Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
It is my pleasure to feature this book today as part of J.D. Griffo’s Great Escape Book Tour!
About the Book
Murder in Tranquility Park (A Ferrara Family Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – New Jersey
Kensington (March 26, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496713966
ISBN-13: 978-1496713964
Digital ASIN: B07F5XG3CQ
Alberta Scaglione and her twentysomething granddaughter, Jinx, love to spend time—and solve crime—together . . .
Ever since Alberta Scaglione inherited her spinster aunt’s Cape Cod cottage, she’s been enjoying the good life in Tranquility, New Jersey, with her black cat, Lola. But since things are mostly quiet in this town, she finds other things to do—like joining Jinx for morning jogs in Tranquility Park. She has to do something to stay healthy, as long as it doesn’t involve Jinx’s healthful tofu sausages and gluten-free pasta. But when they stumble across a treehouse hidden in the trees, and a dead body underneath it, they take a detour into solving a murder. Now the Ferrara ladies will have to exercise extreme caution to avoid a permanent decline in their health . . .
Includes Italian recipes from Alberta’s kitchen!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Ferrara Family Detective Agency has stumbled quite literally onto another case. Jinx has convinced her grandmother, Alberta Scaglione to exercise, in the form of jogging a few mornings a week. Their path leads them through scenic Tranquility Park. On the way into the park, Alberta notices a treehouse in one of the trees. On the way out of the park, she notices a body under the treehouse. They quickly determine the man is dead, but assume he has fallen to his death from the treehouse. Just in case they check out the scene thoroughly and call in the rest of their family before calling the police to inform them that, yes, there has been indeed another murder.
Chief Vinny D’Angelo is an old friend and will admit the ladies helped solve the last murder case but he orders them to stay out of this one. Seriously, he knows that is never going to happen because his friend “Alfie” is never going to back away from anything she has set her mind on doing. He just hopes and prays none of them gets hurt.
Mr. Griffo has created such wonderful characters. The Ferrara Family Detective Agency is made up of Alberta Marie Teresa Ferrara Scaglione, 64, a secret millionaire who inherited her home and her wealth from her Aunt Carmela. She is joined by her granddaughter Jinx, who has returned to the area to take a job at the local newspaper, her sister, the former nun, and her sister-in-law who has retired after working years on Wall Street. Together they love their Italian food unless cooked by Jinx, who tries to make their favorites no-carb and gluten-free, several flavors of vodka, and solving murders. These characters are likable, engaging, funny, and at times absolutely crazy. They all go to great lengths to get answers. The dialogue between these characters is priceless. Alberta’s Sicilian Catholic roots play heavily throughout the book. Each chapter starts with an Italian phrase and Italian runs through the dialogue but is always translated in a way that never slows the flow of the story.
The mystery turned out much more complex than I ever imagined. Jinx’s roommate is the police’s prime suspect but the evidence is just too tidy. There were many twists and turns that brought other suspects to light. It was when the second body is discovered that a few little tingles for my suspect cemented themselves in my mind. I just had to keep reading to see if I was right. The ending is very dramatic and scary but one part of it felt a little off to me. I think what happened was much more dangerous than even was portrayed.
Murder in Tranquility Park
About the Author
Italian by birth, Jersey by upbringing, J. D. Griffo is an award-winning playwright and author who has written ten novels, over twenty plays, and a handful of screenplays that have yet to see the light of day.
Griffo studied Journalism and Marketing at New York University, graduating magna cum laude many, many years ago, as well as Creative Writing at the New School and Gotham Writer’s Workshop.
And the J. D. stands for the author’s mother – Jean Dolores – who absolutely loved to read and tell stories.
Praise forMurder in Tranquility Park
(A Ferrara Family Mystery) by J.D. Griffo
Phew! what a whirlwind of a book! I came to this series with this book and I am going to jump right back and read the first one as this was so good!
~A Wytch’s Book Review Blog
It’s a fun, fast character-driven cozy mystery where the mystery is not forgotten and the family value theme recurs often.
~Rosepoint Publishing
Author Links – Twitter – Instagram –
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
TOUR PARTICIPANTS — Please visit all the stops.
April 1 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 1 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 2 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
April 2 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, RECIPE
April 3 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
April 4 – I’m all About Books – SPOTLIGHT
April 4 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
April 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 6 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
April 7 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
April 7 – 4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ – GUEST POST
April 8 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
April 8 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 8 – Books Direct – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 10 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
April 10 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
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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.”
Thanks for another great review. Looks like a good series.
What makes you write cozy mistery?
sounds like a great book!! Have it on my TBR list now!!
Sounds like a great read.
The only part of New Jersey I remember is Atlantic City. That’s pretty creative to put a body under a treehouse.
You’re a new author for me, I can’t wait to read your books.
Congrats on the new release! It sounds like a great mystery and I have added it to my tbr list.
Thank you for your review on “Murder in Tranquility Park” by J.D. Griffo.
Love the cover and can’t wait for the opportunity to read the book!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
This sounds like a fun book! Thanks for introducing me to a new author.