Property of Blood (Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery #11)

The kidnapping for ransom of a beautiful American-born contessa poses Marshal Guarnaccia's gravest challenge. From Publishers Weekly Elegant is the word for Nabb's (The Monster of Florence; The Marshal at the Villa Torrini; etc.) 11th Salvatore Guarnaccia psychological police procedural elegant in style and elegant of mind. Guarnaccia, marshal of the carabinieri, finds clues in the way people behave. His colleagues appreciate his talents, but tend to keep him on the sidelines of any investigation. For them, his greatest talent is in dealing with difficult people, questioning those reluctant to speak, calming those who refuse to be calmed. The unpretentious Sicilian sleuth, whose adopted city is Florence, has a gift for inspiring trust and encouraging others to confide in him. He also has a home life that includes a loving wife who nags him and two kids who give him problems. He is endearingly absent-minded. In the present tale, an American-born woman, Countess Olivia Brunamonti, has been kidnapped by a band of professional thugs. Italian law forbids the paying of ransom, and the family does not report the kidnapping for a week, deepening Olivia's danger. In addition, the gang has left a false trail to a rival clan. Time, as they say, is running out. Olivia is a wonderful character. Her graphic account of her ordeal, which runs intermittently throughout the book, gives the reader a perspective on the physical and psychological seriousness of her situation. Nabb, an Englishwoman who has lived in Florence since 1975, is a fine writer with a sharp intelligence and deep sensitivity to human pain and frailty. (Sept. 18)an Englishman (1982), will be reissued in paperback simultaneously. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Marshal Guarnaccia, featured in some ten previous titles, investigates the kidnap-for-ransom of an American-born countess in Florence. With a low-key narrative and protagonist but effective nonetheless. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. The American-born founder of a prominent fashion house, Contessa Olivia Brunamonti, is mistaken for her daughter and kidnapped by a group of Sardinian shepherds. They're holding her deep in the Tuscan hills and have demanded a huge sum for her return. Her daughter failed to report the incident for over a week, and the family's assets have been frozen by an Italian government that forbids paying ransom. But the kidnappers can't release their victim without being paid—it would set a bad precedent. And Guarnaccia suspects another problem: Could it be that Olivia's children don't want to save their mother? Is this more than just a random crime? "Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, a Sicilian officer of the carabiniere stationed in Florence, is faced with the horrendous kidnapping for ransom of a lovely Contessa. Olivia, an American-born model, married Count Ugo Brunamonti, a feckless, soon impoverished aristocrat. After his death, she supported her children, Leonardo and Caterina, by starting a fashion house which has prospered. When she is kidnapped, the crime is reported to Marshal Guarnaccia by her daughter, who may have been the intended victim."--Jacket Psychological police procedural set in Florence, Italy which features Salvatore Guarnaccia, Nabb's unpretentious marshal of the carabinieri who has a gift for dealing with difficult people. American-born Countess Olivia Brunamonti has been kidnapped. As the victim gives a graphic account of her ordeal, the reader shares her pain and fear

the Kidnapping For Ransom Of A Beautiful American-born Contessa Poses Marshal Guarnaccia's Gravest Challenge.

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nabb's Florentine Series Has Offered Distinctive Mystery Novels With An Elegant, Literate Style.