3.5
Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace
ByPublisher Description
Nonna Maria, “one of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created” (Tess Gerritsen), sets out to clear her goddaughter’s name and uncover the checkered past of an unidentifiable victim in this transporting 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. 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. Loretta 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, carries no identification. The one 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 had a decades-old history on Ischia, but why did she return, and more important, who killed her? It’s up to Nonna Maria to string together the clues—like the links of the beautiful missing necklace—and solve these two mysteries before death comes to Ischia again.
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. 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. Loretta 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, carries no identification. The one 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 had a decades-old history on Ischia, but why did she return, and more important, who killed her? It’s up to Nonna Maria to string together the clues—like the links of the beautiful missing necklace—and solve these two mysteries before death comes to Ischia again.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesNonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace Reviews
3.5
“This was the first book I had read in this series and absolutely loved it. Definitely a stand-alone; didn't feel I was missing anything from not reading the first book. Also didn't get spoilers for the previous book. I HATE that so much.
Nonna Maria is a grandma and widow who helps solve mysteries. Not because the police can't do it, and not the trope of working behind their backs because the cops are too dumb or lazy. She helps because she has tons of connections. Kind of like an unpaid consulting detective that makes amazing, free meals for everyone while she is at it.
The only thing that bothered me about the book? It takes place in Ischia, a small island of the coast of Italy (not the part that bothers me). The author keeps describing all of these amazing Italian meals that Nonna Maria is cooking. Food that obviously I can't eat but now want. Then, she doesn't even include any recipes. Not that I would ever cook them, even if they were in the book, but still. Making me want food I can't have. Sweet carbs ❤️”
“My first read of the series. I enjoyed Nona Maria’s character, the beautiful descriptions of the scenery, and the telling of 2 intertwined mysteries at once. However I did find the pacing slow at times, and the high number of characters made it a little confusing to follow, and further prevented depth in places. But overall I would give another Nona Maria book a go!”
About Lorenzo Carcaterra
Lorenzo Carcaterra is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Safe Place, Sleepers, Apaches, Gangster, Street Boys, Paradise City, Chasers, Midnight Angels, The Wolf, Tin Badges, Payback, Three Dreamers, and Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride. He is a former writer/producer for Law & Order and has written for National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times Magazine, Details, and Maxim. He lives in New York City.
Other books by Lorenzo Carcaterra
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