The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia

A novel

By: Juliet Grames

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Juliet Grames

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.

Very different

It takes place in Italy in 1960's.
Lots of reminders of how the world was beginning to change. A very good mystery, but it's also about friendship and love.

Stunning descriptions of the area

I loved the intrigue and the character development. The fact that the mystery wove throughout the story, only ending at the very end of the story was delightful.

Really Not My Style

I did not finish this book, even though it was chosen by my book club.
I could not bring myself to listen to any more silliness. Maybe if the author's style were a little more sophisticated, maybe then I could have continued? As it was, I'm sorry, but I found so many trite details annoying. The day I realized that I was yet again mocking (out loud, to myself!) the character's "voice"/tone was the day I realized that I should just stop.

Too long…

Although I appreciated the importance of the story & historical significance, it could have been told more concisely. It was too long & too hard to keep track of all of the characters. I wish more time was spent on the development of a few rather than the surface of so many.

Names

Not so great—poor writing and setting descriptions. Boring, Melodramatic. Writing well is difficult. Poor word flow.