Here Comes the Body

Here Comes the Body is the first book in a new series entitled A Catering Hall Mystery and written by Maria DiRico, a pseudonym for author Ellen Byron. When I saw she was writing a new series, I had to get a copy of the debut, so I checked on NetGalley and got lucky! Then I saw it would be on a blog tour with one of my favorite companies, Great Escapes Virtual Tours… so… yeah, I had to read this one, and I’m so glad I did.

Let’s start with the setting: Astoria, Queens, New York City. I live in Manhattan directly across the East River from where this book takes place. The author mentions towns on Long Island, like Syosset, next door to where I grew up. The book is a perfect match for me… and like the charm of Byron’s Cajun / Bayou series, this one will immediately make you feel like you’re in an authentic place. And if I’m being honest, that might be the only thing about the book that gave me some concerns in the beginning – it was a little ‘too much’ in terms of the Italian NY mafia scene. I worried it would be a bit overkill, but by the middle of the story, I found it amusing and on par.

Let’s dish about the plot: Mia returns from Florida as a widow. Or her husband might still be alive, but she’s no longer wanted for his disappearance and possible death. Her mobster father swears he didn’t kill her husband either, but Dad’s decided to go legit, and he and Mia run a catering hall together, despite the owner obviously being a Godfather. Dad deals with removing obstacles on the back end, Mia meets with the clients and attends the events. In their first one, a dead stripper fails to pop out of the cake for a bachelor party. Okay, she shouldn’t have been dead when she popped out, but that’s what happened… unfortunately, Mia’s dad has a connection to the woman, so he is eventually arrested for the murder.

Toss in Mia’s old high school boyfriend who has a new girlfriend (they’re in their late 20s / early 30s) yet seems to still think about her (he’s also that Godfather’s son, so yeah, that’s gonna be a problem), a couple of unusual catering hall staff members, a nutty grandmother, a brother in prison, a charming friend with tons of connections (and an ex on the police force), and a cool supporting cast… you’ve got a hit for a new series. I look forward to reading more. I hope the mafia scene stays funny, and we get to see the hilarity of Mia’s grandmother’s Astoria neighborhood (fighting over religious items, holiday decorations, and renovations, oh my).

This will definitely be a good one, and I recommend it to all cozy lovers and those who want to see a piece of NYC (whether it’s Queens or Manhattan, because as the book confirms, BOTH are part of ‘the city.’

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.

When your dad is a mobster who’s trying to go straight, you’re living with your grandma and a cat, and relocated to Noo Yawk from Florida where your adulterous husband has mysteriously disappeared, leaving you a person of interest, you’ve got to have resolve, humor, and unorthodox creativity, just to get through the day. First in a new series, this is a winner! Can’t wait for book two.

I’m a huge fan of this author’s other series written under the name Ellen Byron because of my Cajun connections. So, of course, I wanted to check out a new series and was intrigued by the family with mob connections. Let’s just say it makes for some humorous situations sprinkled throughout when people learn who Mia’s father is and his connections.

Mia arrives back in Astoria to assist her father in running a legitimate business – a catering hall. The building has seen better days but has a lot of potential despite being so close to La Guardia airport. Mia is basically thrown into the deep end as she takes over several events that lead to deadly results. Considering who her father is, he does not escape scrutiny by the police. Clues and red herrings are peppered throughout the story and had me stumped and I did not figure out who the criminals really were in this case.

This series is going to be a lot of fun and I already like Mia’s brother Posi who is trying to go viral as a sexy convict. It isn’t working but gotta give him an A for effort! Mia’s grandmother and the “army” are a hoot especially when it comes to the Virgin Mary statues in their yards. Don’t mess with their statues. Then there is a past love with Jamie who keeps ending up as Mia’s Uber driver. Sure he has a girlfriend, but I’m thinking that relationship might fizzle in future books.

There are some delicious recipes at the end of the book worth trying out next time I have time to experiment.

We give this book 5 paws up and look forward to the next book.

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.

An exciting debut for cozy author Ellen Byron writing as Maria DiRico! Protagonist Mia Carina returns to her old Queens, NY neighborhood as an event planner for her mafiaso father’s catering business. Dear old dad, Ravello Carina, is trying to live an honest life using Belle View Banquet Manor as a legitimate business with no mob ties. However, it’s impossible to escape the past, and a murder during a bachelors party threatens to disturb the much-needed peace in the Carina Family’s lives.

I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud moments; all the dysfunctional families involved; Mia’s cat, Doorstop; the secondary cast of likable characters being introduced for the first time—especially the Belle View kitchen staff; and how the seasoned author pulls all the loose threads together to tie the multiple mystery links up tightly! The perpetrator reveal and motive was interesting. Delicious recipes added after the story ending.

I honestly reviewed a galley arc provided by Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Mia Carina, the daughter of former mobster, Ravello Carina, has moved back home to Queens after her cheating husband disappears in a boating accident. She wants a fresh start and is thrilled to be working at her father’s catering hall. Unfortunately, her first event, a bachelor party, turns into a nightmare when a call girl is found dead inside the gigantic cake. When a check written by Mia’s dad is found next to the body, he immediately becomes the main suspect. A few days later, another body is found and Ravello is suspected again. Mia is determined to prove her father’s innocence and find the real culprit.

Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico is a fantastic start to a new series. It is an enjoyable and entertaining read, with plenty of laugh out loud moments, fun, engaging characters, and a puzzling murder mystery. Mia is smart, independent and has a good heart. Despite her confidence, she always acted responsibly and never put herself in dangerous situations. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the city setting but ended up loving it. Mia’s neighbors were a hoot, and I enjoyed reading about the different cultures and food. The catering hall is a great setting for future mysteries and I forward to seeing what’s in store for the characters. I will definitely be reading the second book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley through Kensington Books. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Here Comes the Body is the first book in a new series by author Maria DiRico (a pseudonym for author Ellen Byron). This is the first I’ve read by this author and I found it to be a very enjoyable and entertaining read. The story was well told and the plot moved along nicely. Mia Carina, our main character, is returning home after a disastrous marriage that ended with her husband’s disappearance without a trace (0r a body). Mia is no stranger to being on the wrong side of the law, her father is, after all, an enforcer for the New Jersey mob. However, now that her father has decided to go legit, Mia comes home to help him run an event planning business.

I found the characters to be enjoyable. Mia is independent and has a good heart. Her brother Posi and her grandmother are a hoot. Both of them provide some nice humor throughout the story as well as provide Mia with the voice of reason where her love life is concerned. The event business is populated with some interesting secondary characters that I am interested in seeing develop in future stories.

The mystery unfolded nicely and carried throughout the story. I liked that Mia was not portrayed as reckless, or an overly nosy busybody who is surprised when she finds herself in trouble. Mia is just looking to make sure her father is not wrongfully accused of committing two murders, just because of who he used to be. The story kept me guessing and I thought the author wrapped it up nicely tieing up all the loose ends.

I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through Netgalley.

What a great start to a new series. It was funny, entertaining, intriguing, and I am so looking forward to the next book and where this series will be going.

5/5 stars

After a disastrous marriage, Mia returns home to Manhattan to help her family run a recently acquired catering company. Things get off to a rocky start at their first big event, an over the top bachelor party, when a dead body, rather than a stripper is found in the cake. Mia’s father, who happens to be a crime boss trying to go straight, is at the top of the suspect list.

I enjoyed Mia and her family of interesting characters. While determined to solve the mystery and clear her father, Mia isn’t above taking on a new client who could possibly be a murderer. After all, a new business can’t be choosy.