The Marshal's Own Case

7th in the Marshal Guarnaccia series set in Florence, Italy.

It all started in a rather ordinary way. A woman, come to see the Marshal about her missing son. Another woman, an old acquaintance from Sicily, inquiring about her young son who was living in Florence. Problems with Totó, the Marshal’s younger son. The murder of a young woman.

Then a call from Captain Maestrangelo, saying that the murder victim wasn’t a woman at all but a young man, the latest in a series of transvestite murders. To the Marshal’s consternation, Maestrangelo wants him to lead the investigation on the case, his very first independent case.

In order to solve this case, Guarnaccia, uncomfortable, has to enter into the world of transvestite prostitution and show more the lives of those who exist on the margins of Florence’s society.

This is a remarkable book, not just for Nabb’s usual qualities of excellent, evocative writing, fine plots, and strong characterization but also for the remarkable balanced insight she has towards an officially despised group of people. The book is outstanding in its description of Florence, its people, and its society. The denouement is exciting, the ending sad but realistic.

This is a strong installment in a superior series. Highly recommended. show less

Amazing....this book held my interest and once I started it, I didn't want to put it down.

A young man is missing, a young woman's chopped up body turns up in garbage bags & a suitcase...upon autopsy the young woman is found to be a transsexual prostitute that was very much disliked by her community.

The marshal has his work cut out for him...not only must he earn the trust of the transsexuals in order to solve the murder and find the missing young man, but his oldest son his having problems in school and has taken up with the "wrong crowd".

Although on the surface the book is about murder & missing persons, the underlying theme is family & family relationships.

It was a bit hard to get into this story in which Marshall Guarnaccia in in charge of the murder investigation of a transsexual. The Marshall is at first ill-at- ease with the subjects he is interviewing but as he gains a bit of understanding about these individuals who live life between a rock and a hard place he begins to see the motives for this murder.

The author sprinkles the book with comments from other cops and co-workers of the Marshall who consider him not very bright, a bit simple and slow on the uptake and I was not sure what was to be gained from these remarks. It is true that the Marshall appears to be a imperturbable man of few words but in this story we see that he can and does feel things very deeply.

I look forward to show more reading the next in the series. show less