The Innocent

Nabb changes pace with this Marshal Guarnaccia story, the 13th in the series. She returns to a more conventional style of storytelling in this account of the investigation of the murder of a Japanese young woman who is an apprentice to a world-famous shoe craftsman.

While the plot is very good, what makes this book truly interesting is the Marshal himself. Over the last few books, including Some Bitter Taste and Property of Blood and now The Innocent, Guarnaccia's emotional involvement with his children has evolved. While as far as the story is concerned, he is still too busy to take as active a part in his family life as he would like, his worry about his children, especially the young one, Totó, is directly related to what he must show more deal with in his professional life. Teresa his wife continues to grow in importance to the stories, providing support and what Guarnaccia sees as a "woman's common sense" to his cases and his emotional reaction to them.

The Marshal continues to become more complex and the books continue to improve. A distinct contrast with Donna Leon's Commisario Brunetti series, Guarnaccia does not have Brunetti's sophistication nor does Teresa have Paola's glamor and intellectual chic. But both investigators are attractive figures in dramatically different ways, and the family lives are believable and evoke empathy. Florence is not Venice, although the former continues to be portrayed in more detail as the series goes on.

Highly recommended. There isn't a bad book in the series. show less

3.5

A local woman who is stealing water hyacinths from the Boboli Gardens finds a nasty surprise while peering down into the pond.....

The shoemaker's young female Japanese apprentice goes missing...

The younger carabinieri has been upset for over a week and has requested time off to visit his ailing mother......

The local "Romeo's" wife & long-time mistress are fighting again..and his wife wants him out of the house.... He's not wanting to move in with his mistress and her 90 year old mother....

I like this....usually I do not like "descriptive narratives"...but as I know next to nothing about Italy, I find this interesting and it helps me get a feel for the characters & the setting.

I also liked the story...even if I was able to figure most show more of it out. In fact, I think the town & characters tend to be a bit "charming" for lack of a better word. show less

This is my favourite thus far. The Marshall is drawn as a far more complex character than in earlier books - he really has grown into the part. I also loved the sense of locality - the Marshall's own home turf in Florence....and we meet the neighbours and artisans and merchants with whom he interacts on a daily basis.