"A sweltering summer in Florence and Marshal Guarnaccia is engaged in investigating an Albanian prostitution ring. But a never-ending stream of people fills the station waiting room at the Pitti Palace, all expecting him to sort out their little problems. One, Sara Hirsch, is a nervous, elderly spinster who fears that people have been in her apartment. Others have even more trivial concerns. He'd like to help every one but he can't attend to them right away.".

"His superiors summon the marshal to the elegant villa of a foreign billionaire, Sir Christopher Wrothesley, who has suffered a minor burglary. How do you make small talk with a man whose stolen hairbrushes are worth more than your year's salary, the marshal wonders. But he adds this investigation to his list." "Then he finds Sara Hirsch's body in a pool of blood behind her door. The marshal feels guilty and sets out to find the villain or villains responsible for her death."--BOOK JACKET.