Shades of White Lotus.......Italian style with murder and mayhem.

The Grand Hotel Excelsior stands as a stately beacon to the tourists who flock to Ischia, an island off the Naples coast. The hotel is renowned for its colorful umbrella tables and lounge chairs that beckon its inhabitants to relax and enjoy the panoramic view in the warm sunshine of July. And its famous busy kitchen sends waves of delicious aromas ripe for a chef's kiss.

But the welcoming vibes are electrified when a well-dressed female guest demands to see the hotel manager, Antonio. Arianna Conte accuses one of the maids, Loretta, of stealing her highly vaued necklace. The woman is beside herself and the police are called.

Captain Paolo Murino is alarmed that such a thing would be happening here at this well-respected hotel. Arianna is adamant and refuses to believe otherwise. Loretta is sent home under house arrest until the necklace shows up or the evidence proves the accusation to be true.

To add to the captain's stress is a serving of the deadly kind. A woman's body is found by a fruit peddler early one morning. No one recognizes the woman as a local and the island's hotels are not missing any occupants. Was she the victim of a hit-and-run? Just who is this woman?

Enter Nonna Maria one of Ischia's most endearing citizens. She is a woman in her 70's who is always called upon for her helpful advice. Nonna Maria has a network of friends, family, and contacts that would put the CIA to shame. Nothing transpires on Ischia without her knowing names, dates, and shoe sizes. Nonna Maria has often worked with the police on cases in the past. This time will be no different.

This novel reads beautifully as a standalone, but treat yourself to the first book in this series as well. Lorenzo Carcaterra has a unique way of bringing his characters to life on the page with snappy dialogue and with the ring of Nonna Maria's deep analytical skills. There is humor strategically placed here and there as well as the sharp tug of human frailty. This all conjures up the White Lotus with its well-heeled individuals......but with the common folk leaving deep footprints alongside them.

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

This is second of the Nonna Maria series I’ve read. You don’t need to read the first to enjoy this new mystery featuring a wise native resident of a picturesque Italian island. The author’s familiarity with the area gave me wanderlust. He also gives parallel views of both the locals and touristy perspectives.
On the small island of Ischia dark secrets threaten idyllic island life. Nonna Maria is an elderly widow, mother, grandmother and friend to most in her wide network. Many seek her advice and guidance. She’s a woman after my own heart, only drinking strong coffee or wine, who needs water? She cooks mouth-watering cuisine and seems to feed the entire neighborhood. Her network includes everyone from a clergy, mobster, physician, baroness and witch. She will need help from them all as crime surfaces.
There’s an unknown victim left for dead beside the road. Nonna feels compelled to assist in identifying her. Her friend, Captain Murino, a Carabinieri officer, isn’t native to Ischia. He trusts her input. Her goddaughter has been falsely accused of the theft of a priceless heirloom by an elaborate con woman’s scheme. Nonna must use all her years of observation to get her goddaughter out of trouble. Nonna is also piecing together past secrets to obtain justice for the murdered woman.
The story is easy to follow, atmospheric utopia, and Nonna is a character I instantly connected with. I just knew she could help uncover all the secrets, lies and evil resulting in the loss of life. I can hardly wait to see what she does and who she’ll help next!
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace” by Lorenzo Carcaterra, publisher Penguin Random House, Ballantine, Bantam Books. Publication date May 1, 2023. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Nonna Maria stole my heart in Lorenzo Carcaterra's Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride, and after reading the latest installment in this new series, I'm even more enamored with her than I was before.

In Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Necklace, we are able to reconnect with some of our favorite characters, from tough guy turned sweetheart Il Presidente to Nonna's beloved doctor - and nephew- to the police captain who relies on Nonna Maria's insight to solve the most difficult cases. We also meet some new scoundrels: there is a conniving hotel guest who accuses Nonna Maria's goddaughter of stealing her expensive necklace and her had-it-up-to-here accomplice. There is also the matter of the unknown woman who is found murdered on the side of the road, and Nonna Maria is determined to find out not only her identity but who caused her untimely and violent death.

I love that this story ended with the promise of another case on Nonna Maria's plate because I'm already anticipating her next adventure.

There is no better friend to have than Nonna Maria.”
You just sit yourself down, open the pages and find yourself immersed in the stories and everyday lives of her “beloved Ischia”.
She is loyal to her town, her family, her lifelong friends and neighbors, always ready to advocate for them when there is need or trouble.
An unknown woman to the village has been found dead on a roadside, a family member is involved, and Nonna Maria sets out to protect her goddaughter.
There are two colliding storylines, the past and the future, the innocent and the guilty, and side stories that bring into focus class distinction and the cultural mores of the island.
As Nona Maria says: “We have both lived long enough to know the world can be a dark place, Gennaro, even on an island as beautiful as Ischia,”
However, secrets kept always carry their story and Nona Maria knows her people: vignettes paint the lives of many of its citizens adding layers of bravery, loss, memory, endurance, truth, and always love.
Author Lorenza Carcaterra is adept at the poetic prose that portrays the island of Ischia, its history, culture and inhabitants so well.
Open a travel site to Ischia, and be captivated by its beauty. Hope for a cup of Nonna Maria’s special coffee.

Nonna Maria solves two mysteries, looks out for her family and friends; in fact, she has her finger on the pulse of her island. Somehow she manages to produce amazing food when not sleuthing and feeds a wide array of interesting characters. Wise and kindly, she works with the carabinieri to bring an insurance swindler to justice (and exonerate her goddaughter) and assists in identifying the body of woman found dead on the island.

I love this series about a 70-something widow on the island of Ischia, Italy. Although the second in the series, it’s easily read as a stand-alone. The plot is well-written, and the characters are well-formed and interesting. I wish I was as wise as Nonna Maria. The setting is beautiful. I hope Mr. Carcaterra continues writing about Nonna Maria, her extended family, and Ischia for a long time to come.

Nonna Maria, an elderly woman living on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples is always ready to help, and this time it's her god-daughter Loretta who needs assistance. Loretta works in housekeeping in a fancy hotel, and a wealthy tourist has just accused her of stealing a valuable necklace. Nonna Maria calls on her network of friends to help Loretta prove her innocence. When a body found on the island, Nonna Maria is again able to help by bringing to light old secrets that some prefer to keep hidden. I enjoyed Nonna's resolution of the problems presented, but was surprised that the last chapter contained something of a cliffhanger reference to a future book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nonna Maria, one of the matriarchs of the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, assists the captain of the local carabinieri, Paolo Murino, with two cases. They've developed mutual respect and friendship, and that trust is necessary when it comes to the case of a stolen necklace. Arianna Conte, a guest at Grand Hotel Excelsior, claims a valuable family necklace was stolen from her room. She blames a maid, but that maid is Nonna Maria's granddaughter. No one ever saw the missing necklace, and Murino and Nonna Maria doubt that it exists. Nonna Maria has a plan to expose the con, though. Nonna Maria gets involved in the investigation of the death of an unidentified woman when a scared young accountant informs her he's afraid he might have hit the body. Although, that's easily proven false, the woman's story points at the past, and the cruel separation of a mother and child. Even Nonna Maria feels as if she neglected a friend years earlier, and now must correct her own errors. The clever solutions derive from Nonna Maria's knowledge of the people of Ischia.

The streetwise Italian Miss Marple is a shrewd amateur sleuth in this second atmospheric mystery that leaves a hint of mysteries to come.