Sarah Can't Stop Reading

Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico! Today we are featuring a review of book five in this cozy mystery series. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! It’s a great way to add books to your TBR! There is also a Rafflecopter Giveaway for a print copy of The Witless Protection Program (open to US only). 

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
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496744624
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496744623
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9W8W668

About the Book:

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!

My Review:

I love The Catering Hall Mystery series so much, and book five might just be my very favorite of all. (Side note to readers new to this series – I listened to books one through four, and they are outstanding on audio! If you’re new to the series, I encourage you to start with book one even though you don’t have to–they are just so great, why would you want to miss out?!) 

Mia’s most wished for wedding day to the handsome and caring Shane is fast approaching, but will it actually happen when Adam, her thought to be dead con-artist husband reappears in her life?! And then Adam disappears. Can Mia’s crime-adjacent family find him alive so Mia can get a quick divorcé? 

What follows is a fast-paced, funny mystery with wonderful characters. I absolutely loved being with Mia and her devoted friends and family as they worked to solve the mystery and pull together Mia’s dream wedding in a short amount of time. Some scenes are so funny that I found myself laughing out loud as I read. Even when a few characters make some less than stellar choices, I couldn’t help but love them and their buffoonery. 

Along with the characters, the neighborhood and other settings are so well written that I felt like I was right there with Mia, munching on cookies made by her Nonna. I’ve found this with the entire series–as soon as I start reading, I immediately fall into the story and setting and don’t want to leave. Actually, I’ve found this with all of Maria DiRico’s (pseudonym for Ellen Byron) writings. She is definitely a must-read author. Fans of cozy mysteries with laugh-out-loud mob moments will adore this series. 

About the Author:

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

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

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here