Nonna Maria is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand to friends and neighbors. First Captain Murino turn to his old friend for help when someone from his past threatens his future. Then there is the granddaughter of an old friend, who seeks her help to find a treasure her grandfather has left for her. Nonna Maria would never let a friend in need down and is on both cases.

This has got to be the best entry in this series date. I love the protagonist and want to be her when I grow up. Filled with action, mayhem and hijinx, this one is sure to please any cozy reader.

The Nonna Maria series is a "cozy" trio (so far) centering on a grandmother who lives on the Italian island of Ischia and likes to, as she puts it, help her friends. These friends stumble into deadly territory in each of the books, and Nonna Maria serenely gets them out of it. The books give the reader a warm, wonderful feeling of visiting friends on the island and sharing their lives.

This book is a little darker than the first two. There are two separate plots: a young friend of Nonna Maria's has a legacy that might be a fortune, but was hidden in the winding depths of the Ischian caves, and her friend, the carabiniere Captain Murino, is marked for execution by a criminal he helped put away years before. The latter takes us into the world of vicious crime families and the former into the murky world of dedicated, competitive treasure hunters, including some with dubious pasts.

There is also less of Nonna Maria in this book than there was in the first two, and I missed her presence. The chapters dealing with the Murino plot were interesting, but I was impatient to get back to our old lady. And the Murino plot lacks suspense, because we find out about halfway through the book who the assassin is (or meant to be).

One of the great pleasures of this series is the way it takes you into the Ischia of the natives, but there was less of that in this book, too.

Finally, I have to call out the author's habit of over-using two words. "Nodded" occurs in the book 71 times (I have it on Kindle and I searched for it), and "ease" as a verb (e.g., "Carnale eased the cigar from his mouth") 34 times. I read an uncorrected proof (thanks to NetGalley and Bantam), and it's possible that some of this will be rewritten before the book is published. However, "nodded" also appears excessively in the previous two books in the series.

Nonna Maria, the beloved amateur sleuth living on the peaceful Italian island of Ischia, has a knack for involving herself in some interesting yet hair raising situations and this is no exception. Upon his death bed Rita’s grandfather gives her a map to hidden treasure. And the hunt begins, But the hunt for the treasure is only half of the story. Nonna Maria’s beloved friend Paolo Murina, currently captain of the island’s Cabinieri, once put away a major crime boss on the Italian mainland and his cronies are out for revenge. A would-be assassin has come to the island with Captain Murina as his target. Nonna Maria along with her friends set out to find the lost treasure and also ensure Captain Murino does not fall victim to the assassin’s bullet A quick read with a charming heroine, this is perfect for cozy mystery fans.

An ARC - Nonna Maria grandmother and friend with all the people On the Island of Ischia in Italy. Everyone goes to Nonna Maria with their problems for her to solve for them. This time Rita a young lady asks for help to find a lost treasure that her grandfather told her about and hearing that someone was going to kill Captain Marino of the Carabinieris (Police) started to get help to stop the killing another quick read with Nonna Maria!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for this advanced reader copy of one of my most anticipated books of 2024. As with each book in the Nonna Maria series, I was firmly pulled in from chapter one and couldn't stop reading. This book in particular gave a rich back story to quite a few characters in prior stories, and was a much deeper and satisfying story than books one and two (which I also loved!). As always, new characters were added, who I hope to see again. There are few authors who can make me want to visit the setting of a book, but I am pretty determined to see the island of Ischia, Italy where Nonna has all her adventures. I'm hoping eventually the author may do a prequel and write about Gabriel and Ninja as a young married couple someday!

Ischia- home of Nonna Maria. We begin with a man sitting in a cafe known for the art of murder.
Nonna Maria is known to all as the storyteller within the story we will read and labeled “the widow woman in the way”.
A young woman, Rita, the daughter of Paolino Iocone, recently deceased, had been asked by her father to visit Nonna Maria to help her find a treasure deep in the caves of the island, and, of course, there is a castle, a worn map, deep caverns hiding secrets and treasures, and the presence of
organized crime arriving on the island.
Captain Marino had once arrested Ostino, leader of a criminal group in Florence.
Marino believes his life is at stake and despite his desire to shelter her, Nonna Maria forges ahead to find justice and always to care for her close-knit community.
Two organizations -the Camorra and the Mourners, widows of the violence of war- are out for revenge and Nonna Maria is off and running: for the good, the bad and the in-between, all to be reckoned with.
The center of every Nonna Maria venture is this, spoken by the bad guy: “love more than hate or revenge, gives us all the strength we need to win any fight we find ourselves in”.
Known others from Lorenzo Carcaterra’s Nonna Maria adventures enter the search for the treasure: the Pirate, Shaw, Pepe the Painter, in his third decade of treasure hunting, is following the steps of Paolino Iacone.
There are caves, criminals, pirates, a magician, a corrupt policeman and an unknown renegade shooter.
This series
is full of fascinating and informational cultural and historical
descriptions.
Perhaps one of the most important of
is the focus on community and the concern and care for each other. Something we all should take to heart at all times.
There is no ending without all the delights of Italian cooking, wine, generational friends who are always at hand.
Oh, that there always be a Nonna Maria.

Once the story grabs you, you'll be hooked. Don't let the modern cover fool you. In its pages are descriptions of food and wine, friendships and alliances, enemies and action.

This exciting story of protection and loyalty grips you with its behind-the-scenes calling in of favors and history. I thoroughly enjoyed every surprise and every twist.

Read it at night and prepare for vivid dreams of old places, good meals, and intrigue.

Nonna Maria is an elderly widow living on the island of Ischia, off the coast of Italy. A young woman, Rita, comes to her for advice about some hidden treasure her recently deceased grandfather mentioned. Hidden in a cave. Nonna gets some of her old local friends who are familiar with the caves to help. Meanwhile, another friend who is a carabiniere is the intended target of an organized crime figure he helped put in prison. Can Nonna really help? She is always there for her friends. In addition to being a captivating mystery, this story celebrates friendship, and shows that it isn’t always the younger people who save the day. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Unexpectedly really enjoyed this one! While the description and premise was appealing to me, it became quickly obvious to me that this is part of a series. However, this still reads like a stand alone (at least to me) and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the pacing. I love a good treasure hunt and I'm already on the look out for the previous books of the series.

Although I had not read the first 2 books in this series, I found this cozy mystery charming. Nonna Marie is an adventuresome grandmother who loves and protects her family and her friends. Fun to read.

I received an email asking me to read this, but it was not mentioned that this was part of a series. In fact, it is the third installment so while I wasn't totally confused, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first two books in the series. Therefore, I will be reviewing on netgalley and review on goodreads when I have read the other two books.

I was kind of surprised at how graphic some of the fighting scenes were, nothing horror level, but I was also not expecting it.

I do really love our main character Nonna Maria! The author has really developed an excellent character that I want to continue to know more about.

Romance, Intrigue, Danger!

The "Nonna" series is as timeless as Italy, especially Southern Italy, itself, steeped in millennia of history, a crossroads of all the great civilizations. In my mind's eye I picture Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn, in their prime years, having these adventures, with the mature Sophia Loren, her beauty grown into the wisdom of the ages, portraying Nonna Maria.

I have reached out eagerly for each new book as it became available, delighting in the details that share the history of the islands, as well as the ongoing modern escapades of the infamous as they impact the lives of the innocent. Fortunately the word pictures of the richly described foods and beverages, although they may give one an appetite, have no calories! If your own appetite includes adventure, you will likely enjoy these stories as much as I do.

Caution: Some of the action scenes are a bit more graphic than I recall from earlier stories, although appropriate to the present story.

Thank you so much for this ARC and third installment of one of my favorite fiction characters!

Nonna Maria is just the best - full of wisdom, intuition, white wine and espresso.

So many interesting characters to be met on the amazing island of Ischia. The treasure hunt was not my favorite plot of the trilogy but what I did love was how all the friendships made throughout the series were on display and in full force, all for the beloved Nonna Maria!

Thank you to Lorenzo Carcaterra for making such a beloved, cozy and beautiful series - please keep writing!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Maria has some difficult decisions to make. Both her and her friends have some foes they gave to deal with. A nice read.

I love this series. In this third mystery, set in the modern-day island of Ischia, Italy, island matriarch Nonna Maria continues to help all friends and family who come to her door. Whether its will sage advice or offerings from her kitchen or more somewhat physical assistance when confronted by evil doers, Nonna Maria is a force for good on her island. This book developed more slowly for me so be prepared for a more leisurely albeit well told story about buried treasure, bad guys coming after the Carabinieri Captain and his fiancee, and the many inhabitants of Ischia. I always enjoy my time with this series and look forward to the next visit with Nonna Maria.

This is book three in this delightful series about Noona Maria. Although I recommend reading all of them, they can be read as a standalone.
Nonna Maria was born and lived her entire life on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, Italy. She is a friend to everyone she knows and meets. This charming grandmother has a way of getting involved in mysteries, and even helps to solve them. She’s never without her large, black tote back filled with many snacks, and even entire meals, plus of course plenty of wine. She generously hands out the food and drink to anyone who might be the slightest bit hungry or thirsty. Nonna Maria only eats at her own house, sitting with the portrait on the wall of her late husband Gabriel. She claims to never drinks water, and consumes fourteen cups of coffee each day.
Captain Murino, in charge of the local carabinieri, is a long-time friend of Nonna Maria. He calls upon her sleuthing skills when he learns he is faced with an assassin looking for revenge because he put away, for life, a long-time dangerous criminal, who it appears is still active from prison. Maria has many resources and knows many people so readily agrees to help save her friend, Captain Murino from the dangerous situation he is in.
In another part of the island, on his deathbed of another a good friend of Nonna Maria’s, gives his granddaughter a treasure map, advising her there is a treasure to be found in one of the many secret caves on the island. When the granddaughter needs help, figuring out the incomplete map, she calls upon her grandfather’s trusted friend, Nonna Maria.
The two mysteries Noona Maria is involved in are both heating up and prove to be dangerous, even to Maria, herself. There are many moving parts and delightful characters as this intriguing store progresses, however, as the author expertly weaves many situations seamlessly together, there is no way to guess the outcome until the very end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

"In Italy, they add work and life on to food and wine." (Robin Leach)

And nowhere is it done better than on the island of Ischia where Nonna Maria is in residence. Now in her seventies, Nonna is a widow who lives within the cluster of her children, her grandchildren, and her dear loyal friends. And no one is more loyal than Nonna herself.

This third edition to this series can definitely be read as a standalone, but you'll be drawn into checking out the prior two books. Once you've engaged with Nonna, you'll be a true fan. This one takes on a darker tone than the preceding two. We'll observe the shift in newly introduced characters who have come upon the island. Many of them walk in the shadows and try to mask their ill intent. But nothing gets past Nonna. Nothing.

Nonna has a multitude of friends from all walks of life. She's even taken in Il Presidente, a former hired professional hitman who has drastically changed his ways in retirement. And in the opposite lane is Captain Paolo Murina, a former member of the cabinieri likened to the FBI. Paolo has joined the locale police in Ischia and has also given up his intense life in Florence where he was responsible for putting away hardened criminals. But it seems that now someone has put a price on his head. A hired assassin is on his way.

Alongside this darkened avenue is a treasure hunt. Rita, one of the locales, contacts Nonna about her dying grandfather's wish. Paolino dealt in contraband back in the day when pricey items were hidden in the vast number of caves along the Ischia coast. There's something Paolino desperately wants to give to Rita before his death. And there's a roughly drawn map. Nonna contacts her friends, The Magician and The Pirate, who know these caves from their own days of crime.

Nonna Maria and the Lost Treasure is a splendid read. Lorenzo Carcaterra brings such life to Nonna and to her beloved island. The characters are fascinating and the storyline is rich in Italian flavor. It's a quick read combined with high crime, shifty individuals, and descriptors of this beautiful island life and even the scrumptious food in detail. What better way to spend some time on the sunny coast of Ischia wrapped in mystery and some added folklore. Book the time.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Bantam Books (Random House) and to the talented Lorenzo Carcaterra for the opportunity.

I love this series and this is the best book so far. Nonna Maria is the person everyone should have in their lives. In this book, she not only helps one friend look for a treasure left to her by her grandfather but also helps another friend survive an attempt on his life by a criminal gang. There is danger aplenty for Nonna Maria but she manages to face it bravely.
This book is well written and kept me turning pages late into the night. I look forward to more from this author and especially more Nonna Maria.

I have loved all the Nonna books but this was my favorite by far. Always a good read and this was more heartwarming than the others. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4 Stars
One Liner: A heartwarming read!

Nonna Maria’s long-time friend, Captain Murino of the Ischian caribineri, is in danger due to the cases he solved before coming to this tiny island. Nonna Maria is determined to save him, just as he is determined to keep her safe from the ruthless men.
Meanwhile, Rita, the granddaughter of Nonna Maria’s friend, comes to her for help. Her late grandfather gave her a map of lost treasure in the caves on the other end of the island. She needs help to find the treasure, and Nonna Maria knows many others want to grab the treasure first.
How will our dear old lady handle the cases while cooking, feeding dear ones, and making new friends?
The story comes in the omnipresent third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
Well, it’s not often that a mystery book gets called heartwarming. However, with Nonna Maria as the star lead, this can’t be anything less sweet despite all the action, mystery, and danger.
The book should work as a standalone. I’m yet to read the first book, but liked the second and enjoyed this (third). It is not a whodunit but more of a howdunit. We are told who the criminal is in advance. Now, the question is how will we get to the confrontation and what happens next.
The writing is easy to read and flows at a steady pace. The short chapters are highly convenient. There’s more ‘tell’ than ‘show’, but it works for the plot. A good author knows what to show and what to tell. Moreover, there are subtle bits of humor- not where you laugh out loud but smile or chuckle a little.
Of course, there are plenty of dishes mentioned throughout. While I don’t eat most of them, I still enjoyed the descriptions and the characters having a hearty meal.
The island of Ischia is easy to visualize. The alleys, the stone walls, the old castle, the caves, and locals with bittersweet history, everything enriches the plot. In fact, it is a core character in the book.
There are two tracks (as you see in the premise). That means we have two sets of characters to meet. Yet, it doesn’t get the least bit confusing. Even with someone knowing someone or being another relative, it is easy enough to follow the developments.
There’s no lead for the next book, but I hope the series continues. I’m sure many people will need Nonna Maria’s help.
The book ends with a sweet author’s note and leaves the reader with a smile.

To summarize, Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure is a sweet cozy mystery set on a beautiful island and has some memorable characters. Pick it up if you want a relaxing mystery and have a couple of hours of free time.
Thank you, NetGallet and Random House Publishing Group- Bantam, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.