Magdalen Nabb, 60; her series of crime novels featured Italian detective

Magdalen Nabb, 60, a British author who wrote crime novels about a quirky Italian investigator, died of a stroke Saturday in Florence, Italy, where she had lived and worked since 1975, said Diogenes Verlag AG, her Swiss publisher.

Nabb’s most popular novels featured the Sicilian-born police detective Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, who was described by Publishers Weekly as “an unusual protagonist for a crime novel: He’s neither a Bond-like sophisticate nor a recovering loser.”

The author published 13 books in the series, the most recent being “The Innocent” in 2005.

Her publisher said she had recently submitted a 14th book titled “Vita Nuova,” which is to be released next year.

Born in the village of Church in northwest England, Nabb studied art and pottery and later taught at an English art school.

She came up with the idea for the Guarnaccia character while working in a pottery studio in the Italian town of Montelupo Fiorentino.

Nabb also published 13 books for children and young adults, including “The Enchanted Horse.”