Father Roberto and the Missing Money: two heartwarming cosy mysteries

by Stefania Hartley

Two short cosy mysteries featuring a young priest in a Sicilian parish—perfect for fans of Chesterton's Father Brown and Jan Karon's Mitford series.

Quintessentially cozy, clean, and thoroughly enjoyable. — Bookbub review
A light, humorous mystery with likable main characters and a plot that kept my attention. Great setting! — Amazon review

The Holiday
When young Sicilian Catholic priest Father Roberto finds an envelope full of cash lying on the floor by the church’s nativity scene, he assumes it’s a Christmas donation for his cash-strapped parish.
But it turns out that the unexpected windfall isn’t for keeping, and it lands the inexperienced priest in a heap of trouble just at the parish’s busiest time of year—the run-up to Christmas. Only by finding the real culprits can Father Roberto rid himself of the suspicion of robbery and get back to doing the job he loves.
The Missing
In the seminary, nobody taught Father Roberto how to take a large group of children safely across a busy Palermo road. But as the young priest learns the ropes of being a children’s summer camp leader for the parish, an unexpected problem the money put aside for the children’s activities keeps disappearing.
Just as Roberto believes he’s found the culprit, he discovers that the innocent are guilty and the guilty are innocent.

Also available in paperback and large print paperback."The Missing Money" was first published in The People's Friend magazine. "The Holiday Heist" has never been published before.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2024

About the author

Stefania Hartley, best known as The Sicilian Mama, was born in Sicily and immediately started growing, but not very much.

She left her sunny island after falling head over heels in love with an Englishman, and now she lives in the UK with him and their three children.

Having finally learnt English, she’s enjoying it so much that she now writes short stories and romance novels.

Her short stories have been longlisted, commended and won prizes, and are regularly published by The People’s Friend magazine.
In July 2020 her debut romance, Sun, Stars and Limoncello, will be published by Totally Bound.

Subscribe to her newsletter to get first news of her latest releases and offers, and receive an exclusive free short story:
http://www.stefaniahartley.com/subscr...

Reviews

[Helen the Bassist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cosy and low on peril. Went a long way to filling the 'Father Frank' shaped hole in my book lists. I'll definitely read more.

[Jayne Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contains two stories: Father Roberto and the Missing Money, and The Holiday Heist. As always, these are quick entertaining tales involving personable priests, quirky parishioners and a mystery that needs to be solved.
In the first story, Father Roberto and Mrs. Grassi took 24 children to the theater only to find that their ticket money envelope was short forty-five euros. They were only admitted after Roberto promised to return the next day with the rest of the money. An envelope had been preset containing the money necessary for each day’s summer camp activity, and all of them turned out to be short. As Roberto was trying to figure out who took the money, he lept to multiple wrong conclusions. Even I was surprised by who the thief turned out to be. The end of the story tees up Roberto’s calling to teach philosophy, which we read about in Father Roberto and the Mystery of the Microscope.

The Holiday Heist
Father Roberto found an envelope full of money on the floor near the Nativity donation box. When he took the money to the bank to deposit it, he was arrested. Apparently it was stolen cash. Relieved of his duties until the investigation was concluded, Roberto decided to find the culprits himself. He garnered several suspects after watching the security footage and set off to interview them. During the investigation, Roberto got to know a few new families, enjoyed a visit from his parents, and on Boxing Day told the police who the thief was.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Swatridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosy Crime Sicilian style!
'Father Roberto and the missing money' is just one of two short cosy crimes in this book. Both this story and 'The Holiday Heist' are based around the delightful Father Roberto who is a good man and, although saintly at times, he is human.
I found both stories flowed well because of Hartley's easy style of writing and her well structured plots. There are plenty of twists along the way, most of which I wasn't expecting. I loved the gentle humour and the real taste of Sicily.
There are a host of interesting characters, all of whom add something to the story and move the plot forward.
I'm already a fan of Stefania Hartley's stories and looking forward to reading more. These cosy crimes, two for the price of one, won't disappoint.

[Marichus Real · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Holiday Heist
Father Roberto finds an envelope full of euro notes. Although it is a lot of money, he thinks it is from a donation. When he goes to the bank to make a deposit, he is accused of stealing the money. Father Roberto needs to find the real thief to clean up his name.
The Missing Money
Father Roberto takes a group of children to a summer camp. He is not used to being with children, but he unexpectedly enjoys it. When money starts missing from the activity-money envelopes, Father Roberto has to investigate once more to find out who took the money away.
Both stories are enjoyable, and they are well-written and interesting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two short heartwarming cosy crime mysteries are absolutely fantastic. Really well written and very engaging. With in the first few sentences you find yourself hooked into the cosy atmosphere of Father Roberto engaging with his church and parishioners. Then the mysteries begin and the Crimes though serious, gently unfold and have you guessing and second guessing the plot. Like a good cosy crime story there’s a good twist at the end that makes you realise that you didn’t expect that to be the ending. They are short stories and quick reads that leave you wanting more of the delightful Father Roberto

[KL Cassanello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first for me from this author - two short mysteries. Set around the church where Father Roberto is assigned, one features money that's found, and the other, money that's lost. The good Father is only human, and makes some mistakes and incorrect assumptions as he tries to solve the mysteries and get the monies back where they belong. The author has created another charming Sicilian character, and I hope to see him again. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Gawlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Roberto is charming! I enjoyed reading these cozy mysteries. Something I enjoyed was the this book was not dark and did not have a large focus on death. It is quintessentially cozy, clean, and thoroughly enjoyable. I do see similarities with Father Brown, but Father Roberto is much more light and airy. It is very much a whodunit with a sweet, conscientious, and thoughtful sleuth.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It is a short read and thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stefanie Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read other works of Father Roberto and was excited to read the first. It's a fun look at his start in the parish work and how he landed into figuring out some madcap (but with a touch of serious worry) mysteries. It's nice that all ends well and there is a good moral lesson as well.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read this author before but I will be again! Such a good set of stories. I love Father Roberto. His character is the best. Just a great fun read. I want more!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two short Father Roberto stories. In the first one he needs to clear his name when he's accused of stealing money. In the second story he investigates money gone missing from a children's holiday fund.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ladnamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of Father Roberto's mystery solving adventures and there are two very short mini mysteries in this book. They were very light reading and rather enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.