Four Parties and a Funeral

A Catering Hall Mystery, Book 4

By: Maria DiRico

Narrated by: Devon Sorvari

In this fresh and witty cozy mystery series set amid an extended Italian-American family in Astoria, Queens, catering hall owner and amateur sleuth Mia Carina must solve a murder on the set of a reality show.

The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia's fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .

Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia's friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who's also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen "talent." Even so, it's a shock when a dead body is found 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 . . .

©2023 Ellen Byron (P)2023 Tantor

Mia and team keep getting better

Mia finds herself in the middle of a reality tv pilot that involves a cast of dons and donettes of Queens, including Buldano family members. Tasked by Big Donny to break up a relationship between Little Donny and an older producer, Mia also finds herself working to clear the younger Donny’s name when a producer turns up dead. Another lovely and fun entry to this series, with an excellent performance that really brings the characters to life.

A wedding and Reality

Another good book in this series with many twists and turns with life changing events and a cliffhanger at the end.