Death of an Englishman

This series focuses on the texture of the neighborhood and the culture. These books are to savor, like a slow Italian meal. Plot? Also slow, but satisfying. Like good fruit for dessert, not tiramisu.

The device used to delay entry of the Marshal into the case is clever and unprecedented.

I was going to read this book which looked nicely recomended but thanks to the kindly meant but unfortunately revealing review of Maiko Shimoi from Osaka, Japan I will not be reading this book. Any one else who is planning to read the book please do not read Maiko's review...

The re-release of Magdalene Nabb's Florentine stories is long overdue ( and shame on her UK publisher for dropping her ).Congratulations are due to SoHo Press for their continuing ressucitation of some of the finest crime writers ( Van Der Wetterring , Tokagi and Janes etc )who all seem to have been dropped in favour of half-witted serial killer clones.These are some of the finest crime stories ever written and their evocation of Florence is flawless.Marshal Guarnaccia is one of the most engaging protagonists since Maigret and the stories have a similar emphasis on the observation of character and cause rather than Chritie-esque puzzles.In many ways the mystery seems secondary to Ms. Nabb's exceptional ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters and the bustle of Florentine daily life.Buy three copies, one to read and re-read to destruction , one to keep for the time when your first falls to bits and one to give to your best friend.Brava Signora !