Maria DiRico

Mia Carina's family is going straight -- and the mob boss who owns the banquet hall where she works is proud of what she's been able to accomplish. When she and her friend Cammie go to the wedding expo to promote their business, Mia thinks she sees a familiar face -- that of her late husband, Adam Grosso, who is supposed to have died in an accident at sea. But if he's dead, how can she trust her eyes?

The next day she attends a baseball game with her fiancé Shane and sees Adam again. But he disappears just as quickly. Now she's called a meeting with both her family and the Family to try and find Adam. But she doesn't expect it when he shows up at her home late at night. He says he won't divorce her, and she wants to marry Shane. But not enough to kill Adam. Although there are others who would happily see him dead...

Then there's the problem of the House. Her grandmother had purchased the home across the street from hers as a wedding gift for Shane and Mia. Unfortunately, it's filled with memorabilia from the person who lately lived there -- a comic artist -- and he has followers who want it declared an historical site, so now Mia has that fight on her hands as well.

Between trying to run her business, save her new home, and try to find suspects in the latest murder, life is killing her. How could things have gone so wrong so fast? And how can she set them right in time to marry the love of her life...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have loved them all. I've become attached to the characters, even the quirky ones like Cammie and her long-suffering police detective ex-husband, Pete. Mia is sharp, independent, and takes care of her family as well as running the day-to-day operations of her business. Unfortunately, she wishes she didn't have to find her husband to get a divorce. It's kind of hard to get married when you're still married to your supposedly late husband.

Where has Adam been all this time, by the way? He feeds her one story and someone else another. And when she goes looking for clues, all it does is give her more questions, along with finding out just how low a snake she really married. She wants him out of her life, but not dead. If she can only convince the higher-ups of that...

But this book is a fun ride. Probably the best in the series so far. There's a lot going on, and not all of it surrounding Adam and his whereabouts. Enough action to keep you reading -- and I read this in one night; that's how good this book is. (Now I'm tired and barely functioning, but hey--).

When we discover the killer, it really does come as a surprise. And I loved it. But that's not the end of the story. There's more to come, and it's delightful. Please keep this series going, as it's one of my favorites, and it's so much fun to read. Murders included. (Plus, great recipes in the back). Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.… (meer)

Italian-customs, amateur-sleuth, caterer, catering, family-drama, relationships, relationship-issues, relatives, borough-of-Queens, series, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, verbal-humor, small-business, The Mob, family-dynamics, former-husband, friendship, friends, lies, murder, murder-investigation, recipes, secrets, situational-humor, unputdownable, wedding-madness*****

She THINKS that she has a dead cheating husband and a good guy fiancé. But even as she is working with a client, Mia spies the not-so-dead guy in the crowd. And that's just the beginning of this madcap escapade in Queens, NY! Add in a wedding present that turns out to be a shrine to a comic book character, a visit by the not-really-in WitSec cheater, and more Italian relatives than you can shake a cannoli at, and you have an afternoon gigglefest! Laughed my sox off while trying to solve the murder mystery!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date 26 Mar 2024
#CateringHallMysteriesNo5 #CozyCrime… (meer)

This 4th installment in the author's Catering Hall series is entertaining. Lots of fun, with great characters, many of them mob-related, though our sleuth, Mia Carina, runs the catering hall business as a legit business.

The secondary characters bring a lot to the table as well.

I don't particularly care for reality TV but setting this mystery involving a production company filming a mob-based reality TV show called the “Dons of Ditmars Boulevard" made this book quite enjoyable. Loved it!!

Highly recommended!!

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)… (meer)

Belle View is an event center that is run by Mia Carina and her father Ravello - in an effort to have a legitimate business unrelated to their mob connections. In this story, The mobster Donny Baldano Sr. (mobster) wants his son Donny Jr. to work at Belle View to try to ascertain what he is best at outside of the family business. An independent film operation is creating a reality show, The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard, and suddenly Donny Jr. gets involved with a very pretty producer much to the disapproval of Donny Sr.

The characters and plot lines are totally entertaining and the mystery well presented. Fun series!… (meer)