I loved the first book in this series and I liked this one even if I found it less fun to read.
It was great to meet again the likable and quirky cast of characters and see their evolution. They were interesting and funny.
The mystery was solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. The book is well-written; it is strongly situated within an Italian Catholic family and community. The religion plays a large role in the book. The murders are well-crafted and the characters are believable and likable. I'm not a huge fan of this much religion in my cosy mysteries so this isn't really to my laste. The author writes well and develops her characters. The plot line is well done and the resolution is also clear.

Murder in Tranquility Park by J. D. Griffo is the 2nd book in Ferrara Family Mystery series, and a great addition. Alberta inherited a lake house in Tranquility, New Jersey from her aunt, where she now lives. When a body is found in Tranquility Park, her granddaughter Jinx, sister Helen, and sister-in-law Joyce set out to solve the mystery. Jinx is a reporter, who is looking for a break on a big case. This book had so many twists and turns, I couldn't put it down. While I enjoyed the first book in the series, this one was better. I found this book very interesting, and full of colorful characters. Not only is there a good mystery, the plot and characters are well developed. I strongly recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading their next adventure. 


I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Tranquility Park is not so tranquil! Alberta and her granddaughter Jinx are out for a jog when they find the body of Jonas, who, as it turns out, has been poisoned! Love the relationship between these two. Jinx's roommate Nola is a suspect so of Course they must investigate- along with Helen and Joyce. Nola's relationships with Jonas and with Kichiro, a detective, raise many questions. This family of women are fun. They are also sometimes a bit over the top but it's a neat read. There are twists, turns, another murder, and a plot line that will keep you reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You'll be fine with this as a standalone. I'm looking forward to the next one!

amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, women-sleuths, murder, mystery

The Ferrara lady sleuths are very Sicilian Catholic older widow Alberta and her granddaughter Jinx, Alberta's ex-nun sister Helen, and formerly sister in law a former Wall Street executive Joyce. Alberta and the health conscious Jinx go out for a morning jog in Tranquility park and find a decidedly dead body at the base of an old tree with a tree house but no ladder. While Jinx calls police, Alberta calls the other Ferrara sleuths. Enter Alberta's childhood friend and Chief of Police, Vinny, and his preferred detective Kichiro who appears to be the boyfriend of Jinx's roommate. From here on things only get messier and twisty complete with red herrings and improbable suspects! A great read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Alberta, grandmother, and Jinx, granddaughter, discover the dead body of Jonas Harper on an early morning run in Tranquility Park. However, before calling Vinny, the police chief, they call Joyce and Helen, the other two members of the Ferrara Family Detective Agency to announce they have a new case and to come to the crime scene right away.

Off to a quick start, the second Ferrara Family Mystery is filled with red herrings and twists as the four women delve into Jonas’ past trying to figure out who wanted him dead. A second murder, police detective Kichiro Miyahara, confounds everyone until it is revealed that he was having an affair with school principal Sharon Basco who had been stalked by Jonas Harper years earlier.

The four Ferrara women work well together, bringing their own unique perspective to each case. Alberta, 64, just inherited her house on Memory Lake, where she spent summers, along with millions from her Aunt Carmela so she moved to be closer to friends and family. Jinx, 25, is a budding reporter for the local newspaper. Joyce, her sister-in-law, is retired from Wall Street. And Helen, her sister, recently left the convent and lives on her own. The fifth member of the agency is Gina Lollobrigida (aka Lola) Alberta’s black cat, always close to her owner.

The story is complicated but author J. D. Griffo keeps the pace moving and interaction among the characters interesting. The prose is nicely flavored with references to being Italian and includes a section from the Ferrara Family Kitchen that offers recipes.

This is the second book in the Ferrara Family Detective Agency series and it's just as enjoyable as the first one. Alberta, aged 64, lives in the house left to her (for reasons unknown) by her aunt, along with a very large chunk of change. She is settling in well in this small New Jersey town, one she knew well growing up. Now she, along with her sister, Helen (a former nun - why she left is her secret), Joyce, her sister-in-law (a larger than life flamboyant lady) and last, but not least, Alberta's 20 something granddaughter Jinx. All of these wonderful women are starting a new chapter in their lives and have found that they have a knack for investigation and solving murders. Vinnie is the chief of police and is a childhood friend of Alberta. He resorts to, shall we say, raising his voice often when dealing with this gang but he does have respect for their insight. He just worries a lot that they will come to harm while snooping all over town.
Jinx has talked Alberta into getting into shape by jogging three days a week. The only thing Alberta finds as a plus in this endeavor is how much she really likes her new sports bra - no more underwires for her. On the morning of their 1 1/2 mile jog to the park and back homicide joins them. As they pass by a huge old tree, Alberta, for the first time, notices there is a tree house 10 feet up in the tree and no ladder. One the way back, they stumble upon the body of Jonas, a local drunk and it would appear that he fell out of the tree house. Alberta and Jinx see it otherwise, call in the rest of the ladies and then she calls Vinnie. Jinx goes into reporter mode, hoping that her boss at the local newspaper will let her cover the story without her having to beg for it. Alberta starts gathering clues that point to murder. The killer didn't figure on the victim being found by Alberta and with her keen eye and sharp mind.
This series has found its place on my list of must read mysteries. It has a well crafted mystery, multi faceted characters and just enough real life and humor to balance it out. Now I have to wait - eagerly - for the next mystery, Murder at Icicle Lodge, coming out November 26, 2019.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley, for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book. it feels complete, it's more than a cozy mystery. The characters are great and the story line flows nicely. #MurderInTranquilityPark #NetGalley

The mystery was very good. The main characters were interesting. I loved the idea of a family working together to solve the mystery. The only problem I had was that to me they always seemed to drink (a different flavored vodka) every time they got together to discuss the murders. The other issue I had was the hinting of some problem between Alberta and her daughter. This is the second book in the series, so it might have been addressed in the first book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the 2nd installment in the Ferrara family mystery series. Alberta takes up jogging at the request of her granddaughter Jinx. They are taking a jog in tranquility park when they see a treehouse and find underneath it a dead body. The assumption by the police is that this is an accident but Alberta suspects something else. Alberta and her sister Helen and sister in law Joyce along with Jinx begin investigating and even links in Jinx’s roommate Nola. This is a good solid and entertaining mystery with the theme of family and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Terrific tale with characters who live off the page. Love the relationships. The only thing to miss the mark were jinx and Freddy who act like teenagers in their foolishness (and is Freddy a stoner or what)

Murder in Tranquility Park by J. D. Griffo was an entertaining cozy with some very likable characters.

The plot is smoothly paced with red herrings, several suspects, enough twists to keep me guessing and a dramatic reveal that had me gripping my chair. This author is new to me but her descriptive writing pulled me write into the story. I liked Alberta, Helen, Joyce and Jinx as each one has a distinct personality that added so much flavor to the story as I got to know them. The small town setting, likable characters and an intricate mystery made this book a pleasant experience.

It’s the second outing for the Ferrara Family Detective Agency, featuring Alberta, the grandmother and Jinx, the grand daughter. They are aided by Helen and Joyce, Alberta’s sister and sister-in-law as they venture out to solve another murder in their quiet little area. The series also includes Vinnie, chief of police, who Alberta used to babysit when he was a child.
In MURDER IN TRANQUILITY PARK, the second in the Ferrara Family Mystery series by J. D. Griffo, Alberta has taken up jogging at Jinx’s urging and the two of them are out for their early morning jog through a local park. They see a treehouse neither one has spotted before and when they go over to investigate they find a dead body. The first thing they do is look around for clues, all while waiting for Vinnie to show up on the scene.
Along with the dead body, Jinx is trying to find out why her roommate Nola, who is now dating a member of Vinnie’s police force, is acting strangely. Alberta and Jinx’s investigation take them to the school where Nola teaches early one morning where they discover things that complicate the picture of what is going on in Nola’s life.
As the plot progresses, things become more complicated and less clear for everyone involved. Father Sal, who appeared in the first book in the series, makes an appearance again because of his past knowledge of the principal of Nola’s school. Questions arise about the now dead man and why Nola took out a restraining order against him only to vacate it days later, Nola’s principal’s odd behavior and previous acquaintance with the dead man, the equally odd behavior of Kichiro, the policeman Nola is dating, and how all these tie together, if they do.
The character’s are all well crafted, with each one being individual and having their own particular skills as well as flaws. The importance of family is a constant theme throughout the book, as well as a small, but constant, theme of the importance of faith. These come to the front whenever the action in the book takes a significant turn.
There are good clues and some excellent red herrings, although they were all easy for me to solve. It was enjoyable to read and see where my solutions were being supported and, in the end, to be proven correct. Overall, it was a light, breezy read, a good representative of the cozy genre. Although it is the second in the series, it is an independent story and there is no need to have read the first in the series in order to enjoy this one.
This is a good beach, train, plane, etc. read. It’s easy to pick up and put down without losing the threads of the story. The only disappointment I had was toward the end of the book when some character’s put themselves in harm’s way in an effort to increase the tension of the book. Also the unlikely behavior of the chief of police toward an individual under arrest (to say more would be a spoiler), create my two minor objections to the book.
If you are looking for an easy to read, gentle murder mystery, this one offers interesting characters along with some humorous activity.

Unfortunately this book just did not grab me. I found the main characters uninteresting and the writing style seemed disjointed.
It may appeal to others so I will not share my review publicly.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Murder in Tranquility Park by J.D. Griffo is the second book of the cozy Ferrara Family Mystery series. The twist to this cozy series is that you not only have one sleuth trying to solve the crime but several from a crazy Italian family full of laughs. Each book of the series has it’s own mystery to be solved so they can be understood as a standalone if choosing to do so.

In the first book of the series, Murder on Memory Lake, readers were introduced to Alberta Scaglione, a sixty something widow who couldn’t believe the news she received that her aunt had left everything in her will to Alberta including her house on Memory Lake in Tranquility, New Jersey. Alberta was joined by her granddaughter, Jinx who is a reporter, and her sister Helen and sister in law Joyce who all get involved in the crime solving.

Now in Murder in Tranquility Park Jinx and Alberta have decided to get healthy together and have taken up jogging in Tranquility Park only to yet again stumble upon a dead body. Despite the body being positioned under a treehouse looking to local law enforcement to be a simple accident Alberta immediately notices signs that point to murder so again the ladies find themselves tracking down a killer.

The Ferrara Family Mystery series is definitely one for those that enjoy an over the top quirky and hilarious vibe to their mysteries. This group of ladies are extremely likable and haven’t failed yet to put a smile on my face while reading. I love that the author took the idea of a cozy ordinary person investigating and turned it into a family affair. Definitely will be on the look out for more from this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Definitely a treat worth finding, so much fun to read with the fantastic characters and town. Look forward to more by this author.

Alberta and her granddaughter, Jinx, have taken up jogging to keep Alberta healthy. Out for an early morning job they find a local man dead at the bottom of a treehouse. It looks like he fell in a drunken stupor, but Alberta doesn’t believe it, she smells murder! The local sheriff believes it was just an accident, but has learned from past experience that Alberta and the ladies are often right, so he orders some tests to find the man was poisoned.

When Jinx’s roommate, Nola, is arrested for the murder Jinx vows to prove her innocence and the ladies begin detecting in earnest. Once out on bail, Nola makes things worse for herself and is arrested again when a local police officer is found murdered in the same spot, right after Nola called and asked to see him.

Eventually some detective and some old fashioned smarts from Alberta’s years of being able to read people and notice things brings it all together and things click. But will the ladies live long enough to share their findings with the sheriff?

I can just hear my Aunt Josie and her sister Anne speaking when I read this book. It takes me back to my childhood in New Jersey. For me the characters feel like family and I also too enjoy the dynamics between the ladies. An enjoyable read with a good mix of red herrings to keep you guess whodunit until close to the end.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I was excited by the vibrant color of the cover as well as the description.
It's always a treat to discover a new author that's writes aclean, concise story.

I received a free copy of MURDER IN TRANQUILITY PARK (A Ferrara Family Mystery Book 2) by J.D. Griffo in exchange for an honest review. Alberta Scaglione is settling into her new life in Tranquility, New Jersey. Alberta has even agreed to join her health-conscious granddaughter, Jinx, for morning jogs in the park; however, Alberta refuses to give up good Italian home cooking for tofu. One morning, Alberta sees a treehouse in the park for the first time. Intrigued, Alberta and Jinx run past only to stop cold as they discover a body at the base of the tree. When local police have to be persuaded to investigate the matter as a homicide, Alberta invokes the Ferrara Family Detective Agency.

I liked the book, the characters, and even the town. This is a group of people who would be extremely entertaining to know. I recommend the book. Since I haven’t read the first book, I look forward to doing so.

#MurderInTranquilityPark #NetGalley

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It was a great experience