Lawrence Kelter

Thank you to Library Thing and author Lawrence Kelter for a free copy of this fun, fast-paced, well-written thriller. The very likable heroine, Brooklyn P.I. Gina Cototi, has more cases than she can handle, so she passes one off to an out-of-work parole officer, the handsome heartbreaker, Rocco Benelli. It involves suspected insurance fraud by crazy Russian wrestler Vlad Rzhevsky.
Gina is the daughter of a respected, retired police detective whose pride and joy is a classic Corvette. When the car is stolen from Gina's driveway, she vows to avoid her father's wrath by getting it back before he knows it's missing. The trail leads her to a dangerous gangster, Luca Mura, and as soon as she solves one problem, another is created, raising the ire of Mura and the stakes for Gina and Rocco.
My only criticism was that the female characters, especially Gina and her sister Theresa, seemed more like male fantasies than real women. And Rocco is a man's version of a female's fantasy.
But it was an enjoyable read.… (más)

What is meant to be a rollicking tale in the vein of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series fell flat for me. I have read several Stephanie Plum books as well as the Cat Deluca series by K.J. Larsen so the genre is not unfamiliar. This book seems like it is trying too hard. Gina's first person narration is so over the top at times that I just tuned it out. The parts where her internal monologue is absent were refreshing but too infrequent. Towards the end, there was less of Gina's smart ass attitude but by then it was to late for me-- I had checked out. As for the plot, I quickly lost interest. I'm not entirely sure what was going on and quite frankly, I really didn't care. I have no interest in reading further in the series.… (más)

This novel was described as similar in style to a well-known New Jersey bailbonds person who has around 30 novels...although I agree, and I've read all of them, this series is gonna be a bit grittier and quite a bit spicier! Meet the Cototi family of Brooklyn - you already have a picture in your mind, don't you? They are Italian, they have family dinner on Sundays, the two sisters live together a few blocks from their parents, and Gina Marie has a thriving PI business. So thriving that she must seek some help and she chooses the local yet infamous heartbreaker, Rocco Benneli (see him and his reputation in your mind?). The Cototi sisters, beautiful as they are, have thus far not succumbed to his charms. The question is, after working together to solve several somewhat related crimes around Brooklyn and Manhattan, will either or both of them still be able to stear clear of his charm? I'm already looking forward to more installments with these characters and to see what they're up to next. I'm sure there are many more crimes and syndicates for Gina Marie to break up.… (más)

No Dibs on Murder
by Lawrence Kelter and Frank Zafiro

As I read this book I wondered what Tanner Fritz could have REALLY done to turn people against hom when those people had once been closer than family. They had a tight-knit bond in college and for a while afterward but then everything changed in some way leaving a bad taste in the mouths of three men and a woman. At times I was reminded of the three stooges, other times there was a hint of the main characters in The Wizard of Oz, and at other very dark times there was the feeling of a creepy crawly black spider with a red mark on its belly lurking as it spun its web. How a book can be both dark and grim but at times make me laugh is…a mystery…but an intriguing one!

What I liked:
* The writing
* The idea behind the story
* The way the would-be killers were thwarted
* The way intriguing tidbits were released through the story
* That I could both like and dislike characters in the story
* Considering karma and wondering how it might impact the future of survivors in this story
* That it made me think and consider and wonder, “what if things had been different…how would these characters have turned out?”

What I didn’t like:
* One character in particular though it wasn’t easy to love any of the cohorts in crime

Did I like this story? Yes
Would I read more by these authors? Yes

Thank you to the authors for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (más)