Zara Romano sees dead people. New England’s best mortician, Zara and two of her older brothers own Romano Funeral Home in Salem, Massachusetts. Zara is a mingling of two nationalities, Irish and Italian. She’s Irish on the outside, complete with red hair, blue eyes and freckles, but she’s Italian on the inside, with a temper to match. The youngest sibling of seven and the only female, Zara loves … Zara loves her brothers but thinks they’re too bossy. Two of her brothers serve on the Salem Police Force, one is police chief and the other a detective. Zara’s two widowed nanas live next door. She can always rely on a home-cooked meal, unless her nanas are trolling funerals for new boyfriends.
Another bossy man in her life is Zara’s ex-boyfriend, Marcello Ponti. A sinfully gorgeous police detective, Marcello makes a habit of appearing on her doorstep unannounced even though they broke up two years earlier when he wanted to “date” other women. Zara refuses to be a member of the Marcello Dating Club. Good thing she has her beloved dog Smooches to keep her company. Thankfully, Smooches is with her the night she finds the mayor hanging from a tree at a local park. Definitely a homicide, the mayor’s blood was drained via two puncture wounds on his neck. When she discovers two more bodies in the same condition, Zara’s own investigative instincts kick in, and she searches for the link between the three victims.
Does Salem have a vampire in its midst or a serial killer with a fetish for fang marks? More importantly is Zara marked as the murderer’s next victim or is she merely flirting with death?
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Pat Grasso’s new line of cozy mysteries set in Salem, MA, is very promising! A female mortician is the sleuth, something entirely original. Witty dialogue, a compelling main character, her witchy best friend, lots of yummy Italian cooking, and her two adorable grandmothers (who wear complementary sweatshirts) are sure to entertain.
Zara Romano knows her way around corpses, thanks to her job at her brothers’ funeral home. When corpses start literally hanging around in her hometown, she’s determined to find out why the murderer is leaving the victims with their blood drained from them, as if they’ve been bitten by vampires. Surrounded by a glorious cast of colorful supporting characters, including her rambunctious grandmothers, her sometime boyfriend, her psychic gal pal, and a lovable, slobbering mastiff named Smooches, Zara is the perfect heroine for this tale of political intrigue, secret romances, death and mayhem–and mouth-watering Italian food.
The first book in the Zara Romano Mystery Series a well written story that had me laughing as I read. Zara Romano is an Irish/Italian with red hair she is also a very good mortician at her family’s funeral home in Salem, Massachusetts. Her ex-boyfriend is police detective, Marcello Ponti who is always seeking her out. She starts finding people hanging in trees on her morning walks, which makes her want to investigate. There is a lot of quirky people in this town and anyone could be the murderer. I enjoyed seeing her solve this crime. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a great start to a fun new series with lovable quirky and awesome characters. The interaction between Zara the mortician, her brothers in blue, a lunk of an ex-boyfriend, feisty nanas and her faithful dog named smooches is fabulous.
This story has a little bit of everything for readers of all genres. There is mystery, suspense, romance and humor. I would recommend it to any reader who enjoys this type of book. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book in this incredibly fun series.
“I received this book from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.”
I love cozy mysteries, and this is such a great story! I love that Italian/Irish blood temper – for the record red haired Irish have flaming tempers as well so my heroine has a double shot! Zara runs a mortuary with her brothers and she sees ghosts. Amazing! The story is compelling and I highly recommend this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow!! Did not expect that ending.
Zara is a kick**s mortician who is kind and sensitive, and give of her own money to help people. And she cares about the dead who she works on. She has three best friends. two nanas who are hoots, and multiple older brothers (most in the service of law in some fashion), and an ex who is a jerk who brook up with her to play the field and now seems to want her back. But she doesn’t take crap from anyone and slams the door in her exes face many times. Yah Yah Yah. Did I mentions I think he’s a jerk and too good for her. And now she is trying to solve several murders in her home town while getting involved with another potential murder, involving some politically powerful people. She will do anything for a friend and to help the deceased get justice. The serial murderer was so unexpected. This story kept me guessing throughout, and laughing at Zara and her nanas. I can’t wait for more stories about Zara and her crazy extended family. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
The Vampire Murders
Someone is killing people by draining their blood. Zara is a mortician, so she is not afraid of the dead. When she finds corpses hanging from trees on her dawn walks, she can’t help but investigate. Surely, the killer does not want to be found, so will she be next? Who exactly is the vampire killer? Will you guess? I did not.
This is the first work I read by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It had mystery, romance, and a great deal of wit. The story has two mysteries. I would have liked to know what happened with the little girl’s sad tale, but with Zara’s persistence, and the law on her side, I would like to think there was a good resolution to that story. If you like mystery with a bit of romance and a healthy dose of humor, you will enjoy this story.
I really enjoyed this book and was surprised at who the killer was. The Nana’s were so funny! I could read about them all day! And Zara’s dog Smoochie sounds so cuddly!
My only complaint, and why I only gave 4 instead of 5 stars, is that Zara represented herself as disabled with a service dog. This is just wrong on so many levels. I am disabled and have a dog training to be my service dog. It give people the wrong idea and makes it harder for people like me.
But the story was good and I enjoyed the characters, so I do recommend reading it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Zara Romano, Italian/Irish, Italian on the inside, Irish on the outside. She has a history with a local police detective, friend of her brother;s. Oh and she;s a mortician…she makes the clients look good. Suddenly her ex is being annoying by always being around. Then the bodies start to mount. She is on the hunt for a possible serial killer while trying to figure out her sorely lacking love life that also seems to be mounting with her ex and a local defense attorney. Will her Jessica Fletcher/Nancy Drew instincts help her before a killer puts her in his sights? A wonderful cozy mystery
This is a fantastic story and read. The hero, Zara, has alot of redeeming qualities that have you rooting for her happily ever after, at least eventually. The to and fro between her and her ex, Marcello, is cute and quick witted.
Totally enthralling!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was so well written and I didn’t want it to end. Zara likes to walk at dawn with her dog and on two different occasions she has found dead bodies. I am amazed that the police didn’t think she was the killer because she found the bodies and said when another body would be found but her brother was the chief of police. Then Zara goes after a politician because of what she saw happened to his stepdaughter. Very good book I hope it turns into a series because I want to see if her and Marcello gets together.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Zara Romano and two of her older brothers own Romano Funeral Home in Salem, Massachusetts. Zara is Irish and Italian, with the red hair, freckles, and temper that traditionally exemplify those nationalities. Her ex-boyfriend, Marcello Ponti, is a police detective who frequently shows up unannounced on her doorstep. Completing the list of those she is close to is her dog Smooches and two widowed nanas who live next door to her.
When Zara and Smooches find the mayor hanging from a tree, drained of all his blood and sporting fang marks, Zara starts to wonder if there is a vampire loose in town! When two more bodies show up, Zara is on the case!
This is an exciting, enjoyable book with all the elements that a reader looks for: entertainment, suspense, mystery, and intrigue! The story line is very good, comfortably paced, and the characters are likable.
Zara is an Irish Italian Catholic Gal. She got the red headed Irish looks, and her six brothers got the Italian swarthy looks. She works as a mortician in the family funeral home- on women and children . Her specialty is reconstruction, which she does on any client, from the neck up- her father doesn’t want her to work on naked men.
A police chief, a detective, a couple lawyers, and the two brothers she works with at the funeral home make for a brother filled tight knit community
Marcello is a police detective and partner to her brother Tony. He is also the man who stole her virginity and decided a few months later they should date other people. She let him know she did not want to be part of a group and walked out.
Her neighboring grandmothers share a house and an active social life. They are great in an emergency and very helpful since she doesn’t cook – and needs an occasional dog sitter.
As a mortician, Zara has a career that is socially off putting. She also faces working on friends and neighbors, and does her best for her clients.
Her closest friends begin more serious romantic entanglements that are complex for all of them. A spate of murders brings very unwelcome attention too close to home.
Navigating danger in disturbing places, and romantic gestures and jealousy from her ex keep Zara on her toes.
A busy and interesting neighborhood that is fun to visit. I’m looking forward to stopping by in the next book
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Flirting with death is a new take on the cozy mystery genre. It honestly took me a bit to get into the book because of the
base Patricia was setting for her finale. I really
enjoyed the relationship Zara has with her family and friends. I would definitely recommend this book to other lovers of cozy mysteries but it may be too slow moving for
those new to the genre.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book there is a lot going on but it is easy to follow the storyline and see where the story is going, though it is not easy to guess who done it!
The characters in this book are amazing, I love the nana’s, their T’shirts and Sweaters are great comic relief, Marcello Ponti is the “love interest” he is a lothario and Zara’s brothers colleague in the police and best friend. She had gone out with him before but he “wanted to see other people” not wanting to be part of the group Zara said cheerio but now it seems he is sniffing back even with the blonde in toe (plus he loves her nana’s better than his own!)
The writing is really good and makes for an interesting read, well worth your time, go for it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I absolutely loved this book!! A great mystery with a fabulous cast of characters. Zara Romano is a mortician, the youngest child and only daughter of an Italian-Irish family. She is a quirky, intelligent, funny and resilient woman. She stumbles upon a body while walking her dog in the early morning and becomes involved in the investigation much to the chagrin of her elder brothers the police chief & a detective & her ex boyfriend also a detective. A lovely ensemble cast helps her navigate this mystery highlighted by her two nanas. I wish they would adopt me lol! Mystery kept me guessing til the end. Quite a shocking twist. I hope there are many more mysteries with Zara in the works!!
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
Great characters!
A cute cozy crime book with fun and family galore. Looking forward to more.
Flirting With Death is the first book in the new Zara Romano Mystery Series.
I loved this book and cannot wait for the next one in the series. The characters are charming, quirky, and likable. The storyline is enjoyable and fun to read, with an Irish-Italian mortician, her brothers, her nanas, an ex-boyfriend, and her dog Smooches. This story has multiple murders, a possible vampire, danger, suspense, psychic ability, and intrigue.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
I have been really into the Paranormal Cozy mysteries as of late and they really have seemed to have taken off recently. I am glad to see this one has joined the many in that genre and it is one that was quite enjoyable.
Good story line, amusing characters, engaging dialogue, and easy to visualize descriptions to detail.
Written as a 1st person, single pov with a completed mystery ending.
Would I recommend this book? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes
Sassy Beta Reading and Review
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Zara Romano is a talented mortician, who takes the responsibility of making her clients’ final send off very seriously. That’s why she gets involved in her cases, which inadvertently brings her into danger. I enjoyed the character development in Flirting With Death, the solid storyline, and the upbeat writing style. I recommend this novel and will be following the series further.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.