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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Here Comes the Body in Books

Feb 26, 2020  
Here Comes the Body
Here Comes the Body
Maria DiRico | 2020 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Debut You Won’t Want to Refuse
Mia Carina has returned home after her adulterous husband’s mysterious disappearance to work in the family business. Or, I should say, the family’s new business. Her father, reputed mobster Ravello, has recently acquired the Belle View catering hall in the Queens borough of New York City, and Mia is going to help him run it as a 100% real business. Her first week on the job, Mia is in charge of a bachelor party when disaster strikes. Not only does the stripper not jump out of the cake, she’s dead in the cake. With the police showing interest in the new business and especially her father, Mia begins poking around, hoping to figure out what happened. Can she do it?

The mob? New York City? Yes, this is indeed still a cozy. While those are the elements that help make up this different take on the genre, they only help provide the background. The heart of the book is still a great puzzle and charming characters. Mia already knows some of the supporting players in the book, and we can tell right away how much they love each other. The rest of the characters are entertaining, and the suspects are strong. The plot weaves in some interesting directions before we reach the logical and satisfying conclusion. We get some great humor as Mia deals with a return home that isn’t as smooth as she thought it would be. Being a culinary cozy, we get some delicious sounding recipes at the end and a fun party idea. I took advantage of a lazy Sunday afternoon to finish this book, and I enjoyed every page of it. I’m already anxious for the sequel. It would be a mistake to refuse this excellent debut.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
RY
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #1)
Vicki Delany | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
December is the height of tourist season for Rudolph, New York, a town that has built its economy around celebrating Christmas. This year, a reporter is coming to cover the annual Christmas parade, but when Merry Wilkinson finds him dead in a park that night, it looks like someone is out to kill the Christmas spirit in town.

This is a delightful first in a new series. You can feel the Christmas spirit in the shops, the carols, the characters. All of it is well executed, and I wish it were a real place so I could go visit. Unfortunately, that spirit did overwhelm the mystery a few times, especially near the beginning, but the plot did build to a logical climax.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-review-rest-ye-murdered-gentlemen.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.