She began a journey of self-discovery. She never expected to uncover an old boyfriend and a dead body… at her rundown building, she flips from renovator to prime suspect.
Desperate to clear her name, it shocks Cara to discover that her property once housed a multi-million dollar art collection—stolen after the original owner’s death. And when her first love shows up and tugs at her heartstrings, her whirlwind life upgrades to a hurricane. With accusations of murder and theft looming, she’s running out of redos…
Can Cara crack the case and rebuild her reputation, or will her desire to upcycle treasures send her to jail?
Tear Down and Die is the charming first novel in the Cara Mia Delgatto traditional mystery series. If you like cozy reads, witty heroines, former flames reconnecting, and Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast, you’ll adore Joanna Campbell Slan’s captivating tale.
Buy Tear Down and Die and relive the joy of a second chance at life and love today!
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Great writing! You felt like you exploring the town’s streets and shops right along with the main character. And what a fun character. Ms. Slan made Cara come to life on the pages. The mystery came to a good conclusion and the book left you wanting to know what comes next. Highly recommend!
This is a new author for me but what a great read I found. Cara Mia is having a bad year first her parents death, selling the family restaurant and moving to Florida but car troubled ensue and she finds a dead body what a girl to do? What a great first book I am hooked now and can’t wait to read the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this new series by Joanna Campbell Slan its a spin-off from a Kiki Lowenstein series another fun series by Joanna Campbell Slan. Cara Mia Delgatto takes a road trip to see her son in college and takes a detour to where her Grandfather lives so he can take a look at her car. Well, things take a different road for sure. I am starting book 2 these are addicting.
This book is well written and keeps you interested from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down and I love the characters.
I have read much of the Kiki Lowenstein series and really like the Cara Mia Delgatto character. So, when I discovered she had her own series, I just had to read it. I am so glad that I did. A bonus is that the series in included in Amazon KU. On to book two.
This is a story full of suspense. Unfortunately, I read book #4 in the series first. They are stand alones, so it wasn’t a problem, but they are good enough to read them all. So I’m starting at the beginning. I highly recommend!
I’ve read this series twice and am looking forward to more. The heroine, Cara Mia Delgatto is starting over, and she relocates to her grandfather’s town and buys a beat up antique shop that holds special memories, which she turns into a second hand store with repurposed items that she and her growing collection of friends and employees craft.
From her bio, the author has drawn on her own poverty-stricken, crafting background to add realism to the story.
Thoroughly enjoyed fresh new characters thrust immediately into dangerous situations!
I found this book to be an extremely enjoyable read. It has a great combination of suspense, murder, mystery and drama.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC from Booksprouts and this is my honest opinion. Tear Down and Die is your typical cozy mystery and as such, fairly enjoyable. I liked all of the characters for the most part, and even though the idea of a civilian being able to solve a murder that the police can’t (which is just the nature of the beast), irritates me, at least this time the detective isn’t portrayed as a bumbling oaf. I really like Cara’s two new friends Skye and MJ, and looked forward to learning more about their pasts, because they obviously have a few skeletons in their closets. (Notice I said “looked forward”.)
That being said, there were several things I didn’t like about the book; first and foremost – I HATE cliffhangers!!!! Please warn me ahead of time and I will gladly wait until I can get the first two or three books in the series and binge read. But let me get into a book that ends on a cliffhanger without any warning and I just may ditch the series altogether. Also, I felt that while it was apparent that Skye and MJ have “interesting pasts” they weren’t fully developed personalities. I liked their characters, what I learned of them, but they felt more of a backdrop for Cara than full-fledged, individual characters. And the character of Cooper, Cara’s long-lost love? Who would want him? Talk about flighty and untrustworthy? Thanks but no thanks.
And there’s another thing that is confusing for me. This is being treated as a new release, but it’s not, which was really weird to me. I went to check out the book on Amazon and noticed that there were over 200 reviews already. Come to find out, the whole series is being re-released. I have no idea why someone would do that. Granted the covers are different but from reading the previous reviews it doesn’t sound as if the content was re-edited (not if the typos I noted were any indication!).
I may try the next book in the series and hope for a better resolution than this one. If not, Ciao, Cara Mia!!!!
Tear Down and Die is the first book in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series. I enjoyed this light read and found it to have quirky characters and a good storyline, with murder, drama, twists, and humour. Unfortunately, it ended with an unexpected cliffhanger. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
Cara Mia Delgatto decides it is time to start over. You may know Cara Mia from the KiKi Lowenstein series. In this book, Cara Mia decides to buy an antique store and stumbles over a dead body in the building. So life becomes busy with opening a store, dealing with an ill grandfather, and trying to clear her name as a murder suspect.
The book was more character driven, with relationships/friendships being more fully developed than the murder. It was a fun, cozy murder mystery with characters that felt like you had known them for a long time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Second chances,” she said. “That’s what life’s all about. Don’t you ever doubt it.”
Starting over stories are my favourite kind of story; and Cara Mia Delgatto is starting over in spades. She’d been a dutiful daughter and mother for twenty years; now she was going to live for herself. Her plans get temporarily derailed by her car’s fuel pump. Then she buys an old run down building while out for a walk. But everything really goes to pot when she stumbles over a dead body while trying to find the lights in that old run down building.
And enter Detective Lou Murray. Cara Mia isn’t sure he’s really trying to clear her of murder, so while she works on giving a ramshackle abandoned business new life, her mind keeps delving into the mystery she’s sure will lead to the murderer.
Slan has crafted charming, amiable characters. Her story unwinds into nooks and crannies that have you guessing and second guessing your suspicions. The final wrap up is a nice twist that this reader wasn’t expecting. This is a great read; can’t wait to see what Cara Mia gets up to next!
[I received a copy of this book from the author via BookSprout, for an honest review of the book. The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.]
Having lost her parents and her dog within a few months, Cara sets out for Miami to visit her son at college and ends up with a whole new life. If I ever decide to run away from home, I’m heading for the Treasure Coast! Tear Down & Die was an excellent read and I couldn’t put it down. As expected of any book by this author, this cozy mystery is extremely well written with a tight, multi-layered plot and engaging characters. I’m looking forward to future books in this series. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.