About 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder'
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 . . .
Miaโs busy with a full schedule of events at the family businessโamong 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 returnedโand her lifelong friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. Heโs so angry that he starts hanging out with Lorenzo, who claims to be his long-lost brotherโeven after it becomes clear that Lorenzoโs story is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.
Then a body turns up among the elves in a Santaโs-workshop lawn display, and amateur sleuth Mia has a buffet of suspects to choose from. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out whoโs the guilty party . . .
Italian recipes included!
EXCERPT:
โMia, bella, ciao.โ Donny greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. โAuroraโs waiting for us in the office.โ He ushered her into the foyer, then led her to his office through a series of immaculately decorated rooms that made Aurora a source of gracious inspiration for Family wives.
Mia was surprised to see that Aurora wasnโt alone in the room, whose wood-paneled walls were padded for sound retention, a necessity for a โbusinessmanโ like Donny. Stefano and Vera Boldano, Donnyโs retired brother and sister-in-law, sat next to Aurora on the roomโs large sofa, sumptuously upholstered in a tweedy brown.
The three rose to greet Mia with more cheek kisses. โItโs great to see you,โ Mia said to Stefano and Vera. โI didnโt know you were in town.โ
โVery, very briefly,โ Stefano said. โA quick stop on our way up from Florida to a Bermuda cruise.โ
โNice.โ
Everyone reseated themselves, Mia and Donny opting for wingback chairs facing the sofa. Aurora lifted a tray of delectable pastries off the coffee table and offered it to Mia. โCookie?โ
โNo, thank you. Well, maybe a mini-cannoli.โ Despite her nerves, Mia couldnโt resist the treat. She also accepted a demitasse of espresso from Donny. โSo . . .โ Mia prompted, trying to move things along. The long day was beginning to catch up with her.
โSo . . .โ Donny glanced at his wife, who responded with an infinitesimal nod. โIโll get right to it. A young man has shown up on Jamieโs doorstep claiming to be his long-lost brother.โ
โThatโs all this is about?โ Mia said, surprised. โItโs obviously a scam. And if anyone knows how to take care of a scam artist, itโs you, Donny.โ
โThe thing is . . .โ Donny hesitated. โWe canโt be sure it is a scam.โ
Donny paused again. Finally, Aurora said what he didnโt seem able to.
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.
Sounds like a good Christmas murder mystery!! Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me! So sorry about the delayed response. I got my dates mixed up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, this sounds like a fun book.
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