NONNA MARIA AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING BRIDE

5 stars out of 5

By some of my standard measures, this could have been a book that just didn't "grab" me (that the heroine is a meddling old lady living on an island off the coast of Naples, Italy, rang more of a warning bell than a come-and-get-it). On the other hand, I've read and absolutely loved several books by this wonderful author, so I forged ahead. And guess what? I didn't stop until I'd polished it off in a single day (well, I stayed up an extra half-hour at bedtime, but hey...)

When it came to summing it all up, though, I was at first at a loss for words. So I started by doing something I never do - reading comments by other authors (mostly because I always suspect they're nothing more than reciprocal "fluff" than real observations made after actually reading the book). That is, until I read an assessment by another favorite author - Tess Gerritsen - and the lightbulb went on. "Utterly delightful," she said. "One of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created," she continued.

"I couldn't have said it better, so I'm stealing her words," I said.

Now, on to the story in my words: The title character (and she truly is a character) is Nonna Maria, a 25-year widow in her 70s whose love of cooking for anyone who walks through her door is exceeded only by her love of helping her family, friends and neighbors when something goes wrong. She's got all the inside scoops, gossip-wise, so nothing gets past her; everyone on the island of Ischia knows where to go first when they have a problem. At the very least, they'll leave with full stomachs - everything washed down by Nonna Maria's special coffee (she personally won't drink anyone else's) or, more likely, a few glasses of wine.

As the story begins, she gets a visit by Anna, a young woman who claims to have been somehow coerced into agreeing to marry a man she really doesn't love; she suspects he may have ulterior motives. Recalling legends of similar incidents in years past, Nonna Maria has suspicions of her own - and agrees to help. First, though, she contacts her carabinieri friend Captain Murino, who has long "put up with" Nonna Maria's interferences simply because her heart is in the right place (and the fact that she's almost always right). 

Another case rears a possible ugly head when an elderly tour boat captain appears to have drunk himself into a stupor, fallen overboard and drowned. Murino is investigating and on the verge of declaring it an accident, but Nonna Maria is certain it was no accident; no matter how inebriated he was, she insists, he never, ever would have drowned. And as she shares with him her opinions as well as details of Anna's situation, it appears the good Captain just have have a good reason to investigate her fiance as well.

Their interaction is professional, but the charisma between the two is downright charming - prompting me to turn the pages as fast as I could just to get to what happens next. In between the action are enticing, intricate descriptions of the island, its rich history and not-so-wealthy people. Everything works out in the end, of course, but you'll just have to read the book to get the details. Please do - I don't think you'll be sorry. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review another book by a favorite author. Grazie di cuore!

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride by Lorenzo Carcaterra (Bantam, May 2022); 263 pp.