NONNA MARIA AND THE CASE OF THE STOLEN NECKLACE

In her second outing, the aged Italian crime solver known as Nonna Maria investigates the theft of a necklace from a hotel room and the murder of an unidentified woman.

A sequel to Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride (2022), the novel is set on the sun-drenched, tourist-friendly island of Ischia, an hour’s ferry ride from Naples. Nonna Maria, a widow in her 70s, is known far and wide as a person to go to in times of trouble—and a kindly soul who will bring a batch of home-cooked food if she comes to you. Straight-talking and proudly self-sufficient (she’ll never accept a ride when she can walk), the amateur detective is suspicious from the start about a woman’s claim that a valuable necklace of hers was stolen—mainly because the woman has accused the hotel maid, Nonna Maria’s upstanding goddaughter, of the theft. Of graver concern is the death of a woman whose body was found alongside a road without any identifying documents. Nonna Maria quickly determines that the woman had recently returned to the island after many years, that she had family ties there—and that she had been killed. But figuring out who did the deed and why proves elusive. Known for gritty urban crime novels such as Sleepers (1995) and Street Boys (2002), Carcaterra seems to have fun writing about his native Italy, and readers will have just as much fun with this new series. The essence of cozy with its low-key charm, clever plotting, and disarming storytelling, the book is also sharp and subtle. Great details abound, including Nonna Maria’s refusal to drink espresso poured from any pot but her own—her first gift from her late husband.

A winning mystery that promises a long run for the Nonna Maria series.