Here Comes the Body: 08/26/20

Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico is the start of the Catering Hall mystery series. Set in Queens, it follows Mia Carina as she returns home to manage her father's new business venture. He has mob ties but this business is legit and Mia is there to make sure it stays that way.

Mia's first gig is a bachelor party. A woman who had earlier in the day been trying to scam her father ends up dead at the bottom of the pop-out cake. Next to her body is a check for a million dollars. Mia and everyone else there knows it's a frame job. But can she convince the police of this and help them solve the murder?

I am enjoying the Millennial trend in mysteries where the main character is returning home for reasons other than a murdered loved one. I love how family plays an active role in their lives — and not one that is built over the course of the series out of introduced and reoccurring characters.

I loved the setting — a traditionally Catholic, Greek and Italian neighborhood in Queens. The street Mia lives on is struggling with gentrification. The older neighbors are moving out, many convinced to do so by a shrewd realtor.

I listened to the audiobook, read by Devon Sorvari. She does an excellent job with the various accents and Italian dialog. I chuckled every time Mia grumbled, "But Queens is the City."

The next book is Long Island Iced Tina. It releases February 23, 2021.

Five stars

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