I'm a huge fan of this author's other series written under the name Ellen Byron because of my Cajun connections. So, of course, I wanted to check out a new series and was intrigued by the family with mob connections. Let's just say it makes for some humorous situations sprinkled throughout when people learn who Mia's father is and his connections.

Mia arrives back in Astoria to assist her father in running a legitimate business - a catering hall. The building has seen better days but has a lot of potential despite being so close to La Guardia airport. Mia is basically thrown into the deep end as she takes over several events that lead to deadly results. Considering who her father is, he does not escape scrutiny by the police. Clues and red herrings are peppered throughout the story and had me stumped and I did not figure out who the criminals really were in this case.

This series is going to be a lot of fun and I already like Mia's brother Posi who is trying to go viral as a sexy convict. It isn't working but gotta give him an A for effort! Mia's grandmother and the "army" are a hoot especially when it comes to the Virgin Mary statues in their yards. Don't mess with their statues. Then there is a past love with Jamie who keeps ending up as Mia's Uber driver. Sure he has a girlfriend, but I'm thinking that relationship might fizzle in future books.

There are some delicious recipes at the end of the book worth trying out next time I have time to experiment.

We give this book 5 paws up and look forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed reading this first book in a new series and hope to read many more. The mystery and characters were worth the read

This first-in-series was a well-written, entertaining mystery with just the right amount of humor. Protagonist Mia and her family and coworkers are realistic and fun to read about. She's compelled to investigate a murder when her dad, Ravello, is a suspect with ties to the victim and former ties to the mob. The mystery wasn't easy for me to solve, though I enjoyed suspecting nearly everyone at some point. The story moves at a good pace and I didn't find any tedious or boring spots anywhere.

I'm loving this new series by Maria DiRico aka Ellen Byron! Looking forward to many more books in this series!

I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I'm always looking for new authors. What I liked most about this book is how it was different from most cozy mysteries. The mob connection was refreshing, there were characters with flaws, but they were human flaws. The main characters mean well, and are not angry people, they take care of their employees like they are family. Family is important. While the Italian references were a little over the top, they were an entertaining parody.
For the first book in a series, the story move along at a good pace and didn't get bogged down in background information.
Hopefully, grandma Elizabetta and the Army will have expanded appearances in future stories. She was such an enjoyable addition and so much fun can be had with her.
I look forward to the next installment.

New series debut is an absolute delight. In fact, my only quibble is how long must I wait for the next one to be published. Within a few pages, I was captivated by Mia Carina, newly single after her unfaithful husband disappears and is presumed dead. Luckily for Mia, she was cleared, even though she had to endure being tabloid fodder for awhile. Of course, she was used to notoriety being the the daughter of Ravello Casino ...of The Family. Returning to Queens, she starts work at an event venue being managed by her father in his attempt to go legit. The first event includes a body inside a cake and Mia is on the case to keep the venue open and keep her father's name cleared. The heroine and mileau are fresh. I'm fact, all the characters are engaging. Plot was sufficiently complex to keep you guessing. About halfway through, I discovered the author is a pseudonym for another one of my cozy favorites, Ellen Bryon. Keep them coming whichever name you are writing under, and I will keep reading!

Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico is the 1st book in A Catering Hall Mystery series, and it is off to a good start. Mia family is tied to the mob, and when Mia's cheating husband goes missing, the Florida's police suspect her and her family, so she returns home to New York City. Mia had to leave her old job, and she is now helping her father in his catering hall. At Mia first event, a bachelor party, a women is found dead in the cake, she was suppose to jump out of. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next book in the series and watching the series grow.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My first visit to Queens. I met up with Mia who had recently moved back from Florida after her cheating husband goes missing in a boating accident. She explained she was going to be working for Belle view banquet hall...not to be mistaken for Bellevue the psych hospital also in New York. Her father a self-proclaimed former mob enforcer acquired the building as payment for gambling debts. He insisted much to Mia’s delight he was “going straight”. Mia is going to manage the events, and I accompanied her to her first official gig. It was a bachelor party for a groom who Mia described as quite the lech. There was also a anniversary party the same night, and a lot of hustle and bustle between the two events. Things were going very smoothly when we got word that the woman who was supposed to pop out of the cake at the bachelor party...well.... didn’t. It’s hard to make an appearance when you have been murdered. Alongside the body is a check for a million dollars signed by Mia’s father Ravello. Things became even more complicated when Mia explained the victim had been into bell view a few days earlier claiming her father owed her money for a “date”. Mia and I decided we needed to figure out what happened before her dad either was sent back to prison with her brother or went back to the “family”.

My thoughts:
I love the mob (movies, books, tv, you name it), and I really wanted to love this book, but I thought it was just ok. The cover is great, but I thought the books topic just wasn’t the best for a cozy theme. It fell in between not being violent enough for a mob topic, and not being cozy enough for a cozy.

I did love the spunky grandmother! I also liked Mia’s character as the sleuth. I thought she was independent and smart. She didn’t make some of the bad choices, and put herself in dangerous situations that amateur sleuths often fall prey to. I also thought the author did a great job with the mystery. There were lots of red herrings which kept me guessing...never did figure it out...well never figured it out correctly. Nicely done Maria...nicely done! I thought there were some very funny elements to the story. Being the sucker that I am for quirky elderly characters...I loved the brief mention of Nonna’s “army”....a group of elderly women who get together to gossip...I mean power walk...power walk. I also thought Mia’s brother Posi trying to go viral as a hot convict was hilarious. For these reasons I will be giving this series another shot and will be awaiting book two.

In the meantime I’m going to go try one of the delicious sounding recipes included in the book...probably eggplant parmigiana...Arrivederci!


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Maria DiRico, and the publisher for this opportunity.

A teddy bear of a mobster trying to stay on the straight and narrow. A daughter recovering from a disastrous end to a problematic marriage, coming home to work with her dad at a rundown catering hall in Queens. A true Italian nonna who is delightfully endearing even with all her spitfire feistiness. A mob Family you can’t really ever leave. A murder at a bachelor party. All of these ingredients – combined with a host of other colorful supporting characters (Cammie!) – add up to a fun, if a bit edgy, new cozy mystery.

Mia is a character I liked immediately – she’s very multi-dimensional, and the author reveals new layers to Mia’s story as the plot unfolds. I also loved her father Ravello and her grandmother. Both characters are vividly-drawn and full of personality, and they helped us see Mia in different lights as well as advanced the story in their own ways. Another highlight of this book is the Astoria neighborhood where Mia and her grandmother live – the camaraderie, the diversity, the friendly (sort-of lol) rivalries, the Army (a bunch of elderly ladies) who power-walk (gossip) regularly, and the clear respect by the author for these kind of long-established neighborhoods. It made me long to live somewhere like that too.

The plot is full of twists and turns and red herrings, as Mia deals with all the craziness of event planning in a catering hall owned by the mob even as she also tries to clear her father’s name in the murder. It’s well-developed and nicely thought out, and while I wasn’t surprised by the ending necessarily I also didn’t have it figured out until the reveal was nearly upon us.

Bottom Line: Colorful and quirky characters give this book its heart, and I’m looking forward to keeping up with this motley crew as the series continues. It took a bit for me to assure myself that I was indeed reading the first book, since Mia’s backstory often read like it was summing up something I was expected to already be familiar with. Still, overall I enjoyed the tone of the book and the stage it sets for future installments of the Catering Hall Mysteries.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Holy macanoli a cozy mystery with MOB connections. It was awesome! A fun mystery with some over the top characters and it even includes recipes which is always a total plus with me!

The main character Mia bless her heart you can't help but love her with all her quirkiness. Poor thing has moved back to help with the "family business" the new business that is; after she's been cleared of her own husbands death/disappearance only to have a body with ties to her ex-mob father show up in a catering job cake! Ohhh let the fun begin now as Mia has to fight tooth and nail to clear her father and save the family business.

I didn't want this book to end! Mia Carina, daughter of Ravello Carina, a "Family" man, has moved back to Queens under somewhat of a cloud since her husband is missing and presumed dead. She has been cleared of suspicion, but can never be truly free of it until his body is found. Mia is all about family, has a heart of gold, but is feisty too. I loved her as well as her Dad, her Grandmother "Little Mussolini," Jamie, and her co-workers especially Evans. He is very intriguing and I can't wait to see what the Evans character does in future books. The mystery came together and was well thought out. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this story. It had a little different story line with the mob involved. How cool is that? I don’t know if I would want to be well known by prison guards but it was interesting and gives you a different aspect as what general opinion might be. I do like stories with great family dynamic. I love Mia, Ravello, and Elisabetta. Elisabetta and friends, what fun they would be to hang out with! What a fun place Belle View could be to work at. I don’t think it would ever be boring, as you can see from this story. I hope I can hang with Mia and friends and family again. Oh, there are also some yummy recipes included. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

What a perfect and brilliant start to a great new series! There is a wonderful sense of anticipation about beginning a new series and this one was no exception. I'm a great fan of cozy mysteries so when I saw Here Comes the Body (A Catering Hall Mystery) by author Ellen Byron, writing as Maria DiRico, being launched, I knew I had to read it.

In this cozy-style mystery, newly single Mia Carina has returned to her hometown of the bustling Astoria, Queens, New York City, after her adulterous husband, Adam Grosso’s, mysterious disappearance to work in the family business. Mia is starting work at Belle View, her dad’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and the like. She takes on the job of planning a bachelor party but then disaster strikes and the celebrations are halted. A gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed. With the police taking an interest in Mia's dad's new business, Mia decides to do some sleuthing of her own...

In the opening chapter, we are introduced to enthusiastic Mia who although street-wise, has never done any detective work before. Her natural curiosity gets the better of her so she decides to play amateur detective. I immediately warmed to Mia, finding her ebullience, confidence and intuitiveness very refreshing.

Here Comes the Body was certainly a very different style of cozy for me with its mob influences and New York City setting. While these elements of the story offer something slightly unusual and novel, they are mainly there to help fill in the background. The plot was well thought-out and I very much appreciated Maria DiRico's superb and varied characterisation, even though some of the characters weren't particularly personable. Being the first book in a new series, the reader gets to know the main characters pretty well, but there is still plenty of room for growth. Apart from Mia herself, my favourite was probably Nonna Elisabetta, a true Italian believing that food can solve any of life's problems. She, along with her friends, added another dimension of humour to the story and had me cracking a smile or two.

Maria DiRico writes with such flair and an easy style. Also admirable were the depictions of the setting. There was a plethora of suspects to choose from who might have had the motive to kill and I enjoyed the way in which Mia evaluated the information acquired from her poking around.

I appreciated the sub-plot that incorporated Mia's personal life, running parallel with the murder investigation. All in all, this was a story that held my attention well and I loved that things came together for a great, logical resolution. Being a culinary cozy, there are some delicious sounding recipes at the end along with a fun party idea. I am eagerly anticipating what Maria DiRico has in store for Mia and her family and acquaintances next. It would be a mistake to overlook this excellent début!

Reading Here Comes the Body has tempted me to take a look at the Cajun Country Mystery series written under the name of Ellen Byron. Book #1 in that series is entitled 'Plantation Shudders.'

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books

This is a great start to what is hopefully a long series to come. It was refreshing, engrossing with a very good whodunnit. The character of Mia was well developed and there is so much potential for a wonderful series. Mia moves back to New York from Florida to help her father run a banquet hall in queens. Cue in a murder during their first event and you have a good beginning throw in a second murder halfway and you have a great whodunnit and a big Why? Add to the mix the fact that her father is a mobster and she was a suspect in the disappearance of her husband and you have all the makings of a great mystery and new series. I highly recommend this book for lovers of cozy mysteries. You will love all the characters!!!

Ellen Byron's Cajun Country Mystery series is one of my favorites and so when I found out the author was writing another series under a different name I had to check it out! Although not a favorite yet, it was a decent start to a new series.

Mia Carina has moved back home after enduring a horrible ordeal. Her husband has gone missing and they think she had something to do with it. Now that they are no longer looking at her as a suspect she moved back home to help her father who is trying to make the Belle View event center a legit business. Her father was working for his mobster friend but is now wanting to leave that behind and just concentrate on the new business and Mia is all for that so wants to help make it work.

Their first big event was a bachelor party and when the lady doesn't jump out of the cake Mia finds a dead body in the cake and it wasn't the stripper. It happens to be a lady who had early came in and accused her father of not paying for her services of which her father swears he didn't use. So of course he is going to be the one person they look at as a suspect because of his mob connections.

Mia has to put on her sleuthing hat and try and figure out who else might have wanted the call girl dead. She believes her father when he said that he didn't know her and she soon finds out the groom and his friend knew the lady as well as some others. 

I like Mia and her family and think they will be fun to get to know as more books come out. I also really enjoyed the mystery as it even had me stumped for a while along with Mia. I think I started to figure some of it out the same time the MC did. 

Though not a new favorite I thought it was a decent first in series book and if you enjoy cozies check it out. I will be looking forward to the next one.

Phew! What a start to this new series if the follow on ones are a good as this I will be hard put to give anything but over 5 out of 5 as a rating!

Mia Carina left Astoria about 4 years ago when she married, it turns out that her whirlwind romancing husband was a cad of the first order but even so disappearing from a boat leaving his then girlfriend and Mia a suspect in his murder! When she was no longer a suspect in that she headed back home, took over the upstairs of her Nonna's house and took a job as the assistant manager at the Belle View catering hall. When she arrives for her first day things start to happen, a hooker claims that Mia's father Ravello owes her money, there will be two parties coming up, a stag night and a 50th wedding, the groom has a groom'smotherzilla but that is (hopefully) easy to deal with, the stag night doesn't go off without a hitch when the stripper doesn't jump out of the cake .... err only it isn't the stripper as she has just arrived, it is the hooker and there is a knife in her and a cheque signed by Ravello! Now he is in the cross hairs of the police, Mia's brother is still in jail and she is the only one of the Family that can sort this out.

Add in the fun happenings around her Nonna's neighbourhood, the fact that one of the chefs seems to be keeping an awful lot hidden, Mia needing to make sure that people still book the Belle View, and there is a LOT more on her plate than Lasagne!

Here Comes the Body is a fun start to a new cozy series. I liked the main character and found the storyline entertaining.

Mia Carina goes back to NYC after her cheating husband disappears. She moves in with her grandmother and goes to work for her formerly mob-connected father in the catering hall he is managing. When the first bachelor party Mia plans turns out to have a dead woman in the cake, her father, with his shady past, comes under suspicion. Mia is determined to prove her father innocent by finding the killer.

I really enjoyed some of the secondary characters in this book, especially Mia's grandmother, Elisabetta, her cat, Doorstop, her dad, Ravello, and her friend, Jamie. I'm looking forward to finding out what happened to her husband in future books, and to seeing if her friendship with Jamie will go anywhere else.

I've really enjoyed this author's books under the Ellen Byron name, and I'm happy that she has this promising series under the Maria DiRico name.

This first book in a new series by Maria DiRico, who also writes as Ellen Byron, is off to a wonderful start. Mia Carrina, the protagonist, has returned home to Queens, NY, leaving her past behind as a person of interest in the disappearance of her two-timing husband. Mia is looking forward to working with her father, Ravello, Manager of the Bell View Banquet Manor as an Event Coordinator. Proud that her father has chosen to leave behind his ties with the “Family” and make a go as a respectable business manager, Mia gets behind him 100 percent, until a murder happens at the banquet hall casting suspicion on her father. Knowing her father was not responsible, Mia sets out to clear her father’s name and save the banquet hall from closure.

This delightful story featuring a catering hall is a new take in the cozy genre. Ms. DiRico draws upon her Italian roots to write wonderful characters that are vaguely reminiscent of various family members. As we are introduced to several characters of Mia’s family and friends, we are given a glimpse of future stories for this series. There are enough suspects to keep you guessing, with twists and turns to unravel like a plate of pasta, laugh out loud moments and suspenseful ending. Add in a couple bonus recipes at the end, and This entertaining series will have you coming back for a second helping. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I received this advanced reader’s copy book from GoodReads, Kensington Books, and Netgalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico is a story about an Italian mobster trying to have a legit business with his daughter.

Can this Italian mobster's daughter get Belle View Catering Manor to be successful?

Mia Carina
Messina Carina know to everyone as Mia, is the youngest daughter of a mobster for the Italian mob, and may have an actual Godfather as her godfather. Mia came home from Flordia when her husband seemed to have disappeared, and no one can find the body. Instead of thinking that it was her dad's connection to the Family, she just came home to help her dad finally become a legitimate businessman. But that has it downfalls as the Belle View Catering Manor has had a string of bad things happening.

What I like about Mia is that she tells people as she sees it, and she can see through people's BS. Another thing that I like about Mia is that despite everything that stacked against her father, she still knew in her heart that he didn't kill anyone.

The Mystery
Mia and her staff found a dead body in the cake that was supposed to house the stripper for a bachelor party. Instead of the stripper, they found the woman that was making accusations that her dad slept with her. Let's just say that Mia has her hands full trying to solve that crime, get a reporter off her dad's back, and get a certain detective that has the hots for her best friend actually to do his job.

Five Stars
I think that Ms. DiRico has an excellent new series on her hands with this book. I loved reading it a lot. The whole mob connection had me laughing. I also liked that Mia translated some words in Italian or whatever language it was in. Either by her translating it or them saying what they meant in the next sentence again helped a lot. Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico gets a five-star rating and a recommendation to everyone that loves cozy mysteries that has recipes in it.

Speaking of which, don't forget to check out the delicious recipes in the back of the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico.

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

HERE COMES THE BODY by Maria DiRico
The First Catering Hall Mystery

When her cheating husband goes missing, Mia Carina becomes a person of interest, partly because she's the aggrieved wife and even more so because of her mob connections. Once out from under suspicion this Queens girl leaves Florida and returns home to Astoria and her Family. While Belle View Catering Hall is under the auspices of the Boldano Family, her father is running it as a legitimate business and Mia aims to help him keep it that way. But when a dead body turns up during a bachelor party, police immediately suspect Ravello. Mia will have to use her street smarts and Family connections to keep the business afloat and prove her dad's innocence.

I'm not sure what it is about the mob that's so fascinating, but its appeal can't be denied. I absolutely love this book! Mia is a fantastic protagonist, she's tough and no nonsense, but also shows a vulnerability. One of my favorite things about the book is the Astoria neighborhood. Mia's nonna and her army of aging residents are a delight from their holiday decor one-upmanship, "traditional" furnishings (plastic slipcovers, anyone?), and food, plenty of home cooked food, be it Italian or Greek. Mia's brother is also a hoot, trying to be a viral hot con, while doing another prison stint. Add her father's soft side and his intimidating boss, and you have a Family to die for.

From wacky characters with heart, villains you love to hate, and comedic touches to keep you laughing HERE COMES THE BODY is the crème de la crème of cozy mysteries.

Whenever an author uses a pseudonym, no matter how good the book is, I feel let down. What I thought was a freshman effort from an unknown author turns out to be not her first rodeo afterall.

Disappointed, but at the same time, delighted in a new premise and series that has a bevy of wonderful characters and a setting that isn’t overused. Yes, it is New York, but cozies don’t usually come with their own “Family” connections. “Connections” that have Mia both using and running from her family “ties” and trying to encompass all the qualities that her mother, father, and Nonna have given her.

When bodies start piling up at Belle View, a local catering and party venue, Mia must separate her love for her father from the fact that people want to shut them down by spreading horrible lies about a man who is trying to walk away from his past so he can create a new future for his daughter. Easier said than done, and when you have Nonna, and her army of women on 46th Street, Astoria, as both back up and antagonists, Mia is left with no choice but to fight for the truth, no matter where it leads.

Maria DiRico, or is it Ellen Bryon, introduces her readers to a gaggle of delightful character that will appeal to a wide audience. There are many stories still to be told and I look forward to hearing each and every one of their stories.