Our Lady of Immaculate Deception

[Kimberly]

Our Lady of Immaculate Deception, Nancy Martin

★ ★ ★ ★

Roxy Abruzzo, tough & feisty, runs an architectural reclamation business, not always on the up & up, but hey, it makes her a living.

Her current client, Julius Hyde, is dead as. His wife, Monica, has been looting her mother-in-law's house of high-end artwork for years and has torched it, which is where Roxy comes in...

While salvaging the remains of the once great house Roxy stumbles upon a Greek antiquity of Achilles hidden in the garden and with the help of her loyal but not-so-bright muscle, Nooch, Roxy adds the statue to her cache of salvage items.

Then there is Dorothy (Dodo) Hyde, matriarch, Julius' mother; living in a residential home and going in and out of a coma as desired... She's willing to write off her losses, after all these are her progeny, but not Achilles. Dodo sends her attorney, Henry, to get back her treasure or else.

Also in the mix: Sage, Roxy's daughter who is living with Loretta, widowed aunt & tough-as-nails attorney; Flynn, Sage's father, ex-marine, & chef; and Roxy's Uncle Carmine, who is ill & would like Roxy to take over his business for him.

I liked Roxy, her crazy family, & friends and I didn't figure out who-done-it, but I really didn't try as I was swept away with the story.

There is no end to the action and on-the-edge humor, which can be compared to Carl Hiaasen, although not as finely crafted. But the book held my interest, I was up until 4:00 am in order to finish it.

The book seemed very familiar to me, the name Abruzzo rang a bell. Then I remembered that I had begun another series, The Blackbird Sisters (which I dropped) had a character named Nick Abruzzo in it. Turns out to be by the same author. I know I'll not be returning to complete The Blackbird Sisters but I'll give Roxy a second go around.

The "Strong" Women:

Roxy Abruzzo, protagonist, single mother, questionable architectural salvaging business owner, working to discover who murdered her client & his mistress

Loretta, Roxy's widowed aunt, tough-as-nails, attorney who is raising Roxy's 17 year-old daughter, Sage while living next-door to her miserable in-laws

Dorothy (Dodo) Hyde, matriarch of a Pittsburgh Steel family who is running her business from a care facility & dodging her family by dropping in & out of a coma at will

Monica, Dodo's daughter-in-law who has been robbing the family home of valuable artwork for years and who has finally torched the now empty home

[Anita]

Any book that keeps you up to 4 am reading has to be good! Sounds like some super fun and quirky characters to say the least.

I really love what you did at the end of your review to highlight why it fit the tag of "strong women" . . .thanks for doing that!

[Kimberly]

Anita wrote: "Any book that keeps you up to 4 am reading has to be good! Sounds like some super fun and quirky characters to say the least.

I really love what you did at the end of your review to highlight why ..."

You're welcome..... I'm thinking I might go back & edit my other reviews