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Long Island Iced Tina

(Catering Hall Mystery #2)

Maria DiRico (Goodreads Author)

4.40 · Rating details · 173 ratings · 86 reviews

In the second installment of Maria DiRico's new Catering Hall Mystery series, Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens, in charge of the family catering hall Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events--like murder at a shower--are not the kind you can schedule...

Mia's newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View--but Ni ...more

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Published February 23rd 2021

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Dec 15, 2020 James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 3-multi-book-series, 1-fiction, 7-netgalley

Long Island Iced Tina is the second book in the 'Catering Hall Mysteries' written by Maria DiRico, and it will be published in February of 2021. I've previously read the first book in the series and another series by the author that was written under a different name. I enjoy her writing style, and this new book is no exception.

Mia is a mob princess. Her father was pretty high up, but he's mostly gone clean after a prison stint. Her family still has connections, and they now run a catering hall Long Island Iced Tina is the second book in the 'Catering Hall Mysteries' written by Maria DiRico, and it will be published in February of 2021. I've previously read the first book in the series and another series by the author that was written under a different name. I enjoy her writing style, and this new book is no exception.

Mia is a mob princess. Her father was pretty high up, but he's mostly gone clean after a prison stint. Her family still has connections, and they now run a catering hall in Queens. Mia has her own tragedies from a past marriage and murder suspicion, but today, she is much better of. Her grandmother keeps her in line too. Mia's best friend is having a baby shower, and the girl's stepmother (stepMONSTER) is iced at the event... a strange painting shows up, leading Mia to find a web of fraud in the art world. Also, the competition seems to be trying to put her out of business, so of course, she must solve the case.

Mia is a likeable protagonist. She is very Italian, has strong NY qualities, and can be quite tough... but she has a tender side and is just trying to get her life in order. Jamie, her former love from afar, has a girlfriend, but she still pines for him. In this book, Mia gets driving lessons from Jamie, but by the end of the book, a new suitor evolves. Of course, we eagerly wonder whom she should be with. It seems like the new guy is so hot he'd melt butter just by being ten feet away! Add in Benjy--the grandson of another mob boss--and funeral hopping with grandma, then we have lots of comical errors in the catering hall too.

The mystery is good. A painting went missing twenty years ago. The late Tina knew something about it. Several people who were involved at the time show up near the baby shower. Tina just wants to impress her new husband and make his ex-wife look awful. So awful that she's the primary suspect when Tina dies. Unfortunately, Mia's friend is close to having the baby, so she can't do a whole lot right now to protect her father when he's in the spotlight for murder too. It all pulls together with solid reasons for Mia to become the amateur sleuth, and I enjoy her foray into the mob and police worlds.

I took me about 10 to 15 % to get fully immersed back into the mob world, as sometimes it's a little over the top... but once you settle in, it's quite a hoot, and I found myself unwilling to put it down before bed. I look forward to more and can't wait to find out what really happened to Mia's ex; I know there's a story lurking to be shared. ...more

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Dec 03, 2020 Tina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2021, series, arc-copy, cozy-mystery, kindle-books, netgalley-2021

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery Series. I have to say I really enjoyed the characters, and the mystery of this book was good. This was a fun and funny cozy mystery with great characters. The writing in this book was very good. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corporation) or author (Maria DiRico) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Tha ...more

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Feb 04, 2021 Gloria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cozy-mystery, rated, reviewed, read-arc, netgalley-2021

This is a series that I am enjoying with the Queens setting and likable, somewhat funny characters and a great mystery to solve. Mia Carina and dad, Ravello, Mob lieutenant, on a straight path, are working hard to make the Family owned catering hall, Bell View Banquet Manor, a success. Mia lives with her Nonna Elisabetta, after a failed marriage. Elisabetta's answer to all problems is food, yummy sounding Italian food. Her brother Posi is serving a prison sentence and her mom is not in the pictu ...more

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Feb 18, 2021 Mark Baker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 2021

Mia Carina is thrilled for her friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby. Nicole has chosen Mia’s catering hall, Belle View, as the location for one of her baby showers. Despite Mia’s best efforts, the baby shower is interrupted by a fight between Nicole’s mother and step-mother. Then, one of Nicole’s presents turns out to be a valuable painting stolen years before. Things only get worse when Mia finds the body of a shower guest the next morning. Is the murder linked to the painting?

I enjoy ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Valerie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I liked this book. It has interesting characters and a good mystery. I liked the Mia was so dogged in her investigation. I was surprised by who the bad guys were. #LongIslandIcedTina #NetGalley

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Feb 06, 2021 Chatting About rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-arc-netgalley, 2021-cozies-read, home-family-hearth, contemporary, cozy-mystery, cozy-series, culinary-cozy, pet-lovers-will-enjoy, humor, kindle

Mia Carina was born into a New York mob family; however, her father Ravello, has opened Belle View Banquet Manor as a legit business to separate him from mob dealings. Mia’s close friend, Nicole, is pregnant and plans to soon marry the baby’s father, Ian. Nicole’s father, Ron, is divorced from her mother, Linda, and his current wife, Tina, is a terror. Tina gets into a yelling match with Nicole’s beloved grandmother, Minnie, in the bathroom at Belle View which makes Linda furious. A mysterious s ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Long Island Iced Tina is the second installment in the Catering Hall Mystery series set in Queens, New York and featuring catering/banquet hall manager, Mia Carina. Business is picking up at Belle View Banquet Manor, the facility that her ex-mobster father, Ravello is running for another member of the "Family".

Mia is looking forward to hosting a baby shower at Belle View for her best friend Nicole, that is if she can keep Nicole's family drama to a minimum. Nicole's mother and grandmother are at ...more

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Dec 05, 2020 FMSWarrior rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What does a made man do when he decides to go straight? He runs an event center with his daughter who seems to find herself solving murders almost as much as she does hosting events.

When Mia plans the baby shower for her BFF she gets the chance to attend the baby shower being thrown by Nicole’s step mother at her competitors event center. While the step Mother makes everything about her, the baby shower at Mia’s place is no different Though this time an old painting that had been stolen in a hei ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Sue Em rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

New Jersey flair, a father trying his hand at a legit business and a daughter trying to keep him on that path by co-managing with him a once dilapidated event venue. Fireworks erupt between the mother and stepmother at a baby show for Mia's best friend, Nicole, and when the stepmother, Tina, turns up murdered all suspicion falls on Nicole's parents. Mia takes charge looking for clues in the art world as well as the world of the Family. She's an engaging heroine whose primary fault is her inabili ...more

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Dec 07, 2020 Jan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: family-dynamics, murder, murder-investigation, verbal-humor, law-enforcement, small-business, situational-humor, art-theft, the-mob, italian-customs

Take a dramatic Italian family in Queens and stir in some mob connections, a step-mother from the pit, a late pregnancy cousin, art theft, murder, and you get a hilarious cozy mystery. This one works perfectly as a stand alone and anything more being said would be overkill as well as in spoiler territory. Laughed my way through it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

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Dec 16, 2020 K.A. Davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

LONG ISLAND ICED TINA, is the long anticipated second book in the Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico (aka award-winning author Ellen Byron). The author proves her writing prowess once again by penning a laugh-out-loud cozy featuring protagonist Mia Carina, daughter of a “recovering” mobster. This alone sets the scene for plenty of opportunities for things to go hilariously wrong when the “Family” is hovering in the shadows and Mia is determined to keep her dad on the straight and narro LONG ISLAND ICED TINA, is the long anticipated second book in the Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico (aka award-winning author Ellen Byron). The author proves her writing prowess once again by penning a laugh-out-loud cozy featuring protagonist Mia Carina, daughter of a “recovering” mobster. This alone sets the scene for plenty of opportunities for things to go hilariously wrong when the “Family” is hovering in the shadows and Mia is determined to keep her dad on the straight and narrow. Ms. DiRico enthralls the reader with vivid descriptions of Queens along with other notable New York locations. Using all five senses, the reader feels like they’re experiencing it all – the good and the bad – alongside Mia. Besides the well-developed protagonist, the author has plenty of other supporting characters who are equally appealing and zany providing entertainment all on their own. The quintessential interfering Italian grandmothers, who spout off Italian phrases, give a feeling of authenticity. (And don’t worry, there is plenty of context so you know exactly what they’re saying without knowing a foreign language.)

Combining a murder with a baby shower celebration isn’t a scenario I’ve come across and I have to say, Ms. DiRico does a marvelous job of setting up the crime. It’s not much of a surprise when Mia stumbles across the victim who was hated by so many. When the soon-to-be mom’s mother and grandmother are implicated, Mia steps in to investigate. Adding to the murder mystery is a multifaceted plot involving art theft, a suspicious competing venue owner and chef, and an employee who seems intent on sabotage. As the story progresses the threads come together into a cohesive story and I turned the pages faster and faster to find out what happened next. While the action-packed reveal provided tension, the author interjected just the right dose of humor to keep it cozy light which I appreciate. With the final last page read, I’m back to counting down the days until the next book in this highly entertaining series is released next year!

The theme of running a banquet hall and Mia having an Italian grandmother who loves to cook, there is food galore mentioned throughout the story. I was pleased to see that there are a number of recipes included at the back of the book, all which sound fantastic!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Dawn Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, audiobook-hoopla, already-own, books-read-in-2021, cultural, free-book, cozy-mystery-read, kindle-read, 2021-fb-cozy-challenge

OH MY GOSH I LOVE THESE BOOKS.
THIS is how you write a cozy mystery!!

I waited past the due date so I could listen to the audiobook because I absolutely loved the first one with its awesome narrator. I am telling you, if you are from NYC, have lived any amount of time in NYC, you will want to listen to the audiobook. It makes like "coming home". I am back in the city I love when I listen to these and it is glorious. All I need is a good cup of coffee and some cannolli!!

Mia and Co are doing well ...more

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Jan 28, 2021 Kim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Dare I say it… I think Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico may be even better than Here Comes the Body, the first book in the Catering Hall Mysteries. I love when this happens!

I can’t say that having a mob family in a cozy hasn’t been done before, but DiRico does it so well. The family dynamics read as true for an Italian family, and where this series really shines is in the character development. The elders in the family and community trying to show each other up makes for some interesting s ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Lisa Morin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, culinary, sweets, catering

I had so much fun reading this book. I love Mia and her family. Her father is hysterical and her grandmother always makes me laugh.
This story involves stolen artwork, a new wife who has a shady past, and Mia’s newest employee who can’t get anything right.
This is a fast paced book that will leave you wondering way the heck happened.
I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store next for Mia.

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Dec 16, 2020 Lacey Harrington rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mia is a fun protagonist. This series has fun characters. I enjoyed the mystery and red herrings along the way. There is a mob family, stolen art work and some shady characters. It was fun mystery and easy to follow without having read the first one.

#LongIslandIcedTina #NetGalley

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Feb 11, 2021 Jerri Cachero rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mia Carina is trying to give her best friend the most memorable baby shower possible and when murder makes the event unforgettable, Mia has to uncover a murderer before she becomes the next victim!

The mystery was so much fun to read! It kept me guessing and I loved all the "twists and turns" and "red herrings". Mia is coming into her own with Belle Vie. I enjoy seeing her gain confidence in her business and sleuthing skills. There are so many wonderful supporting characters - Mia's father and gr ...more

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Jan 04, 2021 Patricia Romero rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, cooking

This is the second in the Catering Hall Mystery Series. Mia Carina is back in Queens, in charge of the family catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor. The Family’s legal enterprise.

Mia’s friend, Nicole is having that baby! And the Nonnas are planning showers like mad. One is to be held at Belle View but when Nicoles' stepmother throws one at the fancy Versaille. Of course, Mia has to attend and she is left with a lot of questions. How can Nicole’s father afford all of this? And what do we really ...more

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Mar 02, 2021 Bridget rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, peach-vanilla, cosy-reads, blog-tour, netgalley-arc, series

Long Island Iced Tina is the 2nd book in the Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico.

It was great to be back in bustling Astoria, Queens, New York City even vicariously, for a few hours, to meet the residents there and solve a perplexing mystery. The mystery is plenty puzzling, and the red herrings it offers up are as tasty as the offerings at the Belle View Banquet Manor.

The primary amateur detective in this one is manager and events organiser Mia Carina. Belle View Banquet Manor is the c ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 Peggy R rated it really liked it

Shelves: cozy-mystery-books, 2021-goodreads-challenge, netgalley, arc

Long Island Iced Tina is the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery series and frankly a delightful read. Mia is a terrific character and I liked her instantly from book one. She has returned home to try to put her life back together after a disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce and is trying to make a go of a mob-owned catering hall with her father as a legitimate enterprise. The secondary cast of characters is diverse and funny. I love Mia's grandmother. The way she brags to everyone ab ...more

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Feb 22, 2021 Cozy Cat Reviews rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the second book in the cozy series "Catering Hall Mystery Series" by cozy author Maria DiRico. I loved the first in series and was pleased to receive this fun next in series for review . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

In this 2nd in series we return to our savvy protagnist at home in Queens at her parents catering hall hosting a baby shower for one of her best friends. When the Mother in Law of the Mother to be insist on a m ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Christine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Mia Carina is what some people call a mob princess. She was born into a mob family and she and her father opened a catering hall, The Bell View, as a legit business. Mia is catering her friend, Nicole's, baby shower. Nicole's stepmother proves to be difficult and has an argument with Nicole's mother and grandmother at the shower. Her stepmother later turns up dead and the police suspect Nicole's mother.. She asks Mia to investigate since Mia's grandmother always brags how Mia solved a murder onc ...more

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Feb 03, 2021 Karen Hollins-Stallman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“Long Island Iced Tina " is the 2nd instalment in the A Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico. This is the first book I have read in the series and it can be read as a standalone but I wish I had read book one.
I loved Mia and her Nonna, but the side characters are also just as engaging, and funny. I have friends that come from big Italian families and this was how it was at their homes.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, I found myself guessing and second-guessing myself on whod ...more

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Jan 16, 2021 Miss W Book Reviews rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico is the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery, also known as Ellen Byron.

I love the Main Character Mia Carina, daughter of a former (ha ha ) mobster.
The author creates some incredible laugh out loud moments.

I love the how the author describes the setting of Queens, NY , which I have never been to but I could see it in my minds eye.

The story involves some stolen artwork. The mystery is fantastic with several red herrings.

A fantastic mystery with great c ...more

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Jan 16, 2021 Christine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Running a banquet hall in the shadow of LaGuardia Airport is a challenge for Mia Carina, but when a body floats into the picture. Mia needs to investigate. The victim is the stepmother of her friend Nicole. At another shower Nicole’s mother and Tina are overheard having a huge argument. Tina tries to outdo everyone, but when a long missing stolen painting is unwrapped by the mother-to-be , everyone is shocked. How did Tina come to have the painting and why has it shown up now? Another terrific m ...more

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Jan 20, 2021 Rima Aiello rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This series is absolutely delightful. The characters, their back stories, and the mystery. This story takes us on a whirlwind of a journey with the mystery, and the side plots are a thing of beauty. This series is really starting to hit its stride and I cannot wait for more!

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Jan 20, 2021 Margie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mia Carina is back in the boro of Queens, NY after leaving Florida and her supposedly drowned husband. Her arrival in New York was delayed by a police investigation where she was a suspect in her husband's disappearance and possible death. Now Mia is assisting her father, a lieutenant in the Boldano crime family, with running the newly acquired legitimate business the Bellle View Banquet Manor. Mia has already assisted the local police with solving two murders that occurred at Belle View in the ...more

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Feb 14, 2021 marita lazarus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

hank you Netgalley and publisher.

This series is so cute and book 2 is even better than. Book 1 I love Mia and her nonna and entire Family.

Book 2 finds Mia attending her best friend Nicole’s baby shower at another venue - being hosted by said friends step mother Tina followed by a second shower at Belle View where a stolen painting appears Fast forward a few days and Tina the step monster is found dead floating in the water behind Mia’s venue.

Start the list of suspects who wanted Tina dead - p ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Karen (BaronessBookTrove) rated it it was amazing

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico is another remarkably written book about this Italian catering hall.
Can Mia figure out who would kill Tina?
Mia Carina
Mia Carina is back again in the next book of A Catering Hall Mystery series. I am in love with this series. Being part of an Italian mob family, Mia knows that sometimes the police don't l ...more

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Mar 13, 2021 LORI (Dollycas) CASWELL rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2021

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Mia Carina manages Belle View Banquet Manor, a catering hall her father, former mob enforcer, Ravello Carina, acquired through interesting circumstances. She is excited that one of her upcoming events is a baby shower for her friend Nicole. But then she learns that this is not the only shower being held for the mother-to-be. Her stepmother, Tina has booked another shower at the ritzy Versailles on the Park. Nicole invites Mia to the other shower and she gladly accepts because Dollycas’s Thoughts

Mia Carina manages Belle View Banquet Manor, a catering hall her father, former mob enforcer, Ravello Carina, acquired through interesting circumstances. She is excited that one of her upcoming events is a baby shower for her friend Nicole. But then she learns that this is not the only shower being held for the mother-to-be. Her stepmother, Tina has booked another shower at the ritzy Versailles on the Park. Nicole invites Mia to the other shower and she gladly accepts because it will give her the chance to check out the upscale competition. She also sees the very selfish style of Tina and understands how she was given the nickname of step-monster.

The shower at Belle View gets off to a great start, that is until Tina shows up unfashionably late and gets into a fight with the host, Nicole’s grandmother, Minnie. The event really gets even more crazy when one of the gifts appears to be a priceless stolen painting from the step-monster herself. But Tina denies the gift is from her especially when the police arrive to investigate the artwork that has been missing for years. Thinking the worst is behind her Mia is ready to head home but then she sees the body, the body floating in the marina behind Belle View.

Ms. DiRico has created such wonderful characters. Our protagonist Mia Carina is trying so hard to make Belle View Banquet Manor a success while doing a little sleuthing on the side. She is surrounded by a wide-ranging group of supporting characters that will have you laughing out loud and shaking your head. Her Nonna is involved in many things throughout the story but one of her exploits had me laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. Mia is also trying to master a skill with her “friend” Jamie’s help which also generated some comedic moments. I know murder is a serious subject but this author knows how to bring the funny in all the right places. I loved the way she did this.

Okay, back to the serious murder. The author plotted a strong complex mystery with a variety of facets. We are introduced to several new characters/suspects as Mia chases down clues, sometimes with Jamie’s help. I really enjoyed following along with Mia for each twist and clue, and there were a lot. My suspect list shuffled several times. The big reveal was very surprising and exciting. In addition to the main mystery, the author blends in some memorable subplots.

I have so much fun visiting this Italian family for all the crazy exploits. There truly is never a dull moment when the Carina family is involved.

Long Island Iced Tina is a captivating cozy with a mystery that will test readers as they try to keep up with Mia. It was most definitely A Perfect Escape! ...more

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Mar 14, 2021 Mary Brown rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Long Island Iced Tina
Catering Hall Mystery, Book 2
Maria DiRico
5 Stars

Synopsis:

In the second installment of Maria DiRico's new Catering Hall Mystery series, Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens, in charge of the family catering hall Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events--like murder at a shower--are not the kind you can schedule...

Mia's newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View--but Nicole also has to attend one that her competiti ...more

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About Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico

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Maria DiRico (the pen name of award-winning author Ellen Byron) was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Queens and Westchester County. She is first-generation Italian American on her mother’s side. On her father’s side, her grandfather was a low-level Jewish mobster who disappeared in 1933 under mysterious circumstances. While growing up in Queens, Maria/Ellen's cousins ran the Astoria Manor a ...more