much of the story as the mystery itself.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews