Magdalen Nabb

Magdalen Nabb (Nuttal; 16 January 1947 – 18 August 2007) was a British author, best known for the Marshal Guarnaccia detective novels.

Early life and education
Magdalen Nuttal was born in Church, Lancashire on 16 January 1947, and was raised in Ramsbottom. She went by 'Magda' with her two sisters and parents. Both of her parents' died while she was in childhood; her father died of rheumatic fever at age 32 when she was 7, and her mother died suddenly when Nuttal was 13. She and her sisters moved in with their aunt, but within two weeks, their uncle died.

Nuttal attended the Convent Grammar School in Bury, Greater Manchester, then attended an art college in Manchester, where she studied arts and pottery.

Career
Nabb began her career teaching art at a primary school in Holcombe, Greater Manchester.

After moving to Florence in 1975, Nabb initially worked as a grape-picker and a potter before she began writing. Soon, she began working at Casa Guidi, descriptions of which she used in her first novel; she also met the physical model for Marshal Guarnaccia. Her first book, Death of an Englishman, was first published in 1981. Belgian writer Georges Simenon was impressed with the novel and reached out to Nabb, who had admired Simenon's work; the two became lifelong friends. Nabb subsequently published 12 additional crime detective novels, all of which are set in Florence, which she describes as a "very secret city". She lived near enough to the Carabinieri station at Pitti to stroll there regularly and have a chat with the marshal, who kept her up to date on crime in the city. Her final novel, Vita Nuova in the Marshal Guarnaccia series, was posthumously published in 2008.

In addition to her novels intended for adults, Nabb wrote 12 Josie Smith books for children, all of which are set in Ramsbottom in the school Nabb attended. In 1991, Jose Smith and Eileen, the second book in the series, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. She also wrote two unrelated children's books, The Enchanted Horse and Twilight Ghost. The former won the 1993 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

Nabb also occasionally wrote journalistic pieces for English, German and Italian papers.

Philanthropy
Nabb donated and raised funds for the Brooke Hospital for Animals, a UK-based international equine charity. All royalties from her 1993 book The Enchanted Horse were donated to the charity. In 2005, she raised money by riding across Kenya for six hours daily.

In the mid-2000s, Nabb helped residents in Afghanistan, first by supporting a school for Afghan refugee children, then financing a well to provide fresh water.

Personal life
Nuttal married James Nabb, though the marriage was brief. The couple had a son, Liam.

In 1975, Nabb moved to Florence with her son, Liam, and her new companion, poet Nigel Thompson.

In 1994, Nabb suffered a stroke but recovered.

Nabb died in Florence of a stroke at age 60 on 18 August 2007.

Josie Smith series
The Josie Smith books are illustrated by Pirkko Vainio and published by Margaret K. McElderry Books in New York.