Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery)
by Maria DiRico
The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – New York
Kensington Cozies (March 26, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback : 304 pages
Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family’s Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough’s premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier—except her boyfriend proposing. There’s just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way . . .
A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . .
While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family. Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .
Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .
Italian recipes included!
Character Guest Post: SHANE GAMBRAZZO
People often ask me how I went from being a male model who travels the world for photo shoots to the retail manager at Belle View Banquet Manor, a catering facility in the New York City borough of Queens. I see the expressions on their faces. It’s not like curiosity. It’s like… ARE YOU INSANE????WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???
The thing is, being a model isn’t as much fun as people assume it is. You think I liked having some makeup artist cover my entire body with foundation so I could pose in a Speedo on a ski jump in the middle of winter because an ad guy decided it would be a cool shot? Let me tell you, that shoot was cool in the literal way. Freezing. Can you say “hypothermia?”
Also, when you’re a model, you may be surrounded by lots of beautiful people and people who love beautiful people, but that gets old fast. I mean, it’s not like I wanna have a conversation about the pros and cons of nuclear energy, but I wouldn’t mind talking about something besides what color Pantone will choose as Color of the Year.
I will say I learned a lot from my modeling days that helps me do my current job. But not from my modeling work; I learned from what I did during my off hours, which was party. When you’re a model, boy, do doors fly open for you. And behind those doors, you find pretty much the same thing you find at any great event: music, food, and drinks. Sure, the champagne may cost a grand a bottle at a party in Milan versus the bulk rate I get for a wedding at Belle View but a good time is a good time. And that’s all we want for our guests: to have a wedding-sweet sixteen-anniversary they’ll never forget.
Notice I said “we.” My new career comes with a bonus I did not foresee. My boss, Mia Carina, also happens to be the love of my life. Who needs a life of private jets and hanging out with one percenters when you can curl up on a plastic-encased sofa in an Astoria two-family house with your dream girl?
One not-so-little problem, though. Mia and I thought she was a widow. Her cheating S.O.B. of a husband disappeared in the ocean off Miami and was declared dead. But it turns out this is not the case. Adam Grosso is very much alive.
At least, for now…
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Shane Gambrazzo
Did you know you can go from New York to Miami, then from Miami to Los Angeles, and then from L.A. back to NYC in twenty-four hours?
Yeah, I didn’t either. Until I did it.
Here’s the story. My girlfriend Mia – wait, SPOILER ALERT! She’s my fiancée now. Un-fricking-believable. If you’d told my wild friends from my modeling days that I’d be engaged to my boss at the catering hall in Queens where I’m the operations manager, they’d say, “Pisane, what are you on and should we call someone because you are out of your mind!”
Lemme just say that I became the number one suspect in a murder, and if I was arrested and then convicted, it would’ve put a serious cramp in our future plans as man and wife. Since we both have seriously bad first marriages in our background, Mia and me were not gonna let anything get in the way of getting it right the second time. NYPD is a great law enforcement agency but let’s face it, they got a lot on their plate. So, helping to clear the name of the fiancé to the daughter of a mobster (reformed, BTW) was not exactly a top priority for them. Which meant it was up to my girl and me to do a little investigating on our own.
We uncovered clues that led us to Miami, which was tough on Mimi because it was where she lived with her two-timing, S.O.B. of a first husband. We did pick up some important clues there, but it turned out the only way to pursue them was to fly to Los Angeles. We jumped on a flight from Miami to LaLaLand and thanks to a three-hour time difference, we got to the west coast by late afternoon, early evening. But get this… We land at LAX – and people, lemme tell you, if you think the airport where you live is bad, fly into LAX and you will kiss the ground of your airport. Trust me.
Anyway, we land at LAX and Mia gets a call from Pete Dianopolis, the NYPD detective working the case. Turns out he knew the answers we were looking for in Los Angeles, so we didn’t need to fly there after all! Marrone. But since I spent some time in the city during my modeling days, I used the time to take Mia out to dinner in Malibu and watch the sunset over the Pacific. Believe me, we earned a little romance time.
Then we caught a redeye back to New York… where we were met by the police, who informed us there was another murder. Well, at least they know this time that there’s no way on earth I did it. Because I wasn’t on earth – I was in the air!
About Maria DiRico
Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award-winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is a first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father’s side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother’s family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She’s a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Author Links – Website – Chicks on the Case – Facebook – Twitter
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –Bookshop.org – Kensington
Enter the giveaway
The Witless Protection Program TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 25 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – Elicia’s Book Haven – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 25 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
March 26 – The Mystery of Writing – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 26 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 27 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading – REVIEW
March 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
March 28 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 28 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
March 29 – Books to the Ceiling – PODCAST – SPOTLIGHT- EXCERPT
March 29 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 30 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
March 30 – MJB Reviewer – SPOTLIGHT
March 31 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
March 31 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
April 1 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
April 1 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 2 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
April 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 3 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW – EXCERPT
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I love Mia and Shane and can hardly wait to find out what happens. It was nice to see Shane in the spotlight. He is a good guy and Mia deserves a happily ever after. Adam wasn’t exactly husband of the year and it seemed like his death opened the way for Mia to get a much better 2nd chance with Shane. so naturally Adam turns out to be alive after all just to mess things up lol. This book is going to be so good!
Sue, thank you so much!! I think you’ll enjoy it!
Thanks for hosting me, Christy! The post looks great. 🙂
You’re welcome! Thanks for Shane’s post!
This sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading.
This looks like a funny in book to read ,the title reminds me of The Witless Protection Program movie with Larry The Cable Guy.
Terrific cover
Great giveaway! Love the cover. This looks like a great read that is just what I enjoy.
I love the cover & title!