Praise for NONNA MARIA AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING BRIDE!

"Nonna Maria has lived on the Italian island of Ischia her whole life. Thanks to her wisdom and abiding sense of calm, she’s the person Ischians turn to when they need help with a problem, and Nonna Maria always finds a solution. So she’s happy to help when Anna claims she’s unwittingly become engaged to a handsome man from Naples. She fears he drugged her; otherwise, she’d never have agreed to marry a virtual stranger. Can Nonna Maria help Anna send the stranger packing? Nonna Maria agrees to investigate, but in doing so uncovers a drug-running ring and an unscrupulous couple who target wealthy women. Enlisting the help of some unlikely friends—a retired gangster, the chief of the island's Carabinieri, a priest, and a winemaker—she concocts a cunning plan to help Anna and nail the crooks. Nostalgia for Ischia's simpler way of life, nearly lost in the face of the fast-paced modern world, combines successfully with a suspenseful plot and a feisty heroine who’s as kind as she is steely.
— Emily Melton, Booklist

Lorenzo Carcaterra is a formidable wordsmith. A former newspaper and magazine reporter, he’s also been a screenwriter (his credits include Law & Order) and penned more than a dozen books of fiction and non-fiction; these include the #1 New York Times bestselling Sleepers, which sold more than a million copies and was adapted into a major motion picture. Carcaterra’s recent memoir, Three Dreamers, featured remembrances of his beloved grandmother—a fictionalized version of whom serves as the heroine of his new mystery, Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride.  Widow Nonna Maria—mother of seven, grandmother of many more—has lived her entire life on Ischia, a volcanic island off the coast of Naples. Beholden to tradition, she has remained steadfast in her loyalty to family, friends, and community—even as her homeland has been fundamentally changed by a boom in tourism. Her kitchen (and the coffee/espresso she pours there) is a place of refuge, where people young and old come to proffer questions and concerns; many of these inquiries could be directed to the local authorities (the “carabinieri”) but Nonna Maria inspires a special kind of trust that outsiders don’t.
It's in this spirit that she’s approached by Anna—a young bride-to-be who fears that she was (chemically) duped into an engagement with a man she hardly knows, let alone loves. It’s a scheme that Nonna Maria is all too familiar with, and so she ushers the girl into hiding until she can discern the truth of the matter. Meanwhile, her dear friend, Pasquale—a lifelong seaman—has been found dead in the Gulf’s waters, his demise thought to be the result of an inebriated fall from his tour boat. But Nonna Maria knows better, and suddenly finds herself involved in two cases that threaten to bring the wrong kinds of company to her door.
Whatever investigative limitations Nonna Maria faces due to age or lack of authority are largely negated by the loyalty of others, many of whom are beholden to her or simply wish to help (often in exchange for food and drink). The narrative is told in the third-person and alternates between our protagonist and more peripheral figures (including young Captain Murino, who himself is motivated to avenge his sister’s death). Not only does this serve to reveal the personalities at play and legitimize certain plot points but to highlight the rich, reverent history of people and place, which are intimately intertwined. It’s a deceptively simple approach, and one that gives the author a broad creative canvas to work with.
Lorenzo Carcaterra has done his grandmother proud with Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride, which is as charming as it is clever. The cases at hand satisfy, the secondary characters compel, and the setting pops, but it’s Nonna Maria—who takes her medication with wine (when she takes it at all) and keeps a pocket full of candy—that ensures everything is grounded in heart, humor, and hope for the future. She’s got the wit, the wisdom, and the wisecracks to become a series’ longtime leading lady. More, please—and Molto bene!
—John B. Valeri, The Strand Magazine

"An utterly delightful tale starring one of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created. NONNA MARIA is so delicious it will make you want to pack your bags and move to Italy!"
—Tess Gerritsen, NYT bestselling author of LISTEN TO ME

“Carcaterra has written a suspenseful tale, while bringing the history, traditions and colorful characters of the island of Ischia to life. The indomitable Nonna Maria shines throughout. Bravo!”
—Camilla Trinchieri, author of the Doyle/Perillo Tuscan mystery series

"The brilliant Lorenzo Carcaterra has created his own irresistible genre: the literary cozy. I fell in love with this wonderfully lyrical and completely entertaining novel, and most of all, its instantly iconic heroine. Nonna Maria is Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes combined into one wise and unforgettable character. Touching, charming, and delightful --do not miss this! "
—Hank Phillippi Ryan USA Today Bestselling Author

Praise for Lorenzo Carcaterra NOVELS

“Terrifying and heartbreaking . . . a brilliant, troubling, important book.”
—Jonathan Kellerman, on Sleepers

“Crackles with action . . . a riveting and ingenious read that will keep you turning the pages.”
—Douglas Preston, on Midnight Angels

“A powerful read . . . with plenty of action and dialogue as authentic as the streets of New York.”
—St. Petersburg Times, on Paradise City

“A brilliant, multilayered novel that breathes and bleeds on every page. This book transcends the genre of crime fiction. It is a full-blooded novel and an epic read.”
—Robert Crais, on Gangster