Blog Tour: Murder and Marinara

Murder and Marinara
by Rosie Genova

This was an awesome cozy. ~Melina’s Book Blog‘

…an intriguing mystery with authentic Italian flair. ~Cozy Up With Kathy

Book Details:

Murder and Marinara:
An Italian Kitchen Mystery (Italian Kitchen Mysteries) New Series Publisher: Signet (October 1, 2013) Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages ISBN-13: 978-0451415141 ASIN: B00BC255Y6

Synopsis
Hit whodunit writer Victoria Rienzi is getting back to her roots by working at her family’s Italian restaurant. But now in between plating pasta and pouring vino, she’ll have to find the secret ingredient in a murder….

When Victoria takes a break from penning her popular mystery series and moves back to the Jersey shore, she imagines sun, sand, and scents of fresh basil and simmering marinara sauce at the family restaurant, the Casa Lido. But her nonna’s recipes aren’t the only things getting stirred up in this Italian kitchen.

Their small town is up in arms over plans to film a new reality TV show, and when Victoria serves the show’s pushy producer his last meal, the Casa Lido staff finds itself embroiled in a murder investigation. Victoria wants to find the real killer, but there are as many suspects as tomatoes in her nonna’s garden. Now she’ll have to heat up her sleuthing skills quickly…before someone else gets a plateful of murder.

Advance Praise:
“The tastiest item on the menu with colorful characters, a sharp plot, and a fabulous Jersey setting. I enjoyed every bite.”- Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author

“Clever and intriguing…..It definitely left me hungry for more.”- Livia J. Washburn, author of the Fresh Baked Mystery series

Upcoming release:
The Wedding Soup Murder, Summer 2014

About This Author:

A Jersey girl born and bred, Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The atmosphere of the Jersey shore is present in the details, whether it’s the smell of the sea, the sound of a Springsteen song, or the taste of a frozen custard from the boardwalk. And no summer is complete unless she has sand in her shoes.

A bookworm from the time she could sound out words, Rosie spent many happy hours in her home town library where she hid behind the stacks reading the titles she was too young to check out. She earned two degrees in English from Rutgers University, where she discovered to her delight that reading Jane Austen was actually considered homework. Though she’s always considered herself a writer, she didn’t pen her first novel until ten years ago, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Her new series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed by her deep appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love of classic mysteries, from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. An English teacher by day and novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, two of her three sons, and an ill-behaved fox terrier.

Social Media:

www.rosiegenova.com    

www.facebook.com/RosieGenova

Goodreads link

Purchase Links:
Amazon            B&N                 Book World                 Powell’s Books                  Book Depository 

My Thoughts: 
What a fun book! I seriously loved this little whodunit! Victoria is a fun and smart character, that is from a family of quirky but lovable characters! I loved her Nonna and thought she was one of the highlights of this book!

The writing was smooth and paced just right. The mystery itself was twisty and turny, but not in a off the wall kind of way. The ending was almost out of nowhere, I had a feeling it was going in the direction but not the EXACT direction it went. (if that makes sense) I loved that it still had a surprise for me.

Now for the menfolk, Cal and Tim were fun characters. I went through the whole book hoping that either one of them wasn't the killer. I won't spoil the ending, but I really liked both of them in their own way. Both had their unique charms and quirks that made me keep flip flopping back and forth about who was better for Victoria.

All in all this was a quick read that definitely held my interest, kept me reading and when the ending came, made me seriously want to read the next one!