Property of Blood

#11 in the Marshal Guarnaccia series, which simply improves with every book.

The plot concerns the kidnapping of the Contessa Brunamonti, the head of a Florentine fashion house. The book opens with her first-person narrative of her kidnapping and early days as a hostage.

The story alternates between the contessa's account of her situation and the efforts on the part of Guarnaccia and the carabinieri to rescue the contessa. Guarnaccia's interactions with the Contessa's family--her two adult children, Leonardo and Caterina--are difficult and puzzling until he finally realizes that the daughter is insane and that she is dominating the rescue efforts on the part of the family and its friends. Even though the contessa is safe, the ending is show more far from a happy one.

There is wonderful description of the relationship of the contessa with her kidnappers, a somewhat different take from the usual Stockholm syndrome. Meanwhile, Guarnaccia relies on the help of a marshal in a district on the outskirts of Florence, one inhabited by Sardinians who make a living from sheep and kidnapping. The Sardinian aspect is well developed and adds great interest to the story as a whole. The denouement is dependent on Sardinian customs and codes.

The book is riveting from the beginning even though the reader knows from the outset that the contessa has been rescued/released. Nabb establishes high tension at the outset and carries it through to the last page.

Highly recommended. show less

Nicely done, Maggie! Everything I said about the last one except a bit clunkier at parts, made up for with a bit more ambition and a masterfully open, tragic ending. Also, she's on the right track bringing in these Sicilian bandits - Florence on its own is no doubt lovely, but not really different enough to actually be exotic - it's just like an Anglo police procedural except his wife likes to cook more and he stops at the caffe instead of Joe's Bar. I wish I hadn't lost that other one, because with English expats and Albanian prostitutes, it promised to be even better.

This was gruesome but definitely held my interest.

A Contessa is kidnapped by mistake.....and the book opens with her telling of her experience from the moment of her kidnapping to just before her rescue and continues after the kidnappers are caught, but the story doesn't end there.....

One of her children refused to pay the ransom.....insanity runs ripe.

It's a Thriller for sure.

Excellent book! Just not one I would want to read ever again, for reasons that would be spoilers.

I loved the setting of this book, but I didn't think the story was terrific.

Another in the Marshal Guarnaccia series--about a carbinieri stationed in Florence. This one is about kdinap victim, Above average detective series.

Die Modedesignerin Olivia Birkett, früher verheiratete Contessa, deren Kollektionen groß im Kommen sind, wird entführt, obwohl die Täter es eigentlich auf ihre Tochter abgesehen hatten. Der seit Jahren altbekannte Maresciallo Guarnaccia, nach wie vor bedächtig, gutmütig, wohlwollend, doch zielstrebig und beharrlich, wird eingeschaltet. Ihm tut sich bald das typenreiche, etwas undurchsichtige Beziehungsgeflecht der Familie des Opfers kund. Ernst wird der Fall, als die Lösegeldforderungen bei diesem erpresserischen Menschenraub öffentlich wird. Die Autorin versteht es meisterlich, menschliche Zwischentöne ihrer Handlungsträger originell und ohne jede Überhöhung einzubringen