Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb
A Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia Mystery
Soho Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-532-6 (1569475326)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-532-4 (9781569475326)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.00
Review: The Marshal has been assigned to investigate the death of a member of Florence's elite high society in The Marshal Makes His Report, the eighth mystery in this series by Magdalen Nabb. Originally published in 1992, Soho Press is reissuing trade paperback editions of many of the early books in this exceptional series.
Buongianni Corsi, the husband of the Marchesa Ulderighi, is discovered shot to death in the gun room located in the basement of their estate. There seem to be few reasons why Corsi would take his own life and there are ample explanations of how an accident could occur. The Marshal, while investigating the scene of Corsi's death, concludes it could have been suicide or an accident or a homicide. The motives for murder suggest to the Marshal that this idea should be investigated thoroughly. There is no love lost between the dead man and his wife and Corsi was known to have been unfaithful in his marriage. His son believed he was unloved and was ignored by his father. The estate is in a state of general disrepair and some of the larger rooms on the upper levels have been rented out. Clearly in need of money, the Marchesa is particularly anxious to settle her husband's death to collect his life insurance. The Marshal's interrogations of the renters reveal conflicting stories. In this particularly puzzling case, the Marshal does not believe the case can be quickly closed and is permitted the assistance of another officer, Lieutenant Lorenzini. Together they must sift through the myriad tales told to them, sorting out what is truth and what is fiction, before the Marshal can make his report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Corsi.
In The Marshal Makes His Report, Nabb once again displays an effortless elegance in both plotting her mystery and the manner in which it is told. Despite the contradictory information presented to him and the doubt he has in the expedient solution, the Marshal shows more confidence here than in some previous books in how he conducts his investigation and in his relationship with his superiors. The strong development of supporting characters and the sense of place contribute mightily to the success of this book in particular and to the series as a whole.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Marshal Makes His Report and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
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Synopsis (from the publisher): The suspicious looking suicide of the husband of the Marchesa of one of Florence's oldest families has the Marshal once again refusing to accept the easy answer. He insists on looking for the truth, knowing it could well be the end of his career should he find it.
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Glad to see that this series is going to be in print again. I always recommend it to friends, but since it was out of print for a while, it has been hard to find the early books in the series.
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