The Witless Protection Program - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM by Maria DiRico
The Fifth Catering Hall Mystery

 

Mia Carina is a smart, capable, independent woman. That being said, she really wants to marry Shane who seems to be taking his sweet time in proposing after an amazing declaration of love. Her dream coming true turns into a nightmare when a ghost from the past reappears, very much alive. When he winds up dead everyone becomes a suspect. Will Mia be able to discover who killed the stronzo so that she can finally live happily ever after?

The book had me laughing, gasping, and agape at the antics of Mia, her friends, family, and Family. "Bigger." The essence of this mafia adjacent cast of characters is captured brilliantly, from Mia's #HOTCON brother who's in prison more often than not and her spitfire Nonna who loves to feed everyone to her aging godfather who happens to be a Godfather, and the rest of the Family. What's also real is the love, and not just between Mia and Shane. The Catering Hall Mysteries are comforting, a warm hug, and the knowledge that no matter what goes wrong, you have people who will back you until things are right again!

I absolutely adore the Catering Hall series and THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM makes a fantastic series finale. Throughout the book there were several small references to things that occurred in previous books in the series. I love that little footnotes were included noting which book the incident took place, in case you want to read more-and believe me, if you haven't read them you should!

Join Mia and the Family as she desperately tries to walk down the aisle in THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM, a murder mystery that will have you laughing out loud and craving a scrumptious Italian meal.

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The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico

About The Witless Protection Program

The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 5th in Series
Setting - New York
Kensington Cozies (March 26, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback: ‎ 304 pages

Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family’s Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough’s premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier—except her boyfriend proposing. There’s just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way . . .

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . .

While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family. Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .

Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .

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 a 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 –  

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –Bookshop.org – Kensington –

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Four Parties and a Funeral - A Review & Giveaway

Review

FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL by Maria DiRico
The Fourth Catering Hall Mystery

 

Reality TV has come to Belle View! The production company for The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard have arrived filming the pilot they hope to sell to the networks. Now Belle View Catering Hall is filled with wannabe reality stars, including some Family members looking to become TV celebrities. When the production company's smarmy  CEO winds up dead Little D becomes the prime suspect, after all he is the son of a real Don and is romantically involved with the victim's ex-wife. Mia Carina will have to prove his innocence while corralling the dons and donettes as the film crew tries to create more drama. At least she can count on Shane for support. Or can she?

 

Oh, the lure of fame and stardom achieved without any real effort... or talent. While Mia is immune, she sees a solid money making opportunity for Belle View and takes advantage. Little D and many others, however, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, look to promote themselves, whatever the cost. Reality television brings out the worst behavior in people-and so it is in the fourth Catering Hall Mystery. We see behavior that can be hilariously funny, jaw dropping, and murder motive making. The mystery is ingeniously woven through the scenes along with major character development.

 

While there are lots of laughs, there are also serious moments when a critical problem to Mia and Shane's future arises as well as health concerns for Mia's dad. This balance of laugh out loud moments (I can picture those bargain bin colors on Elisabetta's new knitwear) and sobering issues (and I'm not talking about the day after the bachelorette party kind of sobering) makes FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL so great.

Belle View Catering Hall takes on reality TV in FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL with plenty of drama, laughs, and love. It will tug at your heartstrings while you simultaneously hold your stomach from laughing too hard.

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 Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico

About Four Parties and a Funeral

Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - New York
Kensington Cozies (March 28, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback: ‎ 304 pages

In this fresh and witty cozy mystery series set amid an extended Italian-American family in Astoria, Queens, catering hall owner and amateur sleuth Mia Carina must solve a murder on the set of a reality show.

The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .

Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . .

Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .

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.

Author Links – Website – Chicks on the Case – Facebook – Twitter –

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound - Kensington -

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico. This book is the fourth in the Catering Hall Mystery series and will be released March 28, 2023.

Reality TV has come to Belle View! The production company for The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard have arrived filming the pilot they hope to sell to the networks. Now Belle View Catering Hall is filled with wannabe reality stars, including some Family members looking to become TV celebrities. When the production company's smarmy  CEO winds up dead Little D becomes the prime suspect, after all he is the son of a real Don and is romantically involved with the victim's ex-wife. Mia Carina will have to prove his innocence while corralling the dons and donettes as the film crew tries to create more drama. At least she can count on Shane for support. Or can she?

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

I'm not sure how today is the last day of 2021. What a year it's been! There have been lots of lows, COVID, anyone, but lots of highs too. I asked some favorite cozy authors what the best thing about 2021 was, any New Year's Eve plans (I'll be in lounge wear relaxing with my cats, in bed well before midnight), and resolutions and goals for 2022. Here's what they said.

From Meg Macy

Kathy: The best thing that happened in 2021...

My granddaughter's birth

Kathy: What are you most looking forward to in 2022?

More reading! Hoping we can go to Hawaii for our anniversary

Kathy: Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? 

Buying lighter dinnerware! Our Pfaltzgraff is getting too heavy

Kathy: Any New Year's Plans?

Playing games, usually, a wine cooler, snacks. I'd prefer being in bed before midnight, but the hub is a night owl. 

Meg Macy
National Bestselling Author of the ShamelesslyAdorable Teddy Bear Cozy Mysteries
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Also writing historical mysteries as
D.E. Ireland Meg Mims
~ Witty Mystery, Vivid History ~

 

From Kathleen Kalb/Nikki Knight

New Year’s Resolution:

Do better at accepting that there are things I can’t control – pandemic, family health issues, rejections – and focus on doing my best with the things I can control.

New Year’s Plans:

My favorite family – and Work Family – holiday is New Year’s Day. I work weekends and holidays so I can be a stay-at-home mom during the week. On New Year’s, I pull one last holiday fill-in shift with the same people I’ve been with for almost 20 years, then come home and have a wonderful dinner with my family. Everyone is relaxed and happy and it’s easily the best day of the season both at work and home!

Kathleen Marple Kalb
Author of the Ella Shane Mysteries: A FATAL FIRST NIGHT out now, A FATAL OVERTURE, 3/29/2022, Kensington Books
As Nikki Knight: Author of LIVE, LOCAL AND DEAD, A Vermont Radio Mystery, 2/8/2022, Crooked Lane Books
"Bad Apples" Honorable Mention, Black Orchid Novella Award 2021
https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/ 

 

From Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico

Best thing that happened in 2021?

Pogo, our beloved chihuahua mix rescue, survived a serious injury. He’s 15, so that’s saying something. Also, I was invited to be the 2023 Toastmaster at Left Coast Crime! I’m so excited about this.

Kathy: What are you most looking forward to in 2022?

Professionally, the launch of BAYOU BOOK THIEF, the first book in my Vintage Cookbook Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. Personally, our daughter’s graduation from Loyola University in New Orleans. Although that’s bittersweet. I’ll miss her college days.

Kathy: Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? 

Lose. WEIGHT!

Kathy: Any New Year's Plans?

Good luck getting me out of my jammies on New Year’s Eve! We celebrate twice, once at 9 p.m. PST, when it’s midnight in my hometown of New York. Then at midnight – if we’re still up! 

https://www.ellenbyron.com/

From Nancy Cole Silverman

Kathy: Do you have any New Year's Resolutions?

More walking, less worry and the start of a new series. Book One, THE NAVIGATOR’S DAUGHTER, drop June 7, 2021.

Kathy: Any New Year's Plans?

We’re not big New Year’s Celebrators. We’ll go to dinner early, come home and toast the New Year in quietly. 

 https://www.nancycolesilverman.com/

 

From Tina Kashian

Kathy: What are you most looking forward to in 2022?

 

As a mother, my oldest daughter graduates high school. It will be a sad and happy time. I will most likely be the mom sobbing in the bleachers. As a writer, I'm looking forward to the release of "Murder in the Mountains," an anthology with nine mystery authors. My story, "A Killer Pocono Hike," features my Kebab Kitchen amateur sleuths. Lucy Berberian and Katie Watson take a girlfriend trip to the mountains, but murder follows them. 

 

 Here is a link to the book for a special pre-order price of $0.99. https://amzn.to/3D41QHk

Kathy: Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? 

Exercise more!

Kathy: Any New Year's Plans? 

We used to go to big parties. Now we get together with close friends for food and wine.

 

From Victoria Hamilton

Best thing that happened in 2021? 

I had two well received books out in 2021, (DOUBLE OR MUFFIN, Merry Muffin Mysteries #7 & A CALCULATED WHISK, Vintage Kitchen Mysteries #10) and I feel so fortunate to be able to do that. That’s pretty special.

But… on a personal note, I started and stuck to an exercise routine, something I’ve never been able to do for longer than a few weeks. I was shaken to the core by the death of a close friend and neighbour in late 2020. He was someone I went to high school with, and one year younger than I am. It shook something loose inside of me; I want to have a long an active life. So I started and stuck to a ‘diet’ and exercise plan (ongoing), lost a little weight, but better, started to feel that exercise is now a part of my life. I’ve become a planking zealot.

Kathy: What are you most looking forward to in 2022

Professionally, I am going to tackle the BIG ONE, the passion project that haunts me day and night, a proposal for a mystery series unlike anything I’ve ever written. I don’t know yet if it will be any good, but I’m going to work on it, then put it out there. 

Kathy: Do you have any New Year's Resolutions?

Kinda/sorta. Christmas of 2020 a friend gave me a 2021 weekly planner. The cover said ‘Make yourself a priority’. Revolutionary thought!

So… on January 4th, 2021 I started exercising and kept it up all damn year, recording what I did almost every day. It has brought some weight loss and better health, but it is also something I am doing just for me, and there aren’t many things I do just for me. I resolve to continue to make me a priority, my health and well being. I resolve to keep working on me, how I can be and do better. I resolve to find a serene place in my mind where I can find peace. Bring on 2022.

Kathy: Any New Year's Plans?

2020/2021 was a couple of crappy years, although I will say 2021, while not great, has been consequential for me. I’ve made some changes. Midnight, New Year’s Eve I’ll be in front of the tube eating Chinese food with the two cats, and watching the two Andys on CNN. I’ll make it to midnight, shout hurrah, and yell “get out of here you stinking lousy 2021”, and hello to a hopeful new year.

2022 has to be better, right? That’s all I’m asking for, is better.

http://www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com/

 

From Jenny Kales

Celebrating the New Year with a Recipe from Callie’s Kitchen

When I started envisioning The Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries, one of the things I was most looking forward to was the food. True, this is a cozy mystery series, requiring my amateur sleuth, Calliope “Callie” Costas to find a killer amidst cooking assignments, but she is also a Greek American and a Midwesterner. The food traditions are plentiful, and they say a lot about who Callie is as a person. Yes, she is warm, nurturing and kind, but also ready to think on the fly and use kitchen equipment that just might help her in the face of a killer!

Of course, holiday foods play a role in my series. The following recipe for kreatopita, a special Greek New Year’s “pita” or pie, appears in my Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries Cookbook. Kreatopita is hearty and homey, true comfort food, and especially welcome at this time of year. What makes it special is that a coin is placed in the pie and whoever finds it has good luck for the New Year. This pie is traditionally served on New Year’s Day, and it has many derivations – you can use ground pork, beef, or lamb. I’ve included my family recipe for you below. It’s a delicious tradition that you don’t have to be Greek to enjoy! 

 New Year’s Kreatopita

Ingredients:

4 cups finely cut leeks

½ lb. unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 lbs.’ ground beef or lamb

6 eggs

1 -2 tsp. dried oregano, ¼ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp dried basil OR 2 tsp. Greek seasoning blend, if you have it

½ cup grated kasseri (hard Greek cheese – available at many well-stocked supermarkets or gourmet grocery shops) or Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

½ lb. phyllo sheets (pastry sheets), thawed if frozen

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready a large baking pan and a sterilized coin. Or, you can wrap your coin in a small amount of aluminum foil. This is also a good way to make the coin stand out so that the diners can see it so that they don’t accidentally eat it.

Sauté the leeks in a small amount of the melted butter until wilted and golden. Set aside to cool. In a large, wide frying pan, sauté meat in olive oil until browned. Set this aside to cool. When both meat and leeks have cooled, stir in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly mixed. Add cheese and mix gently. Add seasonings, plus salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly.

On the bottom of a large baking pan, layer 8 phyllo sheets, one at a time, spreading melted butter generously over each sheet, all the way to the corners. A pastry brush works best. Place your sterilized coin on top of the last baking sheet. Work quickly so that the phyllo doesn’t dry out and cover it up with plastic wrap while you do the next step.

Spread filling evenly over phyllo, then cover the top with 8 more phyllo sheets, spreading melted butter on each sheet, one at a time. With a sharp knife, score into even squares before putting into oven (this makes it easier to cut after baking). If any of the phyllo overhangs your baking pan, carefully trim with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the phyllo looks golden brown.

Note: Warn your guests that there is a coin in this pie, and of course, supervise any young diners so that there are no unhappy surprises. We only want good luck! Chronia Polla! That’s Greek for Happy New Year!

To learn more about my books, visit my Amazon author page: and follow me on Facebook at Jenny Kales Author.

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So, mystery fans, what are you looking forward to in 2022?

Holiday Musings with Cozy Authors

I love the holiday season, from the wintry weather, seeing houses illuminated with Christmas lights, watching holiday movies and specials, eating Christmas cookies, sending out Christmas cards and giving gifts. People seem a bit more kind and amidst all the bustling, one can still find peace. We all have our Christmas traditions, some changed by loss, some by this pandemic, but we still have them. On this Christmas Eve I thought I would share some holidays thoughts and traditions from some great cozy authors.

Tradition!

I find it fascinating to hear about everyone’s holiday traditions. Here’s what our authors said.

Victoria Hamilton

I suppose the only tried and true holiday tradition I have is to put out some ornaments that have been around for a long time, almost forty years. Every year, it signals that Christmas is here just to take them out, smell the scented wax Avon figurine of a courting couple kissing under the mistletoe, and examine the hand beaded ornaments made so long ago. It is then Christmas.

 

 

 

Kathleen Kalb

We celebrate Hanukkah, and it’s usually a very quiet family thing. We light candles and eat dinner together, and the gifts are mostly small, except for a big one on the last night. But we have a lot of fun with those small gifts – plenty of inside jokes and little traditions. My husband’s grandmother always bought him underwear (we’re not sure why) so now I give him and our son a package of t-shirts or briefs one night, so we can enjoy the echo…and a good laugh!

 

Tina Kashian

We get up early on Christmas morning and open presents with our two teen girls. Then we travel to the Poconos to visit my in-laws and for the girls to spend treasured time with their grandparents.

 

Meg Macy

A favorite holiday tradition -- making my mom's Spritz cookies in tree shapes, going out to see Christmas lights.

 

Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico

A favorite holiday tradition – I just observed it! I have a small crew of neighborhood mom friends I power-walk with. We got to know each other when our kids were in elementary school together. (Now they’re all in college) One night in the weeks prior to Christmas, four of us get together and drive around the local neighborhoods to see the outdoor decorations at people’s homes. We add new locations to our list every year. We finish with drinks and snacks at a local restaurant and toast the holidays and our friendships. 

 

 

 

Daryl Wood Gerber

Making my grandmother's sugar cookies.

 

Ginger Bolton

Stockings!

On Christmas Eve we put oranges in the toe, and then everyone contributes to filling the stockings. On Christmas morning, we open our stockings at the breakfast table. Chocolates often up being part of breakfast. . . .

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Gifts! 

I asked our authors what was the best present they ever received…and the best present they ever gave.

What was the best present you ever received?


As a child? A Kiddle ring. Don’t know what a Kiddle ring is? (It WAS a long time ago!) It was a ring with a jewel shaped dome that enclosed a tiny doll you could take out and play with. I was just about ten – maybe too old for dolls? – but I loved that little Kiddle ring!

 

Tina

This one is easy for me to answer. My oldest daughter was born in December. My father pre-paid for a cleaning service for six months. As a new mother dealing with a five-pound preemie, it was a wonderful!

Maureen Klovers

Best Christmas present: Our dog, Nigel! We adopted him on December 23rd and, because he couldn't be alone more than an hour or two, had to bring him to my mother-in-law's for a family dinner on Christmas Eve! She had a strict "no dogs" rule, but since she essentially had to choose between us and a dog, or none of us, she allowed Nigel to come, as long as he stayed in his crate. He was so scared he didn't make a sound. We thought we had a quiet dog...but within a couple of weeks realized that wasn't the case. Nigel definitely found his bark! And now my mother-in-law actually refers to him as her "grand-dog"! :)

Best Christmas gift ever received -- a weekend on Mackinac Island with my husband and daughter, from my daughter!

Best Christmas gift ever given -- my daughter, who was born the day after!

Terrie Moran

What is the ABSOLUTE BEST Christmas gift I ever received or gave?  That's easy! Both answers are the same---an eyelash curler. When I was 16, one magically appeared in my Christmas stocking. I went to an all girl Catholic school and make-up was absolutely forbidden BUT, being a bit of a rebel, I got great satisfaction curling my eyelashes each morning before school. I felt pretty, it did not involve makeup, and the Dean of Discipline was none the wiser. Fast forward dozens of years and my fifteen year old granddaughter had a request for mascara on her Christmas list. Being the perfect Grandma, I bundled mascara, makeup remover, and ~Ta Da~ an eyelash curler, along with the caveat: "ALWAYS CURL BEFORE PUTTING ON MASCARA. Otherwise you will rip your eyelashes right out of your eyes. That's why makeup remover is so important." After she opened her package, the granddaughter, in Covid quarantine, texted back: "UR QUEEN!" My fondest hope is that many years from now she will buy an eyelash curler for a teenage girl and think of me when she does so.  

 

Ellen

Best Christmas gift ever received – Last year, my daughter really went out of her way to find something right on point for me. She knows I love to needlepoint, so she bought me a canvas of the St. Charles streetcar. I absolutely loved it and stitched up last year. It now sits on our hall table.

Best Christmas gift ever given – College! (Kidding. Kind of.)

 

 

 

 

Nancy Cole Silverman

Best Christmas gift ever received...the Christmas my aunt accidentally addressed all the Christmas packages to me!  I had so much to open. 

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I hope you enjoyed this holiday edition. Stay tuned as these ladies will share favorite holiday recipes on Boxing Day! In the meantime, I’d love it if you shared your holiday traditions as well as memories of presents past in the comments below!

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.

Author Links: 

Website

Chicks on the Case

Facebook

Twitter

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

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Long Island Iced Tina - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Maria DiRico back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You may know Maria as Ellen Byron, but as Maria she writes the Catering Hall Mystery series. LONG ISLAND ICED TINA is the second book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In LONG ISLAND ICED TINA Mia Carina has to deal with baby showers. Personally, I can't stand baby showers, what about you? Have you ever had to host one or have you solely been a guest?

MD: I co-hosted my TV writing partner’s shower in the late 1990s. It was so much work. Having never thrown a shower before, we spent way too much time on activities, to the point where people started bugging us about moving on to opening the presents. Never again!

Kathy: While I hope you've never found a body at a shower, have you had any other bad experiences at one?

MD: The stepmother-in-law at a shower was a total witch who showed up late because she got flummoxed driving from Beverly Hills to the San Fernando Valley. She reamed the hostesses. I give them props for not keying her Mercedes.

Kathy: A long-missing and valuable stolen painting is something else Mia has to deal with. I'm always amazed at various art thefts and wonder if certain pieces will ever be recovered, like Edvard Much's The Scream. Do you enjoy art? Do you have favorite paintings?

MD: I love art! A wide range of it. One of my favorite exhibits was a Guggenheim Museum show of Ross Bleckner’s work. I was inspired to write the one short story I’ve written since high school by a woman’s haunting self-portrait at The New Orleans Historical Collection. I became fascinated by California plein air artists and bought paintings in that style at various flea markets out here in the Los Angeles area. I used to go auctions for them just to breathe in the same air. I do have a lithograph I bought at one when I was a bit – okay, a lot – drunk.

Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

MD: The inspiration for the entire series is my Italian family’s grandiose celebrations at the Queens catering halls that cousins by marriage ran. I married that to an interest in art theft and threw in my dream of one day owning a rainbow tennis bracelet where sapphires or topazes (which are cheaper), stones that come in different colors, are aligned to create a semblance of a rainbow. The subplot is based on a true story my mother told me that she swears she doesn’t remember.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Mia?

MD: Next up is a Christmas-themed adventure for her – IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER. A family secret is revealed that almost destroys the Boldano Family, Mia gets an unexpected visit from her errant mother, and the Elizabeth’s senior crew competes with a geriatric group of mean girls for the best holiday decorations.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

MD: I’m a plotter but I create what I call a “fluid outline,” because it grows and morphs as I write. But I find the overall structure and beats generally remain the same.


Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

MD: I really like creating my monthly newsletter (which you can sign up for, shameless plug, at ellenbyron.com). And for every release, I create a month of graphics that I call the Shameless Shilling Campaign. But I get worn out sharing it with all the different Facebook cozy groups. Which is on me, of course. No one’s making me do it. But I get OCD about skipping one of the groups.


Kathy: You write the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico while the Cajun Country Mystery series as Ellen Byron. Why the different names?

MD: Because Kensington asked me to take pen name. And Maria DiRico is the maiden name of my late nonna.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

MD: I mentioned IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER, which launches in November 2021. On August 10th, my 7th Cajun Country Mystery will launch – CAJUN KISS OF DEATH. And in 2022, I’ll debut a new series with Berkley Prime Crime, The Vintage Cookbook Mysteries.

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Review

 

LONG ISLAND ICED TINA by Maria DiRico
The Second Catering Hall Mystery

Mia Carina is thrilled when her friend, Nicole, decides to host her baby shower at Belle View. However, there's family drama in the form of Tina, the step mom...or step monster according to Nicole's grandmother. Tina tries to outshine everyone, but when an infamous stolen painting is unwrapped at the shower no one is more shocked than Tina. The next day Mia finds a body floating in the marina behind Belle View. A body with a very recognizable bracelet. Mia will use her own street smarts along with Family connections to look into the murder. But will Mia be able to prove Nicole's family innocent before the baby arrives?

Like its predecessor, the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery series had me laughing out loud. The antics of Mia's nonna, in particular, still have me chuckling. From getting shoes to a dead man to Mia learning to drive to her new employee who is either incredibly inept or a plant from another crime family, LONG ISLAND ICED TINA had me smiling and laughing.

There's more to LONG ISLAND ICED TINA than just comedy. There are heartfelt moments and realizations about family, and relationships, and purpose in life. There's also a finely crafted mystery that kept me puzzling through the clues along with Mia.

LONG ISLAND ICED TINA is a thoroughly enjoyable laugh out loud mystery that kept me engaged from start to finish. I eagerly await the next installment not only to check in on Mia, but see what her nonna gets up to and see what develops with Mia's newest employee.

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 Long Island Iced Tina (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico

About Long Island Iced Tina

Long Island Iced Tina (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (February 23, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages

Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens—in charge of the family catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events—like murder—are not the kind you can schedule . . .

Mia’s newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View—but Nicole also has to attend one that her competitive (and mysteriously rich) stepmother, Tina, is throwing at the fanciest place in Queens. It’s a good chance for Mia to snoop on a competitor, especially since doing a search for “how to run a catering hall” can get you only so far.

Mia tags along at the lavish party, but the ambience suffers at Nicole’s Belle View shower when a fight breaks out—and then, oddly, a long-missing and valuable stolen painting is unwrapped by the mom-to-be. Tina is clearly shocked to see it. But not as shocked as Mia is when, soon afterward, she spots the lifeless body of a party guest floating in the marina . . .

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.

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

Chicks on the Case - http://chicksonthecase.net/  

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

 Twitter – https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla  

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

 

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