This is 2nd in series and my first to read, but it was somewhat easy to follow.

Nonna Maria is an octogenarian living on her beloved island of Ischia near Naples. She is a local legend, a friend to all and helps solve the occasional crime.

There are actually two crimes/mysteries here. Her goddaughter, a hotel maid, is accused of stealing a guest’s valuable necklace, and a native woman returns to the island decades later following a scandal and ends up murdered.

I liked this one to a point, but did have some frustration with it. Nonna Maria is almost too perfect and appears to solve cases effortlessly with the help of her legions of friends and family. I felt she needed a little more “sauciness” to make things more interesting/humorous. And how she has time to cook elaborate 4-course meals most every day for others (since I don’t think she eats much at all…I’m serious) is a mystery in itself. While I enjoyed the island descriptions and the close camaraderie of its natives, it was a bit hard to keep the names of her friends/family straight, and as far as the mysteries, nothing earth shattering there. The writing felt too simplistic, and the exchanges between characters too formal. Unfortunately it just wasn’t that compelling to me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.