Victoria Rienzi here—mystery author, part-time sleuth, and unpaid kitchen help at my family’s Jersey shore restaurant, the Casa Lido. I came back home to Oceanside Park in the spring to research a historical novel based on my family, but somehow, corpses keep getting in the way of my work. So the months have flown by, and here we are in the holiday season. Every Christmas Eve, the Casa Lido serves a seven-course meal for charity, based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Serving seven kinds of fish on Christmas Eve is a tradition in many Italian families, and one my grandmother, aka Nonna, is scrupulous about observing. This year we have a tasty menu that includes shrimp, scallops, octopus, and other delicacies. (I was really jazzed about helping with the dinner until I learned what my job was: cleaning scungilli, or for the uninitiated, sea snails. A shudder-inducing process that does not bear describing.)

Our cozy dining room is festively decorated for the holiday, and my mom has outdone herself with a Christmas tree trimmed in gold ornaments. The whole Rienzi clan will be there: my mother Nicolina, my dad Frank, my brother Danny, and his wife, Sofia, who’s my sleuthing sidekick, or in her words, my “highly-regarded investigative partner.” Our guests are an interesting cross-section of Oceanside Park’s citizens, including a few who really don’t like each other—and none of whom are on good terms with our mayor, Anne McCrae.

Mayor McCrae is a tough cookie. The Rienzi family tries to stay on Her Honor’s good side, as she’d like to turn our historic restaurant into a Starbucks. She has also run afoul of the school superintendent, a local contractor, the town librarian, and even our own head chef, Massimo Fabri. In fact, Anne’s been a bit tense lately, looking over her shoulder for possible enemies. She’s had a couple of questionable “accidents,” that she thinks are deliberate. Personally, I think she’s a bit paranoid. But I am counting on everyone’s holiday cheer and good wishes to make our Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes a success—because no one wants murder on the menu . . .

The Seven-Course Christmas Killer, An Italian Kitchen Mystery Novella
Genre: Cozy
Release: November 2022
Purchase Link

On Christmas Eve, someone might be sleeping with the fishes …

It’s December at the Casa Lido, and time for the Rienzi family’s annual holiday celebration for charity, when friends and family come together for wine, good cheer, and the traditional Italian custom of seven seafood courses, the Seven Fishes of Christmas Eve.

While Nonna directs the bustling affair, Victoria and Tim prepare and serve everything from scungilli to shrimp scampi. But a suspicious accident and a missing knife suggest that at least one of the guests is more naughty than nice. Someone has it in for Mayor Anne McCrae, who demands that Vic investigate several attempts on her life. The saucy sleuth has only until the final course to find the culprit among seven suspects—one for each of fishes on the Christmas Eve menu …

About the author
Bestselling and award-winning author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The inspiration for her cozy series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, comes from her deep appreciation for Italian food, her affinity for the New Jersey seaside, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. A former journalist and teacher, Rosie also writes women’s fiction and suspense. The proud mama of three grown sons, she still lives in her favorite state with her husband and a charming mutt named Lucy. Check out Rosie’s website at rosiegenova.com or say hi to her on Facebook!

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