IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder
(A Catering Hall Mystery)
by Maria DiRico
About It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (A Catering Hall Mystery) 
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Publisher : Kensington Cozies (October 26, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496725360
ISBN-13 : 978-1496725363
Digital ASIN : B08VFBT9B2
Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the Belle View catering hall with a case of murder . . .
Mia’s busy with a full schedule of events at the family business—among them an over-the-top Nativity-themed first birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen for a teen drama queen. But her personal life is even more challenging. Her estranged mother has returned—and her lifelong friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. He’s so angry that he starts hanging out with Lorenzo, who claims to be his long-lost brother—even after it becomes clear that Lorenzo’s story is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.
Then a body turns up among the elves in a Santa’s-workshop lawn display, and amateur sleuth Mia has a buffet of suspects to choose from. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out who’s the guilty party . . .
Italian recipes included!
Christmas is a time for family (sometimes spelled with a capital F) and for competition.
Mia Carina is in charge (well, officially) of the catering and event business owned by the Boldano Family. It is one of the few legitimate enterprises they run. That doesn't make it any less stressful.
Fortunately she has employees of mixed talents helping her out.
Mia's own family also has varied talents and a varied past. Her mother moved on several years ago, her brother is currently awaiting a jail sentence to run its course, and Nonna is a story all in herself.
This time her main theme is the neighborhood holiday decoration competition with proceeds going to charity.
The family drama hits on all levels throughout the book, beginning when an imposter tries to pass himself off as a relative to Mia's friend, Jamie Boldano, who was never told he was adopted.
(Spoiler) But wait- there is a plot twist waiting to be discovered.
Then, Mia's mother shows up unannounced and very unexpectedly. What could her motive possibly be? Mia's father is happily in another relationship and Nonna is the opposite of welcoming.
There is romance in the story, but not in a sweet, sappy way one wishes for at Christmas.
And there is MURDER! But the victim has made so many poor choices and upset so many people, its impossible to narrow down the suspect pool.
The story pace is quick yet entertaining and enjoyable. The characters are well developed and relatable. You will laugh and wish you could really have friends like these.
The recipes included in the book will tempt you!
About Maria DiRico
Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is first-generation Italian-American on her mother's side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father's side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother's family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She's a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Author Links – Website – Chicks on the Case – Facebook – Twitter –
Thank you so much for a wonderful review!
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