Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens—in charge of the family catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events—like murder—are not the kind you can schedule . . . Mia’s newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View—but Nicole also has to attend one that her competitive (and mysteriously rich) stepmother, Tina, is throwing at the … stepmother, Tina, is throwing at the fanciest place in Queens. It’s a good chance for Mia to snoop on a competitor, especially since doing a search for “how to run a catering hall” can get you only so far.
Mia tags along at the lavish party, but the ambience suffers at Nicole’s Belle View shower when a fight breaks out—and then, oddly, a long-missing and valuable stolen painting is unwrapped by the mom-to-be. Tina is clearly shocked to see it. But not as shocked as Mia is when, soon afterward, she spots the lifeless body of a party guest floating in the marina . . .
Italian recipes included!
more
Long Island Iced Tina is the second book in the ‘Catering Hall Mysteries’ written by Maria DiRico, and it will be published in February of 2021. I’ve previously read the first book in the series and another series by the author that was written under a different name. I enjoy her writing style, and this new book is no exception.
Mia is a mob princess. Her father was pretty high up, but he’s mostly gone clean after a prison stint. Her family still has connections, and they now run a catering hall in Queens. Mia has her own tragedies from a past marriage and murder suspicion, but today, she is much better of. Her grandmother keeps her in line too. Mia’s best friend is having a baby shower, and the girl’s stepmother (stepMONSTER) is iced at the event… a strange painting shows up, leading Mia to find a web of fraud in the art world. Also, the competition seems to be trying to put her out of business, so of course, she must solve the case.
Mia is a likeable protagonist. She is very Italian, has strong NY qualities, and can be quite tough… but she has a tender side and is just trying to get her life in order. Jamie, her former love from afar, has a girlfriend, but she still pines for him. In this book, Mia gets driving lessons from Jamie, but by the end of the book, a new suitor evolves. Of course, we eagerly wonder whom she should be with. It seems like the new guy is so hot he’d melt butter just by being ten feet away! Add in Benjy–the grandson of another mob boss–and funeral hopping with grandma, then we have lots of comical errors in the catering hall too.
The mystery is good. A painting went missing twenty years ago. The late Tina knew something about it. Several people who were involved at the time show up near the baby shower. Tina just wants to impress her new husband and make his ex-wife look awful. So awful that she’s the primary suspect when Tina dies. Unfortunately, Mia’s friend is close to having the baby, so she can’t do a whole lot right now to protect her father when he’s in the spotlight for murder too. It all pulls together with solid reasons for Mia to become the amateur sleuth, and I enjoy her foray into the mob and police worlds.
I took me about 10 to 15 % to get fully immersed back into the mob world, as sometimes it’s a little over the top… but once you settle in, it’s quite a hoot, and I found myself unwilling to put it down before bed. I look forward to more and can’t wait to find out what really happened to Mia’s ex; I know there’s a story lurking to be shared.
Dare I say it… I think Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico may be even better than Here Comes the Body, the first book in the Catering Hall Mysteries. I love when this happens!
I can’t say that having a mob family in a cozy hasn’t been done before, but DiRico does it so well. The family dynamics read as true for an Italian family, and where this series really shines is in the character development. The elders in the family and community trying to show each other up makes for some interesting scenes. And the mission to deposit a pair of shoes into a casket had me amused. I think getting together Stephanie Plum’s grandma and Mia’s would be a hoot.
DiRico went in a different direction with the love angle, which I really enjoyed. I hate when they drag on in cozies, but I think how it was handled was great and I am excited to see how Mia handles having to be friends with the three other people involved… I really want to say more, but don’t want to give any spoilers. And I think the new hire at the end is going to really add some great scenes in future books.
As for the mystery… it was a heist. I love heists!!! I’ve seen The Italian Job and all the Ocean’s (8, 11, 12, & 13) numerous times… so I really appreciated that DiRico used a heist in the story. And I really liked how she had the Family help confirm her suspicions. It was a great way to incorporate more of the mob into the story.
The Catering Hall Mysteries is one series that I make sure to keep up to date with so I know as soon as the next book is coming out. I highly recommend that you give it a shot.
Long Island Iced Tina ” is the 2nd instalment in the A Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico. This is the first book I have read in the series and it can be read as a standalone but I wish I had read book one.
I loved Mia and her Nonna, but the side characters are also just as engaging, and funny. I have friends that come from big Italian families and this was how it was at their homes.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, I found myself guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. I couldn’t put the book down, read it in a few hours.
I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends and I can’t wait for book three!
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read 2.24.2021
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THESE BOOKS.
THIS is how you write a cozy mystery!!
I waited past the due date so I could listen to the audiobook because I absolutely loved the first one with its awesome narrator. I am telling you, if you are from NYC, have lived any amount of time in NYC, you will want to listen to the audiobook. It makes like “coming home”. I am back in the city I love when I listen to these and it is glorious. All I need is a good cup of coffee and some cannolli!!
Mia and Co are doing well in this edition of the series and Bellevue Catering Hall is both holding it’s own and even thriving. People have forgotten about the previous murders [or are at least not talking about it anymore every second] and are booking events. So much so, Mia knows that they have to hire some more staff to stay on top of orders and make the events even more special [Ah. Benji. He is something that is best not talked about and experienced first hand. But I may have sprained my eyes when he was on the page], so she starts going to different events at different halls to see what they are offering. Enter stolen art, smuggling and ultimately, a dead body. And Mia is swept up in trying to solve the crime, keep peace within her family and help her grandmother deliver shoes to the afterlife. This was a very good read and I had NO IDEA who the killer was and the reveal was REALLY good. I enjoyed every second of this book and cannot wait for book 3 [there had better be a BOOK 3!!!!]. I highly recommend this one!!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Maria DiRico, and Kensington Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Long Island Iced Tina, the second Maria DiRico (Ellen Byron) Catering Hall Mystery, is just as laugh out loud funny as the first cozy mystery in the series! Mia’s very pregnant friend, Nicole, is having one of her baby showers at Belle View, and soon after her stepmonster, Tina, is found iced in the water nearby! When first Tina’s mom, Linda, and then her dad, Ron, are both suspected of the dastardly deed, Mia investigates and, with a little help from her connections, discovers ties to a long ago art heist. There’s a lot going on in this story, and the author does a great job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat! A+++
Mia Carina is thrilled for her friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby. Nicole has chosen Mia’s catering hall, Belle View, as the location for one of her baby showers. Despite Mia’s best efforts, the baby shower is interrupted by a fight between Nicole’s mother and step-mother. Then, one of Nicole’s presents turns out to be a valuable painting stolen years before. Things only get worse when Mia finds the body of a shower guest the next morning. Is the murder linked to the painting?
I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was great as well. The painting added a fun element to the mystery, and I really enjoyed seeing how that played out. The mystery had some great zigs and zags along the way. The climax was a bit complicated, but I was able to think it through, and it did make sense. All the characters were wonderful, with some interesting growth for the series regulars. Mia’s grandmother provides a very funny sub-plot, and there are other great moments of humor throughout the book. At the end, we get four recipes and a hit for hosting events yourself. The series is set in Queens, and Mia’s family is involved in the mob. Even so, this is most definitely still a cozy series. Grab some ice tea and enjoy this delightful book.
Mia Carina is back in the boro of Queens, NY after leaving Florida and her supposedly drowned husband. Her arrival in New York was delayed by a police investigation where she was a suspect in her husband’s disappearance and possible death. Now Mia is assisting her father, a lieutenant in the Boldano crime family, with running the newly acquired legitimate business the Bellle View Banquet Manor. Mia has already assisted the local police with solving two murders that occurred at Belle View in the first book in the series, Here Comes the Body. Mia had to stick her nose into that investigation because her father was one of the prime suspects. Yet Mia believed he was innocent.
Mia’s friend Nicole is pregnant and her mother, Linda and grandmother, Miniguccia plan to hold a baby shower for her at Belle View. Nicole’s grandmother doesn’t want to invite Nicole’s stepmother, Tina to the shower but Nicole and Linda insist she be invited to keep peace in the family. The shower ends with a stolen piece of art being given to Nicole as a shower gift supposedly from Tina. More bad publicity for Belle View but worse is yet to come. Mia once again needs to help investigate another murder.
Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico is the second book in her Catering Hall Mystery series. I really like this author’s voice. She has a very entertaining writing style. Her characters run the gamut from crime family members to the very old-school Italian senior citizens in Mia’s grandmother’s neighborhood. You can’t step into one of the neighborhood homes without being pressed to stay and eat. Yes, very Italian. Mia manages to solve the mystery but not without facing some danger. Ms. DiRico slips in some romantic elements with the florist girlfriend of Mia’s dad as well as Mia’s yearning toward her childhood friend. This is a very entertaining whodunit.
Long Island Iced Tina is the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery series and frankly a delightful read. Mia is a terrific character and I liked her instantly from book one. She has returned home to try to put her life back together after a disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce and is trying to make a go of a mob-owned catering hall with her father as a legitimate enterprise. The secondary cast of characters is diverse and funny. I love Mia’s grandmother. The way she brags to everyone about Mia’s sleuthing skills cracks me up. I also love how everyone is always trying to fix her up with a potential boyfriend.
This time around, the step-mother of Mia’s best friend is killed and her parents are the prime suspects. So of course, Mia’s grandmother assures the grandmother of the best friend that Mia will get to the bottom of this mystery. I was really engaged in the mystery from the start. There is a lot happening and a lot of layers and clues to sift through in order to figure out the identity of the killer. Ms. DiRico does a terrific job of dropping clues and challenging the reader to determine who killed Tina. In the end, I was surprised by the killer’s identity but loved how the author took me on a great mystery ride.
I will definitely be returning for future books in this series. It has great characters, the pacing of the plot is spot on and the mystery keeps me guessing. Everything I want from a cozy mystery series.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I have really been looking forward to Long Island Iced Tina, the second book in Maria diRico’s new Catering Hall Mystery series and it did not disappoint. I found myself cheering Mia on in her investigation and booing several of the suspicious characters that she encountered in her complex search to clear her best friend’s father of murder charges. The victim, his second wife Tina, was such a flagrant narcissist and jerk that no one was too concerned with her death but the negative publicity murder near the catering hall could cause had already peaked Mia’s concern even before Ron’s arrest.
As always, humor and warmth bring balance to the danger and Maria DiRico in both author personnas (Ellen Byron was already one of my cozy authors favorites when this series came out.) can turn intensity to outright laughter through her depiction of these senior New Jersey Italian ladies or with Mia’s newest endeavor, learning to drive. Poor Jaimie. Time at the catering hall is always interesting whether through the special people who work there or through Mia’s interaction with the newest hire, the incompetent son of one of the area mafia heads.
The complexity of the background of the murder almost had my head spinning but it also held my attention throughout this unputdownable tale.
I requested an ARC from NetGalley and am excited to share how much I enjoyed it. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series!
art-theft, family-dynamics, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, small-business, restaurant, Italian-customs, the-mob, verbal-humor, situational-humor*****
Take a dramatic Italian family in Queens and stir in some mob connections, a step-mother from the pit, a late pregnancy cousin, art theft, murder, and you get a hilarious cozy mystery. This one works perfectly as a stand alone and anything more being said would be overkill as well as in spoiler territory. Laughed my way through it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
I enjoyed reading this second book in the series. Mia and her Family are back solving another murder. In this one Mia’s best friend, Nicole, is having a baby. Her stepmother, Tina, is determined to have an over top baby shower at the competing catering hall Versailles. Mia hosts another baby shower. When one of the gifts turns out to be and unwelcome surprise for Tina the police are once again called. Tina is then found floating in the marina near the Belle View. Nicole’s family become the prime suspects so Mia sets out to solve the murder. I really enjoy the Belle View setting and all the fun characters. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. There are lots of suspects, twists and turns to keep it interesting. The writing is good and it is a quick fun read with plenty of humor. I look for word to the next one. Enjoy
Mia Carina worked with her father at the Belle View event center where they were having a shower for Nicole her best friend. The cold stepmother Tina throws a shower at the fanciest place at the Queen, Versailles on the Park. It’s decided to combine all the baby showers together except for Tina’s. I don’t normally read present-day books but this one was good and I really enjoyed it. Ms. DiRico has written a murder mystery that involves stolen paintings and smuggling. I recommend you read it if you like a good mystery…
Mia is excited to be hosting a baby shower for one of her best friends at Belle Vista Banquet Hall and is also interested in seeing the competition when she finds out that Nicole’s step-mother will be hosting a baby shower at a competing banquet hall. Nicole gets a very generous gift from her father and her step-mother and their shower, so she isn’t expecting one from her at the shower at Belle Vista, but gets two big surprises from her. One that also surprises Tina. This is where the mystery begins and the action doesn’t stop until the end. This is a great series and I hope that there will be many more books with Mia and her family.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Even better then book one! Mia is starting to get the hang of this catering hall business giving it her all. She is excited when her good friend Nicole announces she’s pregnant and that there will be a shower. Mia is all over it but has to attend the evil step mothers fancy shower first. It was way to over the top so the second one is more cozy at least until a huge fight breaks out amongst the women of the family. As if that is not bad enough Mia finds the evil woman floating dead outside in the marina after the scene inside. Scrambling to figure out what happened Mia finds herself deep in the investigation which makes for an interesting time. Full of charm and surprise twists we get taken on an adventure as it all plays out making for a great addition to this series. Sure to delight cozy mystery fans. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
I enjoyed this second in the series very much. Mia holds a baby shower for her best friend but things begin to go sour. Family members fighting then a mysterious gift shows up.
The characters are solid with many different personalities that mix together well. The mystery was good and kept me guessing. I will continue on with this series.
Baby showers, art heists, and murder! A fun and intriguing cozy mystery. Mia’s friend, Nicole, is having a baby and wants to hold one of her baby showers at Belle View. Nicole’s stepmother throws an extremely elaborate shower for her at another catering hall in town, Versailles. During the shower at Belle View, Nicole’s stepmother, Tina, and mother, Linda, have a huge fight. Tina later faints after a gift of a stolen painting shows up proclaiming to be from her. The next day, Mia and her friend, Jamie, find Tina dead in the river by Belle View. Nicole’s mother is a prime suspect and later her father becomes a suspect. Mia vows to investigate and find a killer. A fun and intriguing tale that delves into an art heist from 20 years ago and how many of the characters in the book were involved. I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery. Mia’s grandmother was a hoot with trying to send shoes to her friend’s deceased husband. I also love the friendship between Mia and Jamie and hope to see that continue. I’m really looking forward to what’s next for Mia and her father in their catering hall. I definitely recommend reading this fun series filled with great recipes!
Mia is a strong character who loves her family, even when they get involved in illegal activities, even when they deny they did anything wrong, and she knows they are lying. However, this time, she believes them when they say they had nothing to do with an art heist many years ago. In Long Island Iced Tina, the past comes back to haunt Mia’s friends and family, so she sets out to find the truth.
A stolen art piece shows up at the baby shower of Mia’s friend, Nicole, and Nicole’s step-mother-in-law reacts as if she has been hit by a truck. Shortly after the chaotic shower, Tina’s body is found floating in the river next to Belle View, the event space Mia and her father run. It comes as no surprise that someone murdered Tina, but there is a list of suspects a mile long. Evidence in the murder ties back to an old art heist, and the players involved have reasons to be worried and out for revenge.
The cast of characters all have a good motive, and many do not have alibis, but the finger keeps pointing to the one person it couldn’t have been, and no one, not even the police, can ignore the clues. Every member of this cast is easy to relate to in one way or another; each has a unique quality that makes them irresistible. Mia’s grandmother and father will make readers smile no matter how tense a situation, and even Mia’s brother, incarcerated, can give readers a reason to be happy. The art heist mystery, along with the murder, brings mob and cop together, with Mia, her friends, and her business associates in what could become an explosive situation.
Long Island Iced Tina will leave readers happy and satisfied with the ending. The killer is revealed just in time, and everyone is thrilled not to have a murder hanging over their heads. The art heist is solved after twenty years, and everyone is relieved when the dust settles. This is a delightful book with humor, emotional situations, and a family that loves one another. All of this combines to make this series a must for any cozy reader.
Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico is another remarkably written book about this Italian catering hall.
Can Mia figure out who would kill Tina?
Mia Carina
Mia Carina is back again in the next book of A Catering Hall Mystery series. I am in love with this series. Being part of an Italian mob family, Mia knows that sometimes the police don’t like her family. She is a special character that always has a tremendous time of being funny. I love it when she translates some of the words that she knows for us readers who don’t speak Italian or really read Italian. Mia is an exceptional sleuth despite this being only her second mystery. I love reading about this character, but I’m unsure I would like to meet her in real life. Seriously, her family is a bit scary.
The Mystery
The mystery this time is about a family friend’s stepmom dying on a dock near Belle View Catering. I feel bad for Mia and her family as they are trying to keep the business legal and not doing anything with laundering money through it. She is tasked with figuring out who would kill the stepmom like that. It’s just one thing after another in this one.
Five Stars
My rating for Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico is five stars, and I recommend it to anyone who loves reading culinary cozy mysteries. I love Ms. DiRico’s fabulous writing style throughout this book. Also, I love this whole Italian mob family owning a catering hall to try to go legitimate. Ms. DiRico has an amazing imagination, and it shows throughout this book which transports the reader into the story so perfectly.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Long Island Iced Tina
Catering Hall Mystery, Book 2
Maria DiRico
5 Stars
Synopsis:
In the second installment of Maria DiRico’s new Catering Hall Mystery series, Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens, in charge of the family catering hall Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events–like murder at a shower–are not the kind you can schedule…
Mia’s newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View–but Nicole also has to attend one that her competitive (and mysteriously rich) stepmother, Tina, is throwing at the fanciest place in Queens. It’s a good chance for Mia to snoop on a competitor, especially since doing a search for how to run a catering hall can get you only so far.
Mia tags along at the lavish party, but the ambience suffers at Nicole’s Belle View shower when a fight breaks out–and then, oddly, a long-missing and valuable stolen painting is unwrapped by the mom-to-be. Tina is clearly shocked to see it. But not as shocked as Mia is when, soon afterward, she spots the lifeless body of a party guest floating in the marina . . .
Italian recipes included! (Goodreads)
Review:
Mia is a good daughter and a good friend. She is helping to host a baby shower for her friend at her family-owned catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor. And she is a good daughter because she is helping her dad become a legitimate business man and being sure he has cut the ties with the mob. When Mia attends a baby shower for her friend and a stolen picture is one of the shower gifts, she knows something is up. And when someone is found dead, she knows she has to find the culprit before someone she cares about is charged with the murder. She will need all of her “connections” to figure this one out.
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Mia and Nicole are really good friends and will do anything to help the other. Mia’s grandmother is very funny and she will boast to anyone about what a good detective Mia is. There may be a new love interest for Mia, we will have to wait and see.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there watching all of the action taking place. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I was not sure who the culprit was until it was revealed at the end, which is how I like it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Mia Carina manages Belle View Banquet Manor, a catering hall her father, former mob enforcer, Ravello Carina, acquired through interesting circumstances. She is excited that one of her upcoming events is a baby shower for her friend Nicole. But then she learns that this is not the only shower being held for the mother-to-be. Her stepmother, Tina has booked another shower at the ritzy Versailles on the Park. Nicole invites Mia to the other shower and she gladly accepts because it will give her the chance to check out the upscale competition. She also sees the very selfish style of Tina and understands how she was given the nickname of step-monster.
The shower at Belle View gets off to a great start, that is until Tina shows up unfashionably late and gets into a fight with the host, Nicole’s grandmother, Minnie. The event really gets even more crazy when one of the gifts appears to be a priceless stolen painting from the step-monster herself. But Tina denies the gift is from her especially when the police arrive to investigate the artwork that has been missing for years. Thinking the worst is behind her Mia is ready to head home but then she sees the body, the body floating in the marina behind Belle View.
Ms. DiRico has created such wonderful characters. Our protagonist Mia Carina is trying so hard to make Belle View Banquet Manor a success while doing a little sleuthing on the side. She is surrounded by a wide-ranging group of supporting characters that will have you laughing out loud and shaking your head. Her Nonna is involved in many things throughout the story but one of her exploits had me laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. Mia is also trying to master a skill with her “friend” Jamie’s help which also generated some comedic moments. I know murder is a serious subject but this author knows how to bring the funny in all the right places. I loved the way she did this.
Okay, back to the serious murder. The author plotted a strong complex mystery with a variety of facets. We are introduced to several new characters/suspects as Mia chases down clues, sometimes with Jamie’s help. I really enjoyed following along with Mia for each twist and clue, and there were a lot. My suspect list shuffled several times. The big reveal was very surprising and exciting. In addition to the main mystery, the author blends in some memorable subplots.
I have so much fun visiting this Italian family for all the crazy exploits. There truly is never a dull moment when the Carina family is involved.
Long Island Iced Tina is a captivating cozy with a mystery that will test readers as they try to keep up with Mia. It was most definitely A Perfect Escape!