Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico

It’s my stop today on the blog tour for Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico. Many thanks to Lori from Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the invite.

Four Parties and a Funeral is the fourth book in Maria DiRico’s Catering Hall Mystery series.

Mia Carina, owner of her Italian-American family’s catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, is busy prepping for a wedding and a TV show that wants to film at the manor. The June events schedule at the catering hall are busting all over but the TV show booking was an unexpected and a last-minute one – a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard.

The reality show starts on an interesting note and becomes ‘too-real’ when one of the crew is found murdered in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show…

Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .

This is the third Ellen Byron aka Maria DiRico’s book I have read this year. Consider me her latest fan because I am in awe of her storytelling. It’s not just the writing you see, an eclectic mix of characters, personalities, oomph, quirky scenarios, and a murder mystery to excite my grey cells – everything I look for in a novel.

I loved, loved, LOVED every bit of this story. We have the Italian-American Don families, sleaze and booze (no cussing or show of skin), cat-fights, betrayals, back-stabbings, drama, weddings, bachelor parties, romance and a bit of oomph *wink* and, a murder mystery to keep us guessing till the end. A full entertainment package!!

I haven’t read the previous books of this series but I am eagerly waiting to catch up because this is my kinda cozy series. Quirky, fun, drama and… can I repeat myself and say FUN again???

The story begins with Mia having her hands full with June events scheduled at her family’s catering hall. To add to her list is a reality TV production company wanting to shoot the pilot of Dons of Ditmars. The production company owner’s ex-wife is getting too friendly with one of the Dons – a junior Don who’s a decade younger than her. Then comes a dead body – um! One of the crews is found murdered and hell breaks loose.

Mia also has a wedding to prep for – first an engagement party and then, bachelor party in New Orleans. She also has a murder to solve, sort out her love life, handle a cranky man-child Don (Donny Jr.)… Phew!

The mystery behind the murder kept me guessing till the end. The list of suspects is long and seems like many from the production company had motive, means and opportunity. Cat fights, jealousy, betrayals, and back-stabbings make it more difficult for Mia to find the killer. The killer’s identity was a huge surprise. I couldn’t identify them until the end and to be honest, I didn’t see it coming. Why do all the bad guys wear a good-guy-suit??

If you are looking for an entertaining and engrossing cozy mystery filled with drama, personality, and romance, you might want to give Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico a try.

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There’s a giveaway for this tour. To participate in the rafflecopter giveaway, click here.

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