This is my first book by this author and I was not disappointed. It kept my interest. I especially enjoyed the cultural aspects sprinkled throughout the story. I also thought that for a relatively short book the characters were well fleshed out.

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Sweet story about everyone’s friend in Ischia, Italy, the elderly Nonna Maria sets about to solve two cases. A priceless necklace goes missing from a guest’s room at the Grand Hotel Excelsior and a room attendant is accused. At the same time, an unknown woman’s body is found on the side of the road.

Nonna Maria knows everyone on Barano Island, so she sets out to help solve these unrelated mysteries. She never goes empty handed to visit anyone and no one comes to her home without receiving food and drink. Don’t read this if you’re hungry.

The author gives vivid descriptions of all the characters as to their outfits, appearances, and ages. It’s a cute story I’d recommend for a mature YA reader or anyone fond of a feel-good tale. I thank #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for this ARC.

I thought Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace might be the beginning of an enjoyable series, but it was much too slow to start.

The second Nonna Maria mystery finds her investigating two crimes - one, the disappearance/theft of a valuable necklace; the second, the murder of a mysterious young woman.

If you enjoyed the first Nonna Maria, you will enjoy this. Otherwise, you might be a little lost on characters.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Nonna is asked to use her expertise to assist with two investigations. One is a mur, and the second is a valuable piece of jewelry. The cases appear to be separate, but the more Nonna digs the more they appear to be related. I liked the storyline.

Two mysteries for the price of one read! Nonna Maria is busy on the island of Ischia, not only has her goddaughter, Loretta been accused of stealing a priceless necklace from Signora Arianna Conte but a dead woman has been found on the island, identity unknown. The author does a wonderful job of weaving the two mysteries together with Nonna Maria at the center, helping out her friends to solve both crimes. Nonna Maria, is a wonderful character, part wise old woman, part grandmother figure to many, part priest and part detective all rolled up into one. Nonna Maria is the type of person you want in your corner. This was my first Nonna Maria novel and I am sure it won’t be my last. The story had colorful interesting characters, I enjoyed the friendship between Nonna Maria and police Captain Murino. Both had respect for each other, listened to each other and reading the story you could feel the genuine friendship. I always enjoy when an author has the ability to write about characters and a location so well, it makes you want to be part of the story. I enjoyed the mysteries as well, each was well thought out, had twists and turns and revealed the culprit little by little. This is a wonderfully written, fun to read, and engaging mystery, well two mysteries. Enjoy!

island-life, senior-citizens, septuagenarian, widow, thriller, cozy-mystery, Italy, law-enforcement, theft, friends, friendship, family-drama, family-dynamics, murder-investigation, murder, food, fast-pace, secrets, lies, unputdownable, unpleasant-guests, series, hospitality-industry, dishonest-people*****

Nonna Maria is like everyone's favorite grandmother on the beautiful island of Ischia, and she has more common sense than most as well as a logical mind (I think it's the coffee). The publisher's blurb is an excellent hook and gives hints as to the sleuthing inside so no need to repeat that stuff. The story is interesting and believable (small towns are very similar regardless of country). Each of the characters are made very real, there are many surprises that kept me totally attentive. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam via NetGalley. Thank you!

An older woman on the island knows just about everyone and helps investigate when her goddaughter is accused of stealing a necklace.

Nonna Marie lives on Ischia an island in Italy. She is an old widow that knows everyone and everything that goes on in the island, because she does people always ask her to help them with their problems. This story starts with a dead woman found on the side of a dark road and her goddaughter being accused of stealing a necklace at the hotel she works for. by the time you finish this book you will feel that you are there with Nonna Marie and ate a lot of the delicious food she prepares and along with the descriptions of the island. Nonna Marie gets busy trying to help solve the problems along with the police.

"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. 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 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, 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 might have hit something - a pothole, or an animal, or maybe the woman in question.

It turns out that this woman has a history on the island, having left Ischia decades ago. But why did she return, and more important, 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 to Ischia again."

Oh, the mysteries HAVE to be linked now don't they? Of course I'm not telling, you'll have to read to find out!

This is the second of the Nonna Maria mysteries I have read; it works well as a standalone.

Nonna Maria is a venerable woman whose goal in life seems to be to help and protect her friends and family….and feed them wonderful meals and savory coffee. Through the many contacts made through her years on Ischia, she has an uncanny ability to assist in solving crimes and the captain of the carabinieri is smart enough to rely on her. This time, there are two cases to be solved. A woman accuses a hotel worker of stealing her valuable necklace; the worker just happens to be Nonna Maria’s goddaughter. Another woman is found dead on the side of the street with no identification. It is determined that she has been murdered, but no one knows who she is. Ah! but Nonna Maria thinks she knows her identity.

This is a cozy mystery Italian style with wine and espresso instead of tea. Nonna Maria is enchanting. She is surrounded by unique and equally charming characters. There is humor and pathos in this story.

The book ends with a set up for what seems to be Nonna Maria’s next case; I am looking forward to it!

Nonna Marie and the Case of the Stolen Necklace by Lorenzo Carcaterra is the second in a series featuring the main character, Nonna Marie. This was my first book to read in the series and I found it easy to read and understand as a standalone.
Nonna Marie and the Case of the Stolen Necklace was an enjoyable cozy mystery. Nonna Marie’s super power as an amateur sleuth are her listening skills and paying attention as she walks everywhere on her beloved Italian island, Ischia located 18 miles off the coast of Naples. Nonna Marie is a feisty woman in her seventies allowing only a select few including her children and childhood friends to be privy to the exact number. Her kindness to the close knit community, as well as her peculiarities will quickly endear her to your heart.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader digital copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was another wonderful visit with Nonna Maria (a fictional character based on the author’s real grandmother) in Ischia, an island located eighteen miles off the coast of Naples. This time a guest at a local hotel accuses a maid of stealing her priceless necklace and another woman is found dead on the side of a local road. Many of the characters have become old friends to readers who met them in the earlier novels. It is a carefully plotted storyline with genuine mystery and also a terrific tale of love. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam for an ARC for an honest review.

Once again Lorenzo Carcaterra has crafted a delightful read! I was so happy to be immersed in Nonna Maria’s world in the island of Ischia. Each book of this series takes us deeper into the world and life of Nonna Maria and her friends. It seems like a wonderful place! Thanks to #netgalley and #ballantinebantam for this copy of #nonnamariaandthestolennecklace to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Nonna Maria is a fixture on the tiny picturesque Italian island of Ischia. Related to many of the island’s inhabitants and a friend to even more, Nonna Maria has many connections and gets embroiled in mysterious crimes that occur on Ischia. In this second story about the titular character, Nonna Maria finds herself investigating a case of a stolen necklace as well as a tragic situation of an unidentified female body found by the side of a winding island road.

Inspired by the author’s own grandmother, Nonna Maria is a meddlesome but endearing character who loves her friends and family deeply. Fueled only on coffee and wine, she dispenses wisdom and Italian cuisine along her quest to help solve the two cases. This cozy mystery is a charming quick read, with short chapters to keep you turning the pages. It ends on a cliffhanger, promising future adventures for this septuagenarian sleuth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Nonna Maria has spent her life in Ischia and knows everyone. She keeps secrets and appears to live off wine and coffee. When her goddaughter is accused of a crime, she steps in to help find the truth. Nonna is a delightful character and someone you would love to sit and have a chat with. She knows people who can help her solve these crimes and utilizes them to help her figure out what happened. This was a fun read and I will enjoy more in the future.

This is a "sweet" mystery - one that is light and mild. Nonna Maria is an old woman who seems to know everybody and everything in her community in Italy. She helps solve a murder case and a stolen necklace case by contacting the people she knows, and because they all love her, they give her information that she needs.

This book is an easy and fast read. It's not at all challenging, and could be fun on a vacation when one may only be able to read for 5 minutes at a time. The best part of the book was reading about all the Italian food and wine they consumed!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is the first Lorenzo Carcaterra book I have read, but it will not be the last. I love Nonna Maria and her home in Ishia. And I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. Next up, the first Nonna Maria book.

Nonna Maria is somewhat of a matriarch to all of the residents on the Island of Ischia off the coast of Naples, Italy. If there is a mystery to be solved, she’s your woman. She has no formal training in criminology but what she does have is a keen sense of observation and ability to read between the lines. A friend to all, she is the person islanders go to for help, whether it’s advice or something more substantial like help solving a crime. In this case, Nonna Maria is in search of answers to two questions: Did the hotel maid, Loretta, steal a valuable necklace from a guest? And who is the woman lying dead along the side of the road but more importantly, who killed her? This is a fun quick read with engaging characters. It is written in such a way the reader is immersed in Italian culture and language, even as they read the English words. Recommended read for fans who enjoy mysteries without all the blood, gore, and foul language prevalent in much of modern fiction. Thanks to Netgalley an the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want a Nonna Maria in my life! This is book two in a new series by Lorenzo Carcaterra. I have not read book one but if you are like me and new to this author and series you will find that the book stands alone well. From page one I was hooked. Lorenzo Carcaterra's writing style transports you to this Italian island and the characters are so well-written that you want to meet them off the written page. I also love his not-too-long chapters. I read a lot between doing other things and I like finishing a chapter before having to put my story down.
Let me tell you a bit about Nonna Maria and why I think we would all benefit from having someone like her in our lives. Nonna Maria is in her 70s, a widow with a large family and friends. To say she is well-connected in my opinion is an understatement. This woman has connections not only on her island Ischai but throughout Italy and possibly farther. I am sure that the FBI or CIA would be jealous. She is also very loyal to her family, but her family consists of more than just bloodlines. In this book the mystery has two storylines, One is her goddaughter accused of stealing a necklace. Number two is a dead body found at the side of the road. Nonna Maria works her magic and these two mysteries and more are solved.
At the end of the story, there is a little cliffhanger, which I hope is a lead into the next in this wonderful series.
Thank you Netgalley, Bantam, and Lorenzo Carcaterra for the ARC. I enjoyed this book very much and will be looking for the first in the series. This is my honest review.