Juliet Grames, The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia

“This is one to savor! Set in a remote Italian village high in the mountains it needs to be taken slowly. Meet young American Francesca Loftfield as she arrives in Santa Chionia to open a nursery school, wander with her as she slowly acclimates to her new surroundings, the culture, the people, so different from her coddled upbringing. Then a skeleton is found after a devastating storm and Francesca finds herself in the middle of puzzling out who the bones belong too. Rich in detail, culture, and history, with characters that come alive on the page, in a town that is one for the ages, this is a story akin to a fine dessert at a 5-star restaurant. Taste it, let it melt in your mind, then come back for a few more chapters. Rinse, repeat until sated.” — Pete Mock