The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel
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.
1144264641
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel
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.
25.0 In Stock
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel

The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel

by Juliet Grames

Narrated by Lisa Flanagan, Juliet Grames

Unabridged — 15 hours, 35 minutes

The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel

The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A novel

by Juliet Grames

Narrated by Lisa Flanagan, Juliet Grames

Unabridged — 15 hours, 35 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$25.00
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $25.00

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A young American arrives in an isolated Italian village where murder and mystery abound. This historical mystery with a literary bent makes a terrific read for fans of Mercury Pictures Presents.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/01/2024

Grames (The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna) shines in this intriguing story of buried secrets in an isolated Southern Italian village. Narrator Francesca Loftfield, a 20-something American woman, arrives in the early 1960s as a charity worker. She wryly calls herself a “bluestocking with big dreams for building a better world, one needy child at a time,” and has come to Santa Chionia to establish a nursery school that would help reduce the high child mortality rates by providing nutritious meals for its pupils and educating their families about hygiene. Soon after her arrival, a flood unearths human remains from underneath the town’s post office. The skeleton was not recently buried, and most of the locals seem indifferent to the grim find. Francesca’s curiosity is stoked, though, when she’s approached by Emilia Volonta, the priest’s housekeeper, who suspects that the bones belonged to her son, Leo, who went missing after he supposedly emigrated to the U.S. as a teen, 40 years earlier. Francesca agrees to Emilia’s simple request—to determine if the town’s records include a visa for Leo. Her inquiry proves only the beginning of the matter, however. From the prologue, readers already know that Francesca will find evidence of “cold-blooded murder,” and the suspense is heightened when a second woman asks Francesca to ascertain if the remains belong instead to her missing husband. Grames excels at rendering the experiences of living as a stranger in a close-knit community, where justice is meted out extrajudicially, and she manages to keep the reader guessing as to the truth about who was murdered and why. This is a superior literary mystery. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Co. (July)

From the Publisher

"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

“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

Library Journal

06/01/2024

In her second novel (after The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna) Grames creates an elaborate puzzle of mystery, crime, and romance that will resonate with readers. Francesca Loftfield is an American working for a charity that installs nursery schools in isolated villages around the world, with the goal of lowering child mortality. She is sent to Santa Chionia in remote Calabria in 1960. After a flood destroys the local post office, a skeleton is discovered hidden beneath it, and two women ask for Francesca's assistance, each believing that the skeleton is a missing loved one. In her attempts to help, Francesca clumsily makes enemies of the entire village through various missteps and social faux pas, like prying into people's personal lives and accusing them of criminal activity. She also experiences culture shock in finding that the Chionoti do not share her American ideals and might not welcome her charitable pursuits. Grames creates a strong sense of place using local dialects and picturesque descriptions of Aspromonte traditions. Fans of Stella Fortuna will be gratified by the familiar setting and frank style of writing. VERDICT Recommended for mystery and historical fiction readers who are interested in the cultural complexities and hardships of life off the map.—Cate Triola

AUGUST 2024 - AudioFile

This historical mystery brings a strong, idealistic American woman to a small village in mountainous Calabria, Italy, in 1960. Francesca is running from marital turmoil in Rome when she comes to Santa Chionia to build a nursery school. Narrator Lisa Flanagan gives Francesca a passionate, authoritative voice as she tells her story of trying to raise up the people of a forgotten region. When a skeleton is found under the post office, several women seek her help in proving that their long-lost son, husband, or father is the victim. As Flanagan animates the eccentric townsfolk, her character voices are memorable, and her Italian is believable. Rather than unwinding, the mystery continually forms more and more knots, revealing many of the Chionian women to be victims of society. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2024-05-04
An idealistic American gets educated about Italian realities in a remote Calabrian village.

Francesca Loftfield is 27, “a bluestocking with big dreams for building a better world, one needy child at a time,” when she arrives in Santa Chionia in 1960 to open a nursery school for an international charity. She has fled a disintegrating marriage, alluding to it intermittently before she finally explains how it came apart to Cicca Casile, her grumpy landlady. Cicca warns Francesca that it’s dangerous to search for the identity of the skeleton uncovered beneath the rubble of the post office, which was destroyed in a flood that also wiped out the single bridge connecting the village to the outside world. But Francesca’s curiosity is piqued when not one but two women claim the skeleton belongs to a loved one who allegedly emigrated to America but was actually killed by “them.” As Francesca delves into the stories of Leo Romeo and Mico Scordo, she faces increasing hostility from town authorities and eventually realizes there’s a lot going on in Santa Chionia that she doesn’t understand. Complicating matters is the arrival of Ugo, a handsome village boy who is home from his job in Milan to help with his dying father and openly taken with the American visitor. The tangled plot becomes more so when Francesca decides there’s a third possible identity for that skeleton, and the final revelations would be more compelling if she were a more engaging narrator. The amount of time she spends agonizing over her not-yet-ex-husband becomes irritating, as does her cluelessness about a major character she continues to trust long after readers have seen multiple glaring clues that he’s in on all the dirty deeds. Despite some wonderfully rendered portraits of individual villagers and vivid descriptions of the Calabrian landscape, the novel never quite clicks.

Stronger on atmosphere than plot and narrative focus.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940160189918
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 07/23/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 964,734
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews