I recently was recently give the opportunity to read an ARC of The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico – I snapped it up, largely because I loved the title. This book is the fifth book in the Catering Hall Mystery series.
About the Book
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!
My Review
Event planner Mia Carina isn’t prone to imagining things so she is more than a bit concerned when her “dead” husband pops up in New York at the worst possible time – when she is planning to marry Shane. When Mia enlists her closeknit family and the Family (she is Italian after all) to find her ex, things get complicated, and it is up to Mia to solve the mystery surrounding his appearance and death, for real this time. An endearing cast of characters, humorous situations, and plot twists abound as she pursues the truth making for a very enjoyable read.
FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has not affected the content of my review.
Giveaway
Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win one of three print copies of The Witless Protection Program from the the author (US and Canada only).
About the Author
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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