Murder In Matera

“A thrilling detective story . . . Stapinski pursues the study of her family’s criminal genealogy with unexpected emotional results.” —Library Journal

Since childhood, Helene Stapinski heard lurid tales about her great-great-grandmother, Vita. In Southern Italy, she was a loose woman who had murdered someone. Immigrating to America with three children, she lost one along the way. Helene’s youthful obsession with Vita deepened as she grew up, eventually propelling the journalist to Italy, where, with her own children in tow, she pursued the story. Finding answers would take her ten years and numerous trips to Basilicata, a mountainous land rife with criminals, superstitions, old-world customs, and desperate poverty. Though false leads sent her down blind alleys, Helene’s dogged search, aided by a few lucky—even miraculous—breaks and some colorful local characters, led her to the truth.

There had indeed been a murder in Helene’s family, a killing that roiled 1870s Italy. But the identities of the killer and victim weren’t who she thought they were. In revisiting events that happened more than a century before, Helene came to another stunning realization—she wasn’t who she thought she was, either. Weaving Helene’s own story of discovery with the tragic tale of Vita’s life, Murder in Matera is a “tantalizing” literary whodunit (NPR) and a moving tale of self-discovery from the acclaimed author of Five-Finger Discount.

“A murder mystery, a model of investigative reporting, a celebration of the fierce bonds that hold families together through tragedies . . . a gem.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“She captures perfectly the ‘simultaneous beauty and sadness’ of Matera.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Lively . . . engrossing. In addition to solving the murder, Stapinski produces a vivid picture of the region’s hardships, past and present.” —The New Yorker