Stefania Mattana

I spend quite a bit of time on Twitter and receive quite a few follow requests. Just over a year ago I received a follow request from this author. I looked at her profile expecting to find the latest vampire-zombie-romance novel, but no. I was pleasantly surprised to see a young woman with a defiant look about her and a warning to be nice or you'll wind up in her next he next crime novel. I went our and bought her book. It was a collection of short stories involving a young looking detective show more Chase Williams.

Chase is a former Scotland Yard detective in exile in Tursenia, Italy. He is no longer employed in police work, but gets drafted into helping the local police inspector. Chase reminded me of a grown up Encyclopedia Brown. Chase seemed to be a polite, nice guy. I read the second collection and Chase seemed to grow as a character. He seemed lose some of the young image in the second book, but was recognizably the same person. In Pull the Trigger Chase, becomes more of an adult, or a bit more real. He gets angry and annoyed. His secret, the reason he left Scotland Yard, is becoming more of an issue.

In his first full length book, Chase is called in to help in a sports mystery. A rather timely controversy in cycling is the center of the story. After so many very short mysteries, I was wondering if Chase would make a smooth transfer into a full length crime thriller. The mystery and suspense are well done and had me guessing the whole time. In fact, as a pre-release reader, I wrote the author early on thinking I had the mystery solved, I was wrong.

Mattana is an interesting writer Born and raised in Italy and now residing in England. Her writing holds almost an accent in my American mind. The British is visible in her writing and the Italian in her style. It took until this last book for me to realize that Chase is her mirror image. We have a female, Italian, living in Britain writing about a male, Brit, living in Italy. It is nice to Chase evolve as a character and develop an edge. A very enjoyable read and mystery. Grab a cup of tea or cappuccino and enjoy. show less

Mattana throws back a little in this Chase Williams novella, back to the origins of the mystery genre and the classic “cozy mystery.” In this one, Chase Williams is sent to the medieval Italian town of Tursenia to solve a grisly murder in a high class family. Chase is an offbeat, interesting hero whose awkwardness makes the story entertaining and interesting. Mattana’s cast of characters are fun and memorable, and I recommend this book for those looking for a good clean mystery with show more all the classic elements that make the genre great. Can’t wait to read more from this author! show less

Cutting Right to the Chase: 6x1000 Word Stories of Unusual Crimes by Stefania Mattana is a refreshing crime chapbook. Mattana was born and raised in Italy and currently lives in London. She has a masters in sociology and uses it as a community planner. You can read her her other work on The Huffington Post UK and OnRugby.

One of the nice things about Twitter is the people you meet. The other day I got a message that Stefania Mattana was following me on Twitter. I looked at her profile and show more saw it was another writer so I gave her profile a quick glance through, expecting the next of many emo vampire or apocalyptic Christian novel writers. I was pleasantly surprised to see a young woman with a defiant look about her and a warning to be nice or you'll wind up in her next he next crime novel. I was sold on giving one of her books a try.

I chose the first book of the short crime stories featuring former London Police Office Chase Williams. Williams, since leaving the police, has moved to Tursenia, Italy. His time is occupied assisting Inspector Alunni in a variety of minor, but unusual, crimes. Chase, seems like a good guy, maybe a little cocky, but he does solve the mysteries others can't. I tried to place where I might know Chase from and it dawned on me. For those old enough to remember the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, Chase may well be who Encyclopedia Brown grew up to be.

The stories are good and very complete considering the word limit. At risk of dating myself again, they were very reminiscent of the Two Minute Mysteries series of books I read as a young adult. After a brief exchange with the author I found out that the books were intended for adults but some readers and reviewers have attached the Young Adult label to the books. The author is not bothered by this and welcomes the larger audience.

I enjoyed the writing style. English is a second language for Mattana, but her writing is clear and unaffected by any language barrier. In fact, I very much enjoyed the writing style. The English was excellent, but it had something extra. The author's Italian came out in more than just the setting and a passing phrase. The writing seems to hold an intriguing accent to the English language in a very positive way – Think of Sophia Loren speaking. Mattana can also turn a phrase. “...he only knew that Pollicino was married to a tall woman with a nose so sharp that you could cut glass with it... “

This was quite an enjoyable book and a very nice break in my steady diet of non-fiction. It is also nice to be able to pick up a book and know that you are able to finish the chapter even if you only have ten minutes. It is also nice in modern electronic world to find new authors on other continents and make the short trip to Amazon.com and pick up their latest book and have it delivered to your Kindle. There are a few more books in the Chase series and I am looking forward to reading them. Truly and enjoyable experience. show less

Chase does it again!

I am not a usual reader of mysteries, but I took advantage of an offer for a free book. More than that, I really enjoyed Cutting Right to the Chase, the previous book by Stefania Mattana. Mattana is an Italian born and raised writer living in Britain. Her character, Chase, is a British, born and raised former detective of Scotland Yard, now living in Italy. That little twist helps in the writing. I am not sure how she does it but you can almost hear the Italian accent in show more the Italian characters. Chase, the lone Brit, is very British. There is no mistaking that in his language. In many books it is relatively easy to forget the British characters nationality, not here, Chase probably sticks out quite a bit in the medieval city of Tursenia where he lives.

Chase is a former detective. The reason as why he is a former detective is a bit of a mystery. He hasn't even told his friend Inspector Angelo Alunni, who uses Chase as a consultant, the reason. All that Chase lets on to is his discharge, not dismissal, was because he was responsible for a big mess. Chase is now called in to help Alunni in solving the murder of Piero Galli, a wealthy resident of Tursenia. The scene looks like an accident. A chandelier fell on Galli killing him. Chase sees more, and the investigation begins.

In the previous book I compared Chase to a grown up Encyclopedia Brown. In this novel there is still some of that and maybe a bit of Columbo too. Chase is a likable character and very much a realistic one too. He is a genuine nice guy and usually only gets agitated by cigarette smoke and when his running is disturbed.

Mattana writes a good old time mystery. It is not a CSI type book or a detective who crosses the line the get his man. Into the Killer Sphere is a mystery, safe (and clean) enough for all ages and yet engaging enough for adults looking for some light reading. As I said earlier, I usually don't read mysteries but, Mattana's books are a very welcome break from my usual assortment on non-fiction reading. show less