Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights books soon to be released, the ones we’re excited about but haven’t read yet. It’s hosted by Wishful Endings, and was formerly hosted by Breaking the Spine. Y’all can check out all of this week’s Can’t-Wait Wednesday posts here.
Title: Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace
Author: Lorenzo Carcaterra
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Random House/Ballantine
Synopsis:
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 a valuable necklace was 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 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 may have hit something—a pothole; an animal; or maybe, the woman in question.
It turns out, this woman has a history on the island, having left it decades ago. But why did she return, and more importantly, 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 for Ischia again.
My thoughts:
Y’all know I loved Nonna Maria’s first adventure (check out my review of Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride). I’m ridiculously excited about this book. Nonna Maria, much like Mario Giordano’s Auntie Poldi, is a more mature sleuth. She solves mysteries, not by internet wizardry and acts of derring-do, but by doing what she does best: getting to know folks. She’s an important part of her community, and those connections serve her well in unraveling a mystery. I can’t wait to read this one!
Hey, Random House/Ballantine, if y’all see this, please please please grant my wish for the book on NetGalley!
I love the sound of this one – I’ll make a note of the series:)). Thank you for sharing and I hope you get an arc for it on Netgalley!
This one jumped out at me because it seems like I got a recommendation for this series a while back… Nonna Marie sounds really familiar!
Fun cover, I hope you enjoy this one when you get a chance to read it.