Jeanne Reviews: Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico

Mia Carina’s family had been part of “The Family” (think The Godfather) before deciding to go legit with the Belle View Banquet Manor.  It’s been a pretty steep learning curve but Mia thinks she’s ready to take the place to the next level and her friend Nicole’s baby shower may be just the event to do it. Trouble is, Nicole’s stepmother—also known as the homewrecker—is determined to throw an even more lavish shower at another venue, a swanky joint with even swankier prices, and her shower is before the one at Belle View.  Still, Mia thinks she can make the event work to their advantage and maybe even pick up a few tips.

Mia’s event is going very well indeed until a fight breaks out, and as if that weren’t enough, one of the gifts turns out to be a very valuable painting stolen several years earlier. As they wait for the police to come, Mia is thankful that at least this time they aren’t coming about a body.

Well, not yet, anyway.  But the day isn’t over.

This is the second in the Catering Hall Mystery series and was every bit as funny as the first.  There are a number of subplots to carry the book along, most with a crime family connection, from Mia’s crush on Jamie to the new hire who seems more focused on a career in standup than in doing his job.  Or maybe, his real job is to sabotage Belle View. . . .

Mia’s family members are delightful, from her nonna Elisabetta, who longs for the near Holy Grail of great-grandmotherhood to her brother Posi, who is still working his charms on the ladies while being incarcerated. The plot was well done, and characters had depth.  Most of all, it made me laugh. 

Books in the series are:

Here Comes the Body

Long Island Iced Tina

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder

(Note:  Maria DiRico is a pseudonym for Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron who is best known for her Cajun Country mystery series.)