Book Review: SHOOT THE BREEZE Detective Kate Rosetti Mystery Book 1 by Gina LaManna

Synopsis

Welcome to St. Paul, Minnesota—home to strong coffee, deadly winters, and Detective Kate Rosetti—a rising star in the local homicide department. When a young woman turns up dead along the Mississippi River in her latest assignment, Detective Rosetti quickly realizes it’s the work of a notorious cross-country serial killer. 

To complicate matters, Kate’s troublemaking sister turns up out of the blue in need of a place to live. A strikingly handsome FBI agent appears at the crime scene, convinced this case belongs to him. And a certain British billionaire is a little too interested in the murder… and in Kate. 

As she begins to close in on the killer, the investigation takes a turn for the personal. It’s one riddle after the next, and if Kate can’t sort out the murderer’s identity before his next kill, she’ll be up next on the autopsy table.

Review

This was a quick, fun read with some interesting characters, from Kate and her sister, Jane, to the handsome FBI agent, Russo, and Gem, the billionaire. Then there are all the "characters" in the night clubs Kate ventures into trying to find the killer. The pace is steady, there's humor and tension. Kate's job might have been easier if she had some social sense. The end includes a Christmas party with Kate not accepting the advances of either man pursuing her.  

This is the first in the series of four books, and my first Kate Rosetti mystery. I'm not sure Kate is willing to let down her defenses and let Russo or Gem in, but I'm pulling for Russo. Warning: Some readers might find some of the night club activities offensive. 

AMAZON

Book Review: LACEY LUZZI : SEASONED by Gina LaManna

SYNOPSIS (from Amazon)

’Tis the season…for a new career?

It’s a few days before Christmas, and Lacey Luzzi & gang are at a dead end in their search for Jackson Cole. So when Lacey receives a job offer from none other than the rich, the glamorous, the Hollywood-bound Miss Harriet Lizabeth Morgan the Third, she says yes.

This holiday season, Lacey, Clay, Meg, and Anthony head out to the land of palm trees and fake snow, tasked with providing top notch security for an upcoming, high-profile movie premier. But when her client receives threatening messages, a difficult job only gets tougher.

Lacey turns to her friends for help, but Clay is occupied with his clandestine computer program, Anthony is tied up at home with a mysterious “project,” and Meg is…well, she’s Meg. Add a stunt driver with a pile of secrets as long as Meg’s Christmas list and new information surfacing around Jackson Cole, and Lacey’s plate is not full – it’s overflowing!

Lacey hasn’t asked for much this Christmas. But she does make one little wish: to get out of this assignment alive.
 
** **
Lacey Luzzi: Seasoned is a full-length, humorous cozy mystery with a strong female protagonist in the spirit of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, albeit one working for the wrong side of the law…

Note: This book can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a larger series and not all plot lines are resolved in a single book. It is rated a strong PG-13 for sarcasm and mild language. No graphic gore or sex.

REVIEW

Although this is the seventh in the Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mystery series, it is my first experience with Lacey, Clay, Meg, and Anthony - not to mention the Nora and the mafia boss.  

In this one, Lacey is trying to start her own business and not just work for her grandfather - a security business - with minimal skills and lots of luck. Well, if you count the bad luck as well as the good that is.  Her first job is to protect the award winning dog at the event of the season, complete with red carpet. 

This was a fun read, and as promised, can easily be read as a stand alone. Lacey's search for the identity of her father and her mixed feelings about Christmas add a personal touch.  The style is quick and witty with humor and romance.  Especially good read for the holiday season - don't all adults still believe in Santa?

AMAZON

BTW, in preparing this post I discovered that Gina LaManna is the author of at least two other mystery series...   my TBR list just exploded!