Nonna Maria is back in the second rich, atmospheric mystery that takes readers to Ischia, a small island in the Bay of Naples. Lorenzo Carcaterra shows a widow, grandmother, and great-grandmother, well-respected by most on Ischia, in Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace. She’s one of my favorite senior sleuths.
She and the Captain of the carabinieri, Paolo Murino, have learned to trust and respect each other in the six years he’s been stationed in Ischia. That’s useful when Arianna Conte, a guest at Grand Hotel Excelsior, claims a valuable family necklace was stolen from her room. She blames a maid, Nonna Maria’s granddaughter. Because no one ever saw this necklace,, Murino and Nonna Maria have their doubts that it ever existed. But, Nonna Maria has a plan to expose Arianna Conte as a con artist.
Nonna Maria becomes involved in a second case when a scared young accountant comes to her, confessing that he might have hit a woman in the fog one night. A body was found propped against a tree, but no one in Ischia can identify her. But, as clues to the woman’s identity are revealed, Nonna Maria fears she’s a ghost from the past in a tragic story of a woman and baby separated. She blames herself for not being a better friend, so she’s determined to uncover the story of the woman’s death.
Carcaterra provides rich details of life on Ischia to bring the island to life. But, Nonna Maria is definitely the star of the book. Think of her as a shrewd Italian Miss Marple. As I said, one of my favorite senior sleuths in an enjoyable mystery.
Lorenzo Carcaterra’s website is https://lorenzocarcaterra.com/
Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Bantam, 2023. ISBN 9780593499184 (hardcover), 288p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley to review for a journal.
