Description
Nonna Maria, “one of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created” according to Tess Gerritsen, sets out to clear her goddaughter’s name and uncover the checkered past of an unidentifiable victim in this delightful mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra.
Nonna Maria has a lot on her plate—and it’s not just fresh pasta. Two crimes have rocked the sun-drenched island of Ischia, and once again, the island’s denizens have called upon the espresso-brewing, sage-counsel-giving sleuth.
A wealthy woman alleges that a valuable necklace has been stolen from her hotel room. The necklace, she claims, has been in her family for decades. She blames one of the young women working on the cleaning crew as the most likely suspect—a young woman who turns out to be Nonna Maria’s goddaughter. She takes the heat, but privately she proclaims her innocence.
Nearby, the body of a woman is found on a curved road near the borough of Barano. The woman is not known to anyone on the island. She has no purse, no identification. The one potential suspect is a young friend of Nonna Maria’s who drove by the area that very night and thinks that he might have hit something—a pothole, or an animal, or maybe the woman in question.
It turns out that this woman has a history on the island, having left Ischia decades ago. But why did she return, and more important, who killed her? Like the links of a beautiful, missing necklace, it’s up to Nonna Maria to string together the clues and solve these two mysteries before death comes to Ischia again.
My Thoughts
Nonna Maria and the people of Ischia are some of my favorite characters in mystery literature these days and this new adventure is a fabulous follow up to the first in the series.
The close knit community combined with Nonna Maria’s quick with and cunning mind put me in mind of an Italian Miss Marple, where a deep knowledge of human nature and logical thinking pave the way for solutions to the problems. Here, Nonna works out the life story of an unidentified woman found dead on the roadside, but also saves her goddaughter from a bogus charge of theft. In both instances, Nonna knows the human compulsions and foibles that form the basis for both murder and fraud, and she uses that knowledge to flush out the guilty parties.
Mystery readers looking for a Marple-esque series for the 21st century will enjoy Carcaterra’s series.
Recommended.
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Published By: Random House Publishing; Bantam & Ballantine
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
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