Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am excited to feature Murder on Memory Lake today!
Murder on Memory Lake (A Ferrara Family Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New Jersey
Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 149671394X
ISBN-13: 978-1496713940
Kindle ASIN: B0776DRP8N
Murder on Memory Lake – For Alberta Scaglione, her golden years are turning out much more differently than she expected—and much more deadly . . .
Alberta Scaglione’ s spinster aunt had some secrets—like the fortune she squirreled away and a secret lake house in Tranquility, New Jersey. More surprising: she’s left it all to Alberta. Alberta, a widow, is no spring chicken and she’s gotten used to disappointment. So having a beautiful view, surrounded by hydrangeas, honeysuckle, and her cat, Lola, sounds blissful after years of yelling and bickering and cooking countless lasagnas.
But Tranquility isn’t as peaceful as it sounds. There’s a body in the water—and it belongs to Alberta’s childhood nemesis. Alberta suspects foul play and when Alberta’s estranged granddaughter, an aspiring crime reporter, shows up, it only makes sense for them to team up and investigate . . .
Includes Italian recipes from Alberta’s kitchen!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Most of us hope we have a long lost relative that will leave us a fortune. Well, Alberta Scaglione thought she knew her aunt quite well, but was totally surprised to find she had quite a nest egg and a house on the lake in Tranquility, New Jersey. Even more surprising was she left it all to Alberta. Alberta and her cat quickly moved to the house on Memory Lake. The view was idyllic until it was marred by a dead body in the lake. The dead body of someone she knows.
Alberta’s relationship with her daughter has always been strained. Her daughter and her family moved to Florida several years ago and have never come back, even for a visit, so Alberta is thrilled when her granddaughter accepts a job nearby as a journalist. Her dream is to be a hard news crime reporter so she jumps at the chance to team up with her grandmother on a little murder investigation of their own. But will they take it a step too far and put themselves in danger??
Our protagonist is an Italian grandmother and she doesn’t let her age get in the way of doing what she wants. Alberta and her granddaughter Jinx take on a lot to solve this murder mystery. Alberta knew it was murder way before the police did, she even had to point out the clues to her old friend, Chief Vinny D’Angelo. To get close to her suspects and to get information Alberta takes a job where the victim worked. She and Jinx come up with some zany ideas. They even get Alberta’s sister, a former nun, and sister-in-law, who they like much more than their brother, involved in their plans. This is a wonderful group of core characters. They have depth but the author has left them plenty of room to grow as the series continues.
Mr. Griffo has written an elaborate mystery with twists and turns and a unique motive. Several characters seem to have had means and opportunity but the motive seems to be the same. Watching the ladies try to figure out the victim’s “collection” was so enjoyable and at times really funny and sometimes scary. I liked that they sometimes split up or worked in pairs to do their inquiries and they met around the kitchen table to share their findings and theories. Like any Italian family food and drink was also involved, but Jinx trying to make Alberta’s recipes more health conscious was an epic fail 🙂 Sometimes their ideas were pretty out there. I had zeroed in on the killer just before Alberta but the way the ending played out was very exciting.
I liked the bits of Italian we learn throughout the story. The dialogue ran true and always had a nice flow.
Tranquility, New Jersey sounds like a really nice place to vacay. I sure enjoyed my first visit.
About the Author
Coming March 26, 2019
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Thank you for the review on “Murder on Memory Lake” by J.D. Griffo. I’d love the opportunity to read this book. LOVE the cover! Purple is my favorite color and hydrangea are one of my favorite flowers always making me think of my Granny who always grew them.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank you for this review. I am looking forward to reading this. The cover is beautiful!
debprice60@gmail.com
The cover is really pretty, sounds like a great book.