It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder - A Review & Giveaway

Review

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER by Maria DiRico
The Third Catering Hall Mystery 

The holidays are not so jolly for the Boldano family when a long lost "brother" shows up on the doorstep. Mia Carina tries to help, but she has family issues of her own when her mother appears in town. Add to the mix, Mia is arranging multiple over the top events at Belle View while fighting her feelings for the catering hall's newest employee. That's not to mention warring Astoria grandmothers vying to win a decorating contest and making Clark Griswold's decorations seem tame! When Mia finds a body in Santa's workshop she'll have to prove that lots of people had reason for murder, not just the Family.

I absolutely adore the Catering Hall Mystery series and this third outing may be the best one yet. Christmas brings out the best and the worst in families and we certainly see that here. The angst of finding the perfect gift, learning that money can't buy love or happiness, and plenty of family drama, but no matter the problems and fights, family and Family will always be there for you.

There are so many scenes that still have me laughing just thinking of them. There's more than humor though. In addition to the laughter, there is love. It's the love that truly shines through. People make mistakes, they get mad, but the love is there. IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER will have you laughing one minute, then will hit you with the feels. And then there's the mystery! A louse of a victim and a bevy of suspects make for a complex puzzle. Skillful writing weaves the ties between suspects and victim, exposing motives and surprising readers.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER is a laugh out loud holiday mystery that delivers Christmas spirit along with murder. Grab some struffoli and florentines, or maybe a nice dish of pasta, and settle in to enjoy this delightful and delectable tale.

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 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

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!

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.

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