THE LOST BOY OF SANTA CHIONIA

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 [Published: AUGUST 2024]