Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Minestrone Mischief: A Culinary Cozy (The Italian Kitchen Mysteries) by Rosie Genova, Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Minestrone Mischief: A Culinary Cozy (The Italian Kitchen Mysteries)
by Rosie Genova
Minestrone Mischief: A Culinary Cozy (The Italian Kitchen Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – New Jersey
Two Roses Books (September 28, 2022)
Paperback : 309 pages
When a Halloween stalker shows up on Mischief Night, Vic encounters lots of tricks, no treats, and one murder …
It’s the post-summer season in Oceanside Park, and mystery writer Victoria Rienzi’s hometown is preparing for one last blast on the boardwalk—its annual Mischief Night parade, held the evening before Halloween. While Nonna keeps her busy making treat bags full of Italian candy, Vic dreams up the perfect costumes for herself and Tim: Nick and Nora Charles, the famed detective pair from The Thin Man movies. Completing their look is a canine scamp, Willie, borrowed to play the part of Nora’s pet terrier.
But Victoria’s excitement is dimmed by the presence of a stalker, Edward Millman, who’s seen lurking around the Rienzi family restaurant. And who shows up at the Mischief Night parade dressed as Victoria’s book sleuth, Bernardo Vitali. But halfway through the parade, Willie sniffs out trouble, leading Vic and Tim on a not-so-merry chase that brings them to a dead body—Victoria’s stalker, Edward Millman. And in a scene straight out of Victoria’s latest book, Millman is found with a knife sticking from his chest, along with a nasty note: You deserved this.
As Vic digs into the details of the victim’s life, she wonders: Is it life imitating art? Or is there a more deadly form of mischief at work this Halloween?
Guest Post from Author Rosie Genova
My original author biography used to include “an ill-behaved fox terrier” in its description, and it’s that very canine who inspired the cutie gracing the cover of Minestrone Mischief. She’s been gone for almost a decade, but—despite her own brand of mischief—she still holds a special place in our family lore and in our hearts.
I never had pets growing up, and as a child I was afraid of dogs, even the gentlest, friendliest ones. When my boys begged for one, I dragged my feet for years. But by the time the last kid was finally toilet trained, I had run out of excuses. You see, I had stipulated that I would not be cleaning up dog poop and the human variety. At which point my then four-year-old handed me his pack of Pull-Ups, declaring he no longer had need of them. (And he didn’t, the stinker!)
Because I’m not a fan of dog hair, and one of my sons has asthma, we looked for a non-shedding breed. The day we went puppy shopping, I had my eye on a quiet little gray schnauzer. My three boys had other ideas. The minute we opened her crate, our future dog, a wire-haired fox terrier, bounded out to meet us by grabbing my middle son’s shoelace in her little puppy teeth and dancing around his feet.
“That’s our dog!” my youngest exclaimed.
“She’s the one, Mom,” the oldest said as he scratched her curly head.
I eyed her dubiously. “She seems a little crazy.”
My husband pointed at the frolicking, tri-colored fuzzball. “Look, she’s the same breed as Asta. You love the Thin Man movies. Don’t you want your own little Asta?”
So I caved like a house of cards. Admittedly, she was completely and utterly precious. Primarily white, she had classic wire-haired black and tan markings, luminous brown eyes, and a perfect little nose that appeared to be made out of black licorice. She was so affectionate we named her “Baci,” which is Italian for “kisses.”
Our Baci Girl in a calm moment. There weren’t many!
And then reality set in. Wire-hairs were bred to find rats, which meant that she loved to dig up the yard looking for vermin. She also had a high prey drive—she chased anything that moved, which occasionally included humans. She was active and excitable; at the sound of the doorbell, she would jump up on all fours as though she had springs on her paws, occasionally causing her to vomit all over the kitchen floor. Finally, she was an inveterate escape artist. If you weren’t vigilant, she’d streak past your feet right out the door and scamper away. As a result, she was known throughout the neighborhood. One year, she escaped on Christmas morning, and still in my PJs, I had to run outside to track her down.
And it was this particular quality that I endowed on Willie, the doggie in my book. The main character, Victoria, and her date Tim are dressed as Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man movies, and they borrow Willie to complete their look as Asta. But Willie has other ideas. On Mischief Night, he slips his collar and takes off down the boardwalk, leading Vic and Tim on a merry chase—and into a murder. So while the late, lamented Baci did cause all kinds of trouble, she’s never sniffed out a corpse. As far as I know, that is …
About Rosie Genova
Bestselling and award-winning author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The inspiration for her cozy series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, comes from her deep appreciation for Italian food, her affinity for the New Jersey seaside, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. A former journalist and teacher, Rosie also writes women’s fiction and suspense. The proud mama of three grown sons, she still lives in her favorite state with her husband and a charming mutt named Lucy.
Author Links
Website: http://www.rosiegenova.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6462450.Rosie_Genova
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rosiegenova
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rosie-genova
Purchase Link – Amazon
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Minestrone Mischief TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 24 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
October 24 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
October 25 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
October 25 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 25 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
October 26 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 26 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 26 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 27 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 27 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 27 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 28 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 28 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
October 28 – Elza Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 29 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
October 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, RECIPE POST
October 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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Hi Christy,
Thanks so much for having me today!
Rosie
You’re welcome! I enjoyed your guest post!
The book cover and book title make me want to read this book!
This was a lovely guest post! I have a 5 month old wirehaired terrier (who did an interview with Rosie) and she sounds just like Bacci…. Gosh she’s naughty and busy, but we love her sooooo much.
Thanks for sharing the guest post!
Elza Reads