| It's hot in August in Florence. Most of the city's inhabitants flee for their annual coastal holidays, leaving the city almost a ghost town. Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia of the Italian Carabinieri is giving his wife a driving lesson when we meet him. So many shops are closed in Florence for holidays that it's necessary for her to travel near and far to do her shopping. Turning a corner into a quaint quarter, the Guarnaccias must stop for a street disturbance. A half-naked middle-aged woman is shaking her fist from her window at a crowd of her angry neighbors in the street below. The Marshal learns the woman is mad and these disturbances aren't unusual. Quelling the near riot, the Marshal meets several of the neighborhood merchants. A few days later the Marshal is called back to the neighborhood in his official capacity. The madwoman Clementina is dead on her kitchen floor, a victim of murder. While the chief prosecutor is ready to write off the murder as a burglary gone bad, the Marshal begins to probe into why someone would want this madwoman dead. Why does she seem to have no past? Why do some of the neighbors think she wasn't so very mad at all? These are some of the questions facing Marshal Guarnaccia.
Ms. Nabb is very good at evoking a sense of place. With her descriptions, Florence springs to life. The reader feels the heat, celebrates a rainfall, and sees the unrelenting sun pounding the narrow cobblestone streets. She is also good at characterization, creating likeable, realistic people in both the major and minor characters in the book. The mystery is simple but intriquing with a sensible conclusion. This is the sixth in a series. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, from cosy lovers to police procedural buffs. The violence is minimal with no graphic descriptions. I highly recommend this mystery. | ||
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Plot & Themes How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 90% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Main Adversary How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Europe Yes European country: - Italy Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment |
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