Cover Image: Four Parties and a Funeral

Four Parties and a Funeral

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Member Reviews

Four Parties and a Funeral is the fourth book in the Catering Hall Mystery series. This is a fun series with shades of the New Jersey mafia in the past. Each book can be read as a standalone story, but I have enjoyed reading them all and meeting Mia Carina, her family and her friends. Mia runs her family's catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor and is surprised to find the newest event, a TV casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. Soon there are wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, some of them, Mia's friends hanging around the Belle View. With this group, there is constant infighting, jealousy and more, but the final straw leading to an investigation is the death/murder of the show's producer. Can Mia help find the killer before someone else ends up dead?

This was a fun story, with a lot of the stereotypes of Italian wannabe mafia types and their girlfriends flitting around. With one of Mia's friends falling for the new producer, Mia's boyfriend dropping a bombshell and her brother sneaking off from a work excursion organized by the local prison, there is a lot to keep her on her toes. This is a quickly moving story, with clues, red herrings and misdirection sprinkled into the story. I do enjoy the characters and the humor in these books, but I think this was my least favourite of the series so far. If you enjoy a humorous, cozy mystery, set in New York, then you might want to pick up the first book in this series and check it out, or start with this one.

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I have enjoyed the books I have read in the Catering Hall series. A great cozy mystery that has you laughing. And the reference to “The Family” has you reading the book with a certain accent. Mia is a great primary character and I enjoyed seeing the relationship with Shane develop. In fact, the characters are well developed and you will find yourself wanting to go to the Belle View Banquet Manor to see what it looks like. A unique view from the typical cozy mystery book but one I think you will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

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This 4th installment in the author's Catering Hall series is entertaining. Lots of fun, with great characters, many of them mob-related, though our sleuth, Mia Carina, runs the catering hall business as a legit business.

The secondary characters bring a lot to the table as well.

I don't particularly care for reality TV but setting this mystery involving a production company filming a mob-based reality TV show called the “Dons of Ditmars Boulevard" made this book quite enjoyable. Loved it!!

Highly recommended!!

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Four Parties and a Funeral, the fourth book in Maria DiRico’s Catering Hall Mystery series, is another winner. Fun and exciting from the opening pages, this is one book that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Mia Carina normally has a busy schedule running the Belle View banquet hall, but now she also has to balance those duties with the hectic calendar of a production company filming a reality television show about the “Dons of Ditmars Boulevard.” Add to that planning a bachelorette bash in New Orleans when the maid of honor abdicates her responsibilities to go to rehab, and it’s easy to see why Mia has her hands more than full. But things get even more complicated when a cast member is murdered and Mia adds catching a killer to her lengthy to-do list.

I love this series. Mia is a terrific character. She is smart, streetwise, and practical. Her family, with its tenuous connection with the “mob” is another story. Her Nonna, Elisabetta, is hysterical, as she foists crocheting projects in clashing colors on Mia and expects her to wear them. The subplot (and mystery) involving Shane added another layer to their relationship, while the trip to New Orleans for the bachelorette event had me vacationing vicariously. But my favorite subplot was the brief interlude involving Mia’s brother Posi. You’ll just have to read it to find out why. Finally, not to be outdone, the murder mystery was superb, with a literal cast of suspects, and motives that were varied and interesting, holding the suspense until the big reveal.

This is a series that gets stronger with each book. And Four Parties and a Funeral is no exception. It is a fantastic book! I am seriously looking forward to the fifth installment, The Witless Protection Program, which is scheduled to be released in March 2024.

Note: I received an ARC of Four Parties and a Funeral from NetGalley and Kensington Books. The above is my honest review.

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I may not have enjoyed the previous installment of this series as much as the first two books, mostly because the romance that the book ended with seemed abrupt and a little random. It popped out of nowhere and became something inevitable. This particular (fourth) book in the series managed to make me feel for the pair a little more, and once I accepted them as an established fact, I could relax and enjoy the story a little more this time around.
Our lead protagonist has spent a lot of time and effort to bring her father's legitimate business as far as she has. Mia is not happy when one of the groups vying (and paying) for time at the Belle View is the casting call for a reality show featuring dons and wannabe dons. The ethics of such a show is a little iffy, to say the least, and the kind of people it is gathering on location is not one that Mia wants to be constantly associated with.
The producers are an unlikely pair, and everyone on the team seems to have something to hide or want done their way. When one of the producers ends up dead, things start to heat up. Mia has some additional duties as well that she has to untangle while trying to figure out who did the actual killing.
There is a lot of action, and the final reveal is almost unimportant by the time the end rolls around. I liked the fact that the book picked up pace for me again, and I look forward to the next since I am sure there will be at least one more.
I recommend this series to fans of the genre but would not recommend jumping in at this point. At least the first two books are a must to get the lay of the land and know who everyone is and where they fit into the bigger picture.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

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This series is growing on me. I am really starting to enjoy the characters a lot more and having fun with it. I am not a huge reality tv type person though so the plot of this one fell a bit flat for me but I still enjoyed the characters.

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Princess Fuzzypants here: Days before the wedding of two of Mia’s best friends, the cast and crew of a mob based reality show descends on Belle View. Add murder into extreme high maintenance and you have a recipe for disaster. Combine the two groups and it only gets worse. And then have Mia switch roles from Brides Maid to Maid of Honour with all the responsibilities involved and Mia is about ready to kill someone too.

And that someone might be her boyfriend, whom she discovers, is married. Lies and machinations galore as Mia attempts to keep her sanity and stop more mayhem from overwhelming both the wedding and the show. Between the quirky regular characters and the over the top reality people, it is going to get crazy.

Four purrs and two paws up.

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Goombahs are everywhere! None of them are a welcome addition to Mia’s busy catering hall business. But when a reality show comes to town to film a new mob-based show, every wanna-be mobster in the city shows up. It is little wonder that someone ends up dead. It doesn’t take long for Mia and her crew to jump into the deep end, when the victim may only be the first in what is to come, and the wedding season could become the funeral season instead.

The cast of characters in this series are always lively. It is never difficult for readers to picture them, or their locations. The personalities hover between comic books to real life. The location of the catering hall is fun to think about, but I would like to see a broader range of locations in future volumes. Filming a reality show about goombahs is a hilarious idea and will keep readers smiling. The victim is not overly sympathetic but definitely gives off a godfather-style feel. No one is surprised when the killer is unveiled, and the motive is nothing unexpected. If readers enjoy a laugh with a side of snark, along with reality TV ridiculousness, they will love Four Parties and A Funeral. I enjoyed this addition but feel it's time for Mia and her family to find more excitement and less stereotypical madness.

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From the beginning, Mia knows a reality show about dons and donnettes (mafia) is not a good idea for her branch of the family - the not-mafia side. Mia has her hands full planning an initial meeting for the "stars" and crew for the show, a prom or two, and then a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and memorial service. Shane and Cammie help a lot and then there's Little Donny. The grandfather has already determined Donny won't fit on the illegal side of things and hopes Mia can find him a place.

Reality show tv production and someone's need to have a crisis in every scene make for a great backdrop for a mystery. Mia does her best to keep things under control but that's not always easy. Although Donny is the prime suspect for the murder, she's sure he's innocent and is determined to find the real killer or killers. Throw in grandmother's crochet creations, Shane's secrets, and the wedding party fiasco in New Orleans.

The story is engaging, the plot moves at a good pace, and characters are well-developed. Maybe because I'm not a fan of "reality" tv, I enjoyed this one. Four Parties and a Funeral is the fourth in the series. While readers of previous books learn more about Shane and others, the mystery is stand-alone and easily read on its own.

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This is the fourth book in the Catering Hall Mystery series and I always enjoy these shenanigan-rich tales. It was great to be back in bustling Astoria, Queens, New York City for a few hours, to meet the residents there and solve a perplexing mystery.

The primary amateur detective in this one is manager and events organiser Mia Carina. Belle View Banquet Manor is the catering hall that her father has created. This novel in the series is another super one. Maria DiRico is a talented writer and is always able to develop a great whodunit. The characters are brought to life with each and every word. I was really engaged in the mystery from the start. There is a lot happening and a lot of layers and clues to sift through. I continued to warm to Mia, finding her ebullience, confidence and intuitiveness very refreshing. This was a story that held my attention well and I loved that things came together for a clear resolution. Being a culinary cozy, there are some delicious sounding culinary treats within. The interesting growth for the series regulars cements my enthusiasm in anticipating what Maria DiRico has in store for Mia and her family and acquaintances next.

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

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Let me preface this by saying I had no idea this was the fourth book in a series already, so that could be some of my issue. I found the mystery to be interesting but the plot and characters overwhelming - I felt like I had to take detailed notes to keep the characters straight and t hat made it not as enjoyable.

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Four Parties And A Funeral
A Catering Hall Mystery, Book #4
Maria DiRico
5 Stars

Synopsis:

In this fresh and witty cozy mystery series set amid an extended Italian-American family in Astoria, Queens, catering hall owner and amateur sleuth Mia Carina must solve a murder on the set of a reality show.

The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .

Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . .

Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .

Italian recipes included!

Review:

Belle View has a number of books to host, including a casting call for a new reality show. The production company owner is counting on the fact that people will be interested in The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard and will make a good show. He did not plan on getting murdered but that is what happened. Now Mia has to figure who the murderer is before they strike again.

The writing flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the beginning. In my mind’s eye I was able to picture the television filming and all that entails. The mystery was well and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

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I was caught off guard by the unexpected twist in the book regarding the who-done-it since there seemed to be no prior indication of any communication between the characters involved. As a reader of amateur sleuth mysteries, I prefer to have some hints or clues. The sudden change, which had been running in a straight line with little sub-plotting, left me uncertain whether I liked it.

While Nonna made me chuckle, this book didn't quite hit the mark. The Cammie and Pete relationship felt overused, and Mia and Shane's relationship hiccup was boarding on "oh, poor me". The character of Pozi was entertaining, but I'm not sure what Maria DiRico can do to spice up the next installment. Some changes need to be made to keep the series fresh and engaging.

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This is book 4 in the Catering Hall mystery series. Could be read as a stand alone but need a little context from previous books. A mob family in Jersey is going to run a catering hall without mob influence. Mia is in charge and keeping all on the up and up till her uncle wants her to give his son a job. Nick has a spot on a new reality show featuring children of the mob and is actually pretty good at helping out at the hall. When the producer of the show is killed there are many suspects and to save the halls reputation Cam and her boyfriend keep the schedule of graduation parties, birthday parties etc and agree to cater the funeral. A good cozy.

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Mia Carena has a love interest, but they’re keeping it quiet since it’s a workplace romance, like no one suspects? Puh-leeze, it’s the worst kept secret ever! On the job, she’s in charge of keeping her father on the straight and narrow, running the Belle View catering hall as a legit business, not a mob front for money laundering. This month their special events are graduations, proms, and weddings. Any drama should be of the usual variety, nothing over the top, at least not anything that leads to a dead body.

There’s a new reality show filming in town, and they’ve hired the Belle View to cater. It sounds like fun until the show’s title is told: The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. Yes, a show about mobsters, and who better to portray mobsters than members of the Family. What could go wrong?

Little D, a mob son, needs a job but doesn’t want to work. What better place to put him than at the catering hall. It might have been a good idea if he hadn’t fallen for the producer, who is the ex-wife of the CEO of the film company—and who is on the set.

In her personal life, besides the love interest, Mia’s friend Jamie is marrying Madison who has become a friend, and it’s not just for her easy access to makeup and other freebies. Of course, some of the guests will be mobster families, and then there’s a destination bridal shower and bachelor party plus filming for the reality show, but it should go smoothly, right? Sure, if you don’t count the bride getting drunk, jealousy among the guests, rooming with an obnoxious reporter, and there was that dead body before they even left.

Mia’s life has more drama than that on any given day. Add in her father’s new obsession with exercise, her boyfriend’s aversion to bachelor parties, and her grandmother’s new hobby of crocheting clothing items out of garish colors of itchy yarn, and Mia’s got her hands full.

This is book three in the series. Mia’s relationship shows promise, mostly. Keeping Little D’s mob boss father happy is a tightrope walk. Teri, the annoying reporter, tries to act human but falls short. Still, you have to give her credit for trying. To know how the reality show goes, you’ll just have to read the book.

Maria DiRico is the pen name for Ellen Byron. This is one of her best books yet! Can’t wait for number four.

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I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

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After years of heartbreak and self-doubt, Mia Carina is finally enjoying a romance with a handsome, intelligent, caring guy who adores her. So what if they work together? She and Shane Gambrazzo are doing their best to stay professional and keep their romance on the down low, to the ongoing amusement of their far from oblivious co-workers.

It does help that business is booming at the Belle View Banquet Manor that employs them. One of their latest bookings, however, gives Mia pause. Famous producer Giles St James wants to hold a three-day casting call on the premises. A three-day reservation is good money, but Mia has spent far too much time growing up with real mobsters to appreciate Giles’ latest project: a reality show featuring broad caricatures of Mafia wannabes.

Mia soon has good reason to keep a closer eye on the proceedings when her newest employee decides to join the cast. Donny Boldano Jr is actual Mafia royalty, being the namesake son of the local mob boss who also happens to be Mia’s godfather. Now that Donny Jr is in his mid thirties, the entire Boldano clan – including Donny Jr himself – has accepted that he simply doesn’t have the stomach for The Life. In an effort to help him figure out what he wants to do next, Mia hires him on. After all, the banquet manor is one of the Boldano family’s legitimate businesses.

Unfortunately, Donny Jr seems far less enamored of event coordination than of the glitz of reality TV. More specifically, he’s developed a strong attraction to Giles’ ex-wife Ariadne, who’s also one of the new show’s executive producers. It’s pretty clear to everyone who cares about Donny Jr that Ariadne is just using him, but he refuses to brook any criticism of his new lady love.

Things go from bad to worse when Giles is found bludgeoned to death. When Donny Jr becomes the prime suspect in Giles’ murder, Don Sr begs Mia to help prove he didn’t do it. Junior essentially washed out of a life of crime because he doesn’t have an appetite for violence. Surely not even his taste of Hollywood can have finally changed this about him?

This was another effortlessly charming and hilarious Catering Hall mystery, as Mia has to figure out which of the producer’s many enemies hated him enough to actually kill him. It’s so much fun to follow along as Mia uncovers more than one crime and one criminal, even before she learns about the big secret Shane is keeping from her. The cast of characters is large and endearing, but is perhaps surprisingly easy to keep track of given each character’s vivid personality.

Four Parties And A Funeral also includes event tips, as well as five recipes for dishes mentioned in the book. I chose the Italian-adjacent one, which shows up in one of the funniest scenes in the novel:

QUOTE
Tuna Casserole

2 cans (10 ¾ oz.) cream of mushroom soup (I go for reduced fat whenever possible)
2 cans all-white tuna fish, drained
2 cups milk (chef’s choice; I use skim)
1 cup finely diced onions or shallots
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked peas
I cup cooked chopped mushrooms (I like to roast mine for extra flavor)
2 cups cooked farfalle pasta
2-3 cups crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the soup, tuna, and milk in a large bowl. Add the onions, peas, and mushrooms. Stir in the cheese, and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Add the pasta, and gently stir to combine.

Pour into a 12” x 17” baking dish. Sprinkle all over with the crushed potato chips and bake for 20 minutes. Check the center to make sure the casserole is thoroughly cooked.*

Serves 16.

*If you’ve halved the ingredients, use a 9” x 12” baking dish, and bake for 15 minutes. Check the center to make sure the casserole is thoroughly cooked.
END QUOTE

I absolutely halved this recipe to make at home, and felt zero shame about substituting ingredients in my pantry that I wanted to use up while making it. Throw in whatever pasta you like, and don’t feel bad about using canned or store-prepared ingredients. Pro tip to reduce the amount of cleaning you’ll need to do after: go ahead and mix up all the ingredients in the dish you’re planning on baking them in instead of using a separate prep bowl.

As Mia discovers in the novel, this is a delicious and satisfying dish, for Italians or otherwise. It’s also a shockingly good way to stretch out a single can of tuna to feed eight people. My family loved it.

Next week, we travel to the West Coast to bake up some delicious cookies while investigating the death of an artist. Do join me!

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It's as funny as the previous entries, with lots of focus on the Catering Hall crew, Mia, and family. The reality show is fun, and the romance very satisfying.

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In this 4th book in the Catering Hall Mystery Series Mia Carina is running Belle View Banquet Manor, her LEGITIMATE family catering business. A movie production company has hired Mia to cater the shooting of their pilot reality show, Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. Mia thinks something bad will happen, but doesn't realize it will involve murder.

This book was challenging for me since it involved so many people. It was difficult for me to get the names straight. It was a nice story and Mia is a great character, but the multiple personalities made it confusing

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Dollycas's Thoughts

Reality t.v. comes to Belle View Catering Hall with a casting call for the new show The Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. That along with weddings, proms, graduations, and a very special funeral keep Mia Carina and her staff very busy.

But it is the reality show that takes most of her time especially when one of her new employees/relatives gets cast in the show and finds romance with an executive producer who happens to be the production company owner's ex-wife and also a minor British royal. There is more drama offscreen than onscreen with the cast and crew on a daily basis so it wasn't really a surprise that someone ended up dead . . . and there are plenty of suspects.

While the show must go on Mia plans to produce a killer while trying still catering to the masses.

______

All our favorites return in this new Catering Hall Mystery. Mia and Shane's relationship has risen to a new level but hits a big bump. Grandmother Elisabetta is on a crafting binge that had me truly wondering if the woman is now color-blind or at least needs a fashion refresher. Mia was a trooper wearing whatever the woman came up with. Ravello is on a health kick that kicks back. And Cammie has come up with another way to spend Detective Pete Dianopolis's money.

They are joined by a bunch of "Dons and Donettes", and a wacky production crew. There is also a Boldano wedding and all the pre-wedding gatherings that bring many new characters to the story including the bride's Connecticut family. While there was plenty of drama among the characters there was also a lot of comedy. The author had me in stitches throughout most of these stories with all these characters' antics.

In between all the laughter, there was a mystery to solve and with so many suspects it was not easy. There were twists on top of twists and some very interesting turns. Just when I thought I had it figured out a few pages later I saw I was all wrong. I truly was still guessing when all was revealed. Ms. DiRico did an excellent job of plotting and misdirection.

Of course, there was a lot of food involved whenever people gathered. The rehearsal dinner in Connecticut almost had me on the floor laughing, one recipe is included in the back of the book. While tasty, not your usual party fare. There was some seriously delectable Italian cooking done as well and the author has included recipes for a few of those treats as well including Pasta Puttanesca.

Four Parties and a Funeral is a hilarious mystery. I was captivated from beginning to end. I am excited for this series to continue. I am fully invested in these characters and can't wait to see what Ms. DiRico dreams up for them next.

As always for maximum enjoyment, I recommend reading the books in order.

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