A review by lktx
Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure by Lorenzo Carcaterra

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure by Lorenzo Carcaterra is third in a mystery series following Nonna Maria, an older widow living on the island of Ischia who is set in her ways and fiercely protects her friends. In this installment, she helps an old family friend find a lost treasure along with helping her carabinieri captain friend against a hit man.

I’ll preface this by saying I haven’t read the first two yet, but I didn’t feel like I needed it. I was able to get a good introduction to the myriad characters without having done so. I also felt like I got to know the island of Ischia well as the story was deeply rooted in it and its history.

I found the writing itself to be subpar. The author spent a lot of time telling things (for example, when the carabinieri captain POV says that the carabinieri is like “our FBI.” Or Nonna Maria explains the history of the Widows to two of the group members. But once I got past that, it was a cute story and I enjoyed the characters and how the story unfolded through all their POVs.

I actually ordered the first two books before I finished, because it was a light, easy read (despite the heavy nature of what was happening) and I did enjoy it. I look forward to seeing more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC so I could give an honest review.