Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Review: Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico (Blog Tour/Tour-Wide Giveaway)


Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery)
by Maria DiRico


About Here Comes the Body



Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kensington (February 25, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 page
ISBN-10: 1496725344
ISBN-13: 978-1496725349
Digital ASIN: B07R8WYLSC

After her philandering husband’s boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her Nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she’s got a whole new life—including some amateur sleuthing . . .

Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more—despite the planes that occasionally roar overhead on their way to LaGuardia and rattle the crystal chandelier. Soon she’s planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed . . .

Since some of her family’s associates are on the shady side, the NYPD wastes no time in casting suspicion on Mia’s father. Now, Mia’s going to have to use all her street smarts to keep him out of Rikers Island . . .

Italian recipes included!
My Review

Mia Carina leaves Florida after her husband goes missing. She is accused of doing something to create his disappearance. Since her father is an alleged mobster, all fingers are pointed in her direction, but without proof she is free to return to her family home in Queens, New York. Her father is managing a catering hall called Belle View and Mia is ready to help his business.

At Mia’s first event - a bachelor party - things don’t go as planned. When the big cake - complete with a stripper - is brought in, nobody jumps out. Mia looks for herself and discovers a dead woman in the cake. A woman who is connected to her father. The police immediately jump to the conclusion that Mia’s dad murdered the woman. It’s up to Mia to prove them wrong.

This story is off to a rousing start. There’s action, humor, mystery and a huge cast of quirky characters. The story moves at a fast pace. It kept me laughing and guessing until the end. I was engrossed in the plot until the wee hours of the night. I, also, enjoyed the setting as I’m a native New York and the author’s descriptions made me feel as if I was in the center of the story.

I’m so looking forward to the next book in this fun series.


For reading challenges:
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2020
Literary Escapes Reading Challenge 2020 (New York)
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2020

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.





About Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Queens and Westchester County. She is a first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side. On her father’s side, her grandfather was a low-level Jewish mobster who disappeared in 1933 under mysterious circumstances. She also writes the award-winning, bestselling Cajun Country Mystery series under the name Ellen Byron.

Website - https://www.ellenbyron.com/catering-hall-mysteries

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound

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5 comments:

  1. This looks so fun and it's definitely on my TBR! I've enjoyed her books under the Byron name.

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  2. I like this author for her other cozy series as Ellen Byron, and anything with hints of organized crime.
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(dot(com)

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  3. Sounds good. I love the cover :)

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  4. Oh, that title cracks me up! This sounds so fun.

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  5. Thank you so much! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the book and apologize to all for the delayed response. Launching a new series is a lot of work, lol!

    ReplyDelete

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