The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia - by Juliet Grames

About the Book

"Calabria, 1960. Francesca Loftfield, a twenty-seven-year-old starry-eyed American, arrives in the isolated mountain village of Santa Chionia tasked with opening a nursery school. There is no road, no doctor, no running water or electricity. And thanks to a recent flood that swept away the post office, there's no mail, either. Most troubling, though, is the human skeleton that surfaced after the flood waters receded. Who is it? And why don't the police come and investigate? When an old woman begs Francesca to help determine if the remains are those of her long-missing son, Francesca begins to ask a lot of inconvenient questions"--

Book Synopsis

One unidentified skeleton. Three missing men. A village full of secrets. The best-selling author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna brings us a sparkling--by turns funny and moving--novel about a young American woman turned amateur detective in a small village in Southern Italy ("Terrific" -Boston Globe).

Calabria, 1960. Francesca Loftfield, a twenty-seven-year-old, starry-eyed American, arrives in the isolated mountain village of Santa Chionia tasked with opening a nursery school. There is no road, no doctor, no running water or electricity. And thanks to a recent flood that swept away the post office, there's no mail, either.

Most troubling, though, is the human skeleton that surfaced after the flood waters receded. Who is it? And why don't the police come and investigate? When the local priest's housekeeper begs Francesca to help determine if the remains are those of her long-missing son, Francesca begins to ask a lot of inconvenient questions. As an outsider, she might be the only person who can uncover the truth. Or she might be getting in over her head. As she attempts to juggle a nosy landlady, a suspiciously dashing shepherd, and a network of local families bound together by a code of silence, Francesca finds herself forced to choose between the charitable mission that brought her to Santa Chionia, and her future happiness, between truth and survival.

Set in the wild heart of Calabria, a land of sheer cliff faces, ancient tradition, dazzling sunlight--and one of the world's most ruthless criminal syndicates--The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia is a suspenseful puzzle mystery, a captivating romance, and an affecting portrait of a young woman in search of a meaningful life.

Review Quotes

"Atmospheric. . . . Grames writes with a keen eye and a gift for earthy simile." --Wall Street Journal

"Grames structures this deeply compelling, well-crafted mystery in a Golden Age style reminiscent of classics by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Yet the literary heart of this brilliant novel, its probing meditations on class, power, and the inevitability of crime, is rendered with the same nuance and intensity as Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan quartet." --Boston Globe

"An ideal setting for a mystery. . . . Juliet Grames knows what she's doing--she has not only crafted a gripping mystery amid an alluring atmosphere; she also writes with masterful prose. . . . An undercurrent of violence seethes beneath the surface, palpable under every gesture. . . . Grames consistently delights readers." --Randy Rosenthal, Los Angeles Review of Books

"Captivating. . . . The novel feints at being a thriller, but it is more consistently the coming-of-age story of a nosy, idealistic and arrogant young woman. . . . Her story has plenty to teach about the potential pitfalls of good intentions and the fictional Santa Chionia is an enchanting destination." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Beautiful and completely engaging." --Sara Paretsky, bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series

"I enjoyed this immersive novel of family secrets in an isolated community in Italy. Shades of Ferrante." --Ian Rankin, via Twitter

"Grames has created a village teeming with life. . . . There are lovely moments of human connection, humor and a romance. . . . Grames's expertise, eye for detail and verisimilitude shine on every page." --BookPage

"Enthralling. . . . Sophisticated. . . . Grames's skill at building solid characters shines in The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia." --South Florida Sun Sentinel

"As a mystery, Grames's novel is as gripping as they come; it's also a deeply satisfying character study of an outsider learning more about a place than she'd bargained for." --Publishers Weekly (Best of Summer, Staff Pick)

"A beautiful novel, filled with riches, not the least of which are its evocative setting in the Calabrian hills, and its cast of vivid characters, large and small, who will stay with you long after you've turned the final page." --Dan Fesperman, author of Winter Work

"A compassionate, compelling novel of a young woman looking to do good in the world and find purpose in her life." --Book Riot

"Rich in both geographical detail and vibrant personalities... At heart, this novel is a feminine epic about an intelligent, altruistic woman who is searching for her personal identity and her purpose in society. It is well worth reading." --Historical Novel Review

"[Grames] has spun out an immersive literary mystery that seizes assured control of the reader's five senses. It's that evocative--and also funny as hell . . . An adventure well worth taking." --The Day

"A beautifully written novel, filled with lavish descriptions. . . . Juliet Grames has created a wonderful world. She explores the community, its setting amidst the rugged Aspromonte massif, its history as the brigand capital of Italy, and its marvelously and wonderfully drawn characters. . . . Grames also has a sly sense of humor. . . . I really loved this book." --Deadly Pleasures

"A suspenseful tale. . . . will please readers who enjoy stories with a strong sense of place." --Booklist

"Grames shines in this intriguing story of buried secrets in an isolated Southern Italian village . . . She excels at rendering the experiences of living as a stranger in a close-knit community . . . and she manages to keep the reader guessing as to the truth about who was murdered and why. This is a superior literary mystery." --Publishers Weekly (starred)

"An elaborate puzzle of mystery, crime, and romance that will resonate with readers." --Library Journal

"This is really good--as storytelling it's absolutely top shelf and as world building it's miraculous. . . . This is also a romance--in fact I'd say that is the book's chief identity, albeit discreetly. A genuinely enjoyable read." --John Darnielle, author of Devil House

"Spellbinding and smartly crafted. . . . A complex, page-turning mystery that begs for a second reading. . . . In the book's last pages, Grames cleverly turns the mystery on its head, leaving us with one final mystery to puzzle out. It's not just for the sake of being clever--this final mystery forces us to consider whose stories we pay attention to, whose stories are deemed important--but it is also great fun that rewards a careful and curious reader." --Karissa Chen, Brooklyn Rail

"For understanding the menace that lurks in a small village, Juliet Grames has penned a tale that would have Miss Marple bowing her head in mournful silence." --Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor

"A chilling and substantial mystery . . . An enjoyable read with the right amount of suspense." --Isabella Marchiolo, Reggio Today (Italy)

"A wonderful book. A rich puzzle that hits all the right notes of the Italian and American paradoxes of personality and what it means to be in communion with your neighbors and fellow citizens." --Dominic Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

About the Author

JULIET GRAMES is the best-selling author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in Real Simple, Parade, and The Boston Globe, and she is the recipient of an Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America. She is editorial director at Soho Press in New York.