Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Helpful Score: 2
Here Comes the Body is the debut of the A Catering Hall Mystery series set in Astoria, NY and featuring Mia Carina, the daughter of reputed mobster Ravello Carina. A disastrous marriage to adulterer, Adam Grosso has ended with a boat crash in Palm Springs with Adam's body never being recovered and fingers pointing at Mia and her "Family" as having organized his disappearance. Leaving her position in a high end leather shop, Mia returns home to Astoria moving in with her grandmother Elisabetta and taking a job assisting her father at the Belle View Manor and Catering Hall.
Ravello had been working for the Boldano family making sure that gamblers weren't walking away from their debts, but after several stints at Rikers he's determined to follow the straight and narrow and make a legitimate go at running the catering hall. Her first big night has Mia overseeing an anniversary party in the downstairs ballroom and a raucous batchelor party upstairs. Things seem to be going well until a body is found in the pop up cake, and it's not the stripper that was supposed to be jumping out. Making matters worse, the dead woman had accosted Ravello the day before demanding money for a supposed earlier date, and tucked in next to her body is a check written by Ravello for a million dollars.
Determined to prove her Dad's innocence, Mia sets out to track down the real killer and prove to Detective Pete Dianopolis, that for once her family was not connected to a murder. Teaming up with catering hall employees, her ex boyfriend and her grandmother's "Army" of elderly neighbors, Mia quickly finds herself mixed up in a prostitution ring, bullying real estate deals and attacks by a rival Mob family.
A fast paced plot and laugh out loud moments with a zany cast of characters from page one this series is sure to be a "hit". I for one can't wait to see what happens next!
Ravello had been working for the Boldano family making sure that gamblers weren't walking away from their debts, but after several stints at Rikers he's determined to follow the straight and narrow and make a legitimate go at running the catering hall. Her first big night has Mia overseeing an anniversary party in the downstairs ballroom and a raucous batchelor party upstairs. Things seem to be going well until a body is found in the pop up cake, and it's not the stripper that was supposed to be jumping out. Making matters worse, the dead woman had accosted Ravello the day before demanding money for a supposed earlier date, and tucked in next to her body is a check written by Ravello for a million dollars.
Determined to prove her Dad's innocence, Mia sets out to track down the real killer and prove to Detective Pete Dianopolis, that for once her family was not connected to a murder. Teaming up with catering hall employees, her ex boyfriend and her grandmother's "Army" of elderly neighbors, Mia quickly finds herself mixed up in a prostitution ring, bullying real estate deals and attacks by a rival Mob family.
A fast paced plot and laugh out loud moments with a zany cast of characters from page one this series is sure to be a "hit". I for one can't wait to see what happens next!
Helpful Score: 1
Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico has Mia Carina returning to Queens for a fresh start. She is thankful to no longer be under suspicion for her husband's disappearance. Mia will be working for her father as assistant manager at Belle View Catering Hall. Ravello Carina, Mia's father, is taking a stab at running a legit business which pleases Mia. Mia's first event is a bachelor party with a woman popping out of a cake. Things go sideways when they find a woman who threatened Ravello a few days earlier inside the cake with a knife sticking out of her chest. With Ravello as the police's prime suspect, Mia begins searching for the real culprit. Here Comes the Body is the exciting debut of A Catering Hall Mystery series. Mia Carina has had a rough time recently with her husband disappearing and the police accusing her of offing him (her family has a reputation). She is glad to be back in Astoria with her family. Mia can visit her brother, Posi during visiting hours at Triborough Correctional Facility where the guards know the family by name. Mia will be working at Belle View Catering Hall which a man gave up to cover his gambling debts. Ravello, Mia's father, is the manager and Mia will be handling events. Belle View is run down and needs a facelift (get rid of the 80s vibe). Mia has not been home a week when a body if found inside a cake. Someone is framing Ravello and Mia does not appreciate it. She begins questioning attendees of the bachelor party in hopes of narrowing in on the killer. The mystery had several viable suspects. I had a good time following Mia on her quest to clear her father's name. I thought Here Comes the Body contained good writing, interesting characters and humor. I laughed several times while reading. I loved Mia's grandmother, Elisabetta Carina. She is an Italian grandmother who makes mouthwatering dishes. The ladies on her block compete to have the best decorations for each holiday (and other things as well). There are a couple of side stories as well. A greedy realtor is trying to get senior citizens to sell their homes and move into an assisted living facility. 46th Place is the new hot area where people want to take the homes, gut them and modernize them. Something is going on with Evans, the sous chef, as well. Cozy mystery readers will be delighted with Here Comes the Body which is written by Ellen Byron under the pen name Maria DiRico. Here Comes the Body is a humorous & intriguing cozy mystery with a murdered moll, a vanished feathered friend, transportation troubles, frightful free furniture, a relentless reporter, and a matchmaking mobster.
