It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, but PI Franki Amato has too many problems to celebrate. A proven Sicilian lemon tradition hasn’t landed her a proposal, so her nonna has amped up the meddling to get her married, and pronto. Franki’s also under pressure to solve the strange murder of a family friend’s nephew, Nick Pescatore, who was found on a Mississippi River steamboat rumored to be … haunted. When the sinister old boat sets sail on an overnight gambling cruise, Franki goes undercover with a motley crew, including a Mark Twainophile captain with a murderous past and a slimy galley chef with a mobster brother, not to mention an ex-stripper landlady with a newfound career as a memoir writer and all-too public speaker. Franki has to figure out what missing Civil War gold, a playing card, and a mysterious woman on roller skates have to do with Nick’s death. If she doesn’t, it’s anchors aweigh for Franki—down to Davy Jones’ locker.
Franki Amato Mysteries:
Limoncello Yellow (book #1)
Prosecco Pink (book #2)
Rosolio Red (holiday short story)
Amaretto Amber (book #3)
Fragolino Fuchsia (Rome short story)
Prugnolino Purple (spring short story)
Campari Crimson (book #4)
Cannellino Caramel (holiday short story)
Galliano Gold (book #5)
“Andrighetti’s dialogue is genuine yet uproarious, and her glowing characters animatedly leap off the page. Her sparkling wit keeps the hijinks brimming with merriment.”
—Long Island Book Reviews
“Traci Andrighetti’s Franki Amato Mysteries have me tickled pink! Her smart, sassy heroine, wacky cast of characters, and vividly original settings had me glued to the page. I can’t wait to read more from this author!”
—Gemma Halliday, New York Times bestselling author
“Traci’s writing is sharp and funny; the world she paints leaps off the page and makes the reader laugh out loud…. A thoroughly enjoyable voice in fiction!”
—Kristin Harmel, Internationally bestselling novelist (The Sweetness of Forgetting)
more
Set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, this is a humorous mystery with a delightful cast of quirky characters. A crazy chain of events is triggered when Franki is hired to find Luigi’s missing nephew, leading her to go undercover as a kitchen hand on the “haunted” Galliano Gold. Franki’s adventures may not be realistic but they are definitely entertaining. And I loved the touch of Italian flavor – complete with a meddling grandmother – determined to see Franki married off despite her tendency to fly in the face of old-world Italian traditions.
Love Franki Amato. This an awesome series with hilarious characters that will have you laughing out loud. You could probably read this as a stand alone, but I recommend getting them all. They are ALL great stories and you will get all the history of the characters if you start with book one. I look forward to more in this series.
Franki is hired to find Luigi’s missing nephew and once she finds him it opens up even more mysteries. She goes undercover on the Galliano , a haunted ship and is joined by Det Sullivan, momma, her mother, Glenda , Bruno and Bradley’s former assistant Ruth. They discover Ruth long lost twin Mariam who is way more aggressive than Ruth if that is possible. The ragtag army set out to solve all the crimes they’ve discovered. This was the best book yet. It had tons of action and drama. I love nonna and the fun she brings to the stories! I highly recommend this book and this series!
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery is good but it is the characters that bring the book to life and make you want more, they make it so much fun and a brilliant read. I have read everyone in this series and own them on audio too, they are that good and this book is no exception.
Franki’s Nonna’s very close friends Luigi (is there finally wedding bells in Franl’s mum future) nephew is missing and rather than have the Nonnas come looking for him Franki agrees to investigate. However this doesn’t work when Franki finds his body on a haunted steam boat, the Nonnas descend on Franki and her unsuspecting landlord ex stripper and take over. Things get worse for Franki when Luigi is kidnapped in front of her and it is a race against time to find him before the mob put and end to a family feud. Franki and a surprising team of myfits must go under cover on the steam boat and fight ghosts , mob guys, grump chiefs and cops with grudges all before the boat leaves the dock. Oh and not to mention Franki only has a couple of days to get a proposal or the lemon tradition will be broken and she will bring shame to her family, something her Nonna will not stand for as she hires Franki’s co workers to find out why she doesn’t have a ring yet. but with Bradley being arrested it looks like she might be looking for a new boyfriend and not a wedding dress.
Will definitely be getting the audio book when it come out and highly recommend you do too.
Franki and her crazy family could keep me entertained until the end of time! This adventure takes place on a river steamboat called the Galliano, and I have to admit, it made me want to book an adventure of my own. Yes, there’s murder and mayhem, but she makes it so much fun that I want in on the action. Ghosts, murderers, secret rooms, gold treasure all aboard the steamboat? You’ll have to join Franki and the gang to find out, because I swore I’d never tell and I would never want to go up against her nonna. Well-written and funny to boot. As always the narration is spot on!
NOLA, family-dynamics, friendship, situational-humor, verbal-humor, whodunit, murder-investigation, private-investigators, The Mob
I loved it! Like the others, it’s a total laugh riot and while there’s a series, it stands alone easily. There really is a mystery plot centered around a murder and it’s a good one full of twists and red herrings, but all the family and friends madness is what has me laughing out loud!
I love the way Madeline Mrozek brings the whole atmosphere as well as the characters’ emotions into the work!
Francesca Amato owns a private investigation ‘Private chicks’ office with her best friend Veronica.
In this mistery story you’ll meet strange people, like Franki nonna (an italian-like old woman, so funny and so italian! with her speaches, her italian traditions and sicilian crazy superstitions), Glenda with her pipe in hand (Franki sisty-something
landlady), and some dangerous people.
Nice story, well written, attractive, funny and mistery are well mixed, read it and enjoy!
I love Franki Amato and “Galliano Gold” is my favorite in this endearing series with a colorful cast of characters and a great mystery so well written I was completely involved in all that was happening and turning the pages as fast as possible because I had to know what was going to happen. Ms. Andrighetti knocked me out of the water (Mississippi River) with this fun mystery an I can hardly wait to find out what’s going to happen next with Franki and the gang in New Orleans. I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my unbiased review. I enjoyed it so much, I purchased a copy.
I just adore Franki and I adore her more after every book. All the usual characters are here. Nonna is still pushing her diminutive self around and has a boyfriend to boot! When the boyfriend’s nephew goes missing who gets called? Franki of course. What ensues is a madcap romp on a, possibly haunted, riverboat. With the danger and her mother’s finagling to get both Franki and Nonna married off, Franki finds herself dodging disaster from all sides. I really enjoyed this installment and look forward to the further adventures of Franki! I definitely recommend this book! I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my unbiased review.
Franki Amado will have you laughing repeatedly as her life seems to vacillate between disaster and slapstick. NOLA at Mardi Gras is wild enough; add Franki her Italian family to the mix, and things start jumping. If a riverboat, a murder, and a kidnapping join in the mix, you might encourage Bradley’s choosing bars over a ring now. Strongly recommended for laughter, mystery, and fun!
Loved this book!!! It had everything I love, Italian moms, nonnas, mobsters, nice guys, bad guys, romantics, and of course, murders. For the best time, read them in order.
Traci Andrighetti’s latest installment in the Franki Amato series is pure gold— Galliano Gold:). Andrighetti’s PI Franki & her cohorts at the Private Chicks Detective Agency have been hired for new cases that hit very close to home. Franki’s Nonna’s gentleman friend is missing a nephew, one who walks on the seedier side of things. He needs to find his nephew- or find out what happened to him— to feel right about things. And Nonna herself has hired the agency to find out why Franki is still a “zitella” despite the lemon ritual. Making sure Franki really does her part is her mother, who’s hoping to have a mother-in-law free household for the first time in decades. Oh, and “helping” her is Det Sullivan, who has his own ax to grind about Franki solving his cases! Who can remember to tell her boyfriend everything with all that going on? As always, Andrighetti’s writing & the story are wonderful, transporting the reader to New Orleans in the days leading to Mardi Gras. The twists & turns will keep you guessing, & you’ll eagerly want to know how the case resolves, while dreading the end of the book, & a Franki- free reading list. Highly recommend!
What a delightful series! Come join PI Franki Amato as she investigates crime in New Orleans. This time she tangles with the mob on an old paddle boat. As expected of this author, the writing is top-notch, the plot is tight and multi-layered, and the characters are often hilarious. I received these books free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
A recommended page turner that has you laughing through out the book. From dealing with family to a murder it is a read that keeps your attention. A recommended read.
I really enjoy this series of mysteries featuring Italain American Frankie Amato, it is a very clever mixture of traditional private investigator mystery with great humour.
I love the characters who are affectionate caricatures of the usual Italian family, such as the Nonnas (complete with deadly bible laden handbags), the overbearing mother who is desperate to get Franki married off, the aged mafia boss and his gang and of course the priest. I also really enjoyed the dialogue, which is very clever, and of course very funny.
For me though the best aspect of this book is the descriptive language which really brought the scenes to life in my mind.
The plot is very complex, and made more so by the Italian customs which pervade all aspects of the story, as they do all aspects of the characters’ lives, but suffice it to say that it has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
Overall a really fun read, great for a few hours of escapism.
I received an advance copy of the book, but have voluntarily written this honest review.
I had the honor of reading an advance copy for my honest review; and oh my goodness, I can honestly say it was my great honor to read it!! Not only was the story great, but also very funny, suspenseful, and romantic. It had all the great elements of a “must read”. For Franki, whose life has been all about twists and turns, her life takes a turn for the worst!! Her Nonna is missing for a little bit, her Mamma comes to NOLA, the Detective has it out for her (or does he??), and her beloved Bradley is out of the picture (or is he???). If you want to find out, you need to read this book. I have said before this is the best Franki Amato book, but THIS is the best one to date!!! So many plot twists, great characters….needless to say, I LOVED it!!!
Franki Amato. just days before her 31st birthday, is still waiting for the Lemon tradition to kick in and result in a proposal from boyfriend Bradley. However her Nonna has a boyfriend, and he has hired her to find out what happened to his nephew, and solve his murder. When Franki discovers a connection to a river boat named Galliano Gold and the no longer missing nephew, she gets hired on to the river boat to solve the mysteries. (Well she was hired by the steamboat to be a galley worker, but she also has a murder to solve, and later a kidnapping victim to find,,,)
Much laughing and adventures as Franki deals with the Nonnas, a murder, a kidnapping, Bradley getting jailed for a murder he didn’t commit, police detective Wesley Sullivan, of course Glinda, and may others. I loved seeing Franki go undercover on the steamboat as a kitchen worker. I can just imagine her sitting on an overturned bucket trying to clean mounds of shrimp, and having those slippery devils shoot out of her hands and fly across the galley, all the while avoiding the other kitchen help and the chef!
If you have read all the Franki books, you are going to especially love this one with great characters, hidden gold treasure, and hints of romance all around. If you have never read a book in the series, *gasp!* you need to start with the very first book asap and get ready for Galliano Gold! Such fun! Don’t miss this book!
loved all these books and characters. Being of Italian heritage just makes me laugh harder. Poor Frankie her mom and nonna are on this “voyage” Hopefully there will be more. Guys read these charming syories
I love this series! Franki Amato is a PI in New Orleans. Very colorful descriptions make you feel you are there with the characters. Her kooky Italian family is wonderful and funny! I love Franki’s Nonna! Lots of interesting and complex characters. This story has loads of twists and turns. I laughed and cried throughout this book! Sharp wit and funny hijinks will keep you looking forward to the next page! Cannot wait for the next book!
Another great Franki Amato mystery! Franki Amato is a PI in New Orleans. Her cases are never easy and this one does not disappoint. This case gets Frankie entwined with the Italian Mafia on one of the paddleboats New Orleans is known for. Franki has to take a job undercover on the boat to see who killed Nick Pescatore, nephew of Nonna’s beau. Bradley somehow gets arrested for the murder, so Franki is determined to free her boyfriend. We see many of the fun characters from previous stories, such as Detective Sullivan, Ruth, Nona, Luigis, and Glenda. As usual, Franki’s mom and Nonna are trying to get Franki married off before her 31st birthday. This time, they take it to the next level, hiring the other PIs from Franki’s firm to investigate Franki herself.
Traci incorporates so much New Orleans history and traditions into such a great story. So many twists and turns PLUS all the laugh out loud moments Franki and friends get herself in the middle of. I got curious looks from my husband while reading, as I was hysterically cracking up. Can’t wait to see where Franki’s next case takes her.