In conversation, I’ve said to a few friends that there haven’t been a lot of mysteries that stood out to me this year. Lorenzo Carcaterra remedied that with his quiet mystery, Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride. He takes readers to Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, and introduces us to Nonna Maria, a widow, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who has lived on the island her entire life, and knows everyone. Think of a kinder, gentler Miss Marple, but a woman who can take action when she has to. While I never read Alexander McCall-Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency or the sequels, like Mma Precious Ramotswe, Nonna Maria is a woman who solves problems.

Nonna Maria hears many things without the need to ask questions. She just listens. Although islanders turn to her for her advice, help, and wise counsel, she still remains friends with Captain Paolo Murino. He’s from Milan, but the local head of the carabinieri, the police, is engaged to a local girl from Ischia. Nonna Maria’s friends and family are spread all over the island.

When Anna, a young islander, turns up at Nonna Maria’s, she’s afraid for her future and her family. She’s engaged to a man she barely knows, and her story reminds Nonna Maria of the past. It’s the story of La Fattura, a curse. A young person eats or drinks something provided by a stranger, and winds up engaged to someone they don’t know. It happened to Nonna Maria’s youngest son, but, with the help of his mother and the local priest, the marriage was annulled. Now, Nonna Maria has a plan to help Anna, but, first, she advises the young woman to disappear.

But, Nonna Maria has to juggle two problems. Pasquale Favorini, a boat captain, disappeared, and then his body was found. He was one of her oldest friends. While Captain Murino tells her it looks like an accident, Nonna Maria doesn’t believe it. Instead, she’s determined to find answers, and she said that Pasquale will provide those answers. When Murino says, “The dead can’t talk”, she replies, “On this island, Captain Murino, everyone talks, even the dead.”

Carcaterra’s descriptions of Ischia are rich and atmospheric. It’s a small place, now overrun by tourists, but Nonna Maria’s connections and understanding of the island and its people provide her with the insight and wisdom to solve local problems. Her solutions to both problems are clever, and she involves her friends and family, even her youngest grandchildren.

I’ve read a number of mysteries lately that feature senior sleuths. They’re wise, and use their knowledge of life and people to solve crimes or problems. Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride is one of my favorites in that senior sleuth sub-genre.

Lorenzo Carcaterra’s website is http://www.lorenzocarcaterra.com/

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Bantam Books, 2022. ISBN 9780399177620 (hardcover), 261p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a copy of the book, with no promise of a positive review.