Mia Carina is our main character and she runs the Belle View Banquet Manor which specialises in hosting large parties and weddings. Mia's own wedding to Shane is supposed to be taking place there soon, but the discovery that her supposedly deceased first husband is actually still alive means she needs a divorce in a hurry.

When he turns up dead Mia, and just about everyone she knows, is a possible suspect for doing the deed. There are red herrings galore and a convoluted mystery which ends up with quite a surprise result. As the bookcover shows clearly there is a wedding which is hilarious if a little over the top.

A fun read with some lovely characters. Four stars.

Cute but slow

This is the first book I have read by this author. It s light read, similar to something Janet Evanovich might have written. I liked the plot, but it was a little slow for me and after reading the first half I skimmed through much of the second. The characters were good but stereotypical. There certainly wasn't much nuance. You have the Italian family that was in the mob, feisty grandmother that wore tracksuits almost exclusively (this character reminded me quite a lot of one of Evanovich's characters). There was an assortment of bimbos and a jerky ex-husband who had a whole slew of people who wanted to kill him. And then there was the deceased cartoon artist with a big following of strange but one-dimensional characters,

I did like it over all, but not enough to read any of the others in the series. Sometimes I am just in the mood for something light and funny. This was just a little too light for me with too much time spent on nothing.

"The Witless Protection Program” the 5th instalment in the A Catering Hall Mystery series by Maria DiRico. Sleuth Mia Carina has finally steered her Italian-American family’s catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the premiere party site of Astoria, Queens. Now if only her presumed dead ex-husband would get out of the way...

I love Mia, her Nonna, Cammie, Shane and the rest of the side characters. I like where things are heading with Mia and Shane’s future too!

The author is one of my favorite as she knows how to keep the reader entertained as well as cate about the main characters and what happens to them.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, I found myself guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. I couldn’t put the book down, read it in a day .

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends and I can’t wait for book six!

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a hoot this series has been, and I hate to see it end but it has been fun! We watched Mia Carina as she moved back to Astoria, Queens, NY from Miami after Adam, her cheating husband, disappeared and is presumed dead. She has gotten into all kinds of mischief as she worked to help run Belle View Catering Hall for the Baldano Family head, Danny Baldano Senior. Now, she is engaged to her hunky boyfriend Shane and planning a wedding when Adam reappears, wanting to get back together. Yikes! Will he give her a divorce? Someone killed Adam and answered that question but who did it? Mia, Shane, and others are suspects. Wild adventures, trips across the country, fights with a strange fan group wanting memorabilia from the house her grandmother gave the happy couple, and other bizarre happenings pepper this tale, but all is finished in a spectacular ending with fun surprises and just plain craziness. Great read(s) for cozy mysteries lovers!
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. All thoughts are mine only.

Mia Carina is all set to marry the love of her life, Shane Gambrazzo, when lo and behold she spots her presumed dead nightmare of a first husband, Adam Grosso, in a crowd. With no fond feelings for the lying cheater, Mia prepares to confront him and soon after she does he turns up dead - for real this time! With the help of practically every Italian-American in Queens, Mia sets out to discover who did the deed - all so she and Shane can make it to the church on time! Lots of fun, with the return of many of the quirky characters we've previously met in the series, Ellen Byron's The Witless Protection Program was an absolute joy to read! Devotees of the series will love it, newcomers I recommend (you will NOT be disappointed!!!) to start with the first book in the series (Here Comes the Body) so you can get the backstory on the inner workings of Mia's family and also her Family, lol! A+++ and 5 stars!

Maria Dirico writes the funniest stories about Italian-American families from Astoria Queens. Mia Carina is the main character who runs a catering hall Belle View Banquet Manor a premiere party site in Astoria Queens. When Mia’s exhusband turns up dead everyone is a suspect and Mia has to find out who did it. Her boyfriend finally proposes at a Mets baseball game and she can’t wait to marry him. Her mom and grandma want a dressmaker to put together their wedding gowns to make one Mia would love to wear. There are so many things going on in Mia’s life while she is trying to plan her wedding she’s not sure it will come together and she will marry the man of her dreams. I recommend this book to everyone it is a very enjoyable and funny read.

The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies and author, Maria DiRico for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for March 26, 2024.

Loads to tell you all about this one, and my thoughts are falling out randomly, so I'll try and make some sense of them all.

Author, Maria DiRico's bio (in part) reads, "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 and Grand Bay Marina catering halls." So I can't think of a person better placed to write a novel set in Flushing - a neighbourhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queensland.

Being born in Australia, I'm not that familiar with the terms borough, or district, or Precinct, but, one word I am familiar with is Flushing - with thanks to Fran Drescher and The Nanny. "She was working in a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens, Til her boyfriend kicked her out in one of those crushing scenes……. The flashy girl from Flushing, the Nanny named Fran." You can thank me later for putting that earworm into your head today!

The book title and novel cover drew me in from first glance. With "Just Murdered" on the wedding car and that title, "The Witless Protection Program" it was screaming, read me!

Things got even better when I opened the book and scanned the contents page. Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 32, Recipes, (what! DING, DING, DING!!! 🔔 🔔 🔔) Acknowledgements, Notes. Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina, Ricotta Sugar Cookies, Breakfast Pasta and Italian Wedding Cake ---- oh, spare my cholesterol ridden arteries I'm in cozy mystery heaven!!!!!

It seems I've begun at what appears to be the tail end of this series. I've just discovered that there are four previous books. The definition of a good cosy for this reader is a simple plot that it just complicated enough to keep you guessing; a basic plot outline that has room for growth (and more stories); well-developed characters that offer the reader a unique perspective on an already overly full genre.

Since her father Ravello's recent heart scare - doctors had inserted a stent to unclog an artery blocked by a steady diet of Fettuccine Alfredo - Event Planner, Mia Carina has basically been running the catering hall called Belle View Banquet Manor. What makes this catering hall a little different from others, is that it's one of a few legit businesses owned and operated by the Boldano Crime family.

When Mia's long-time beau, Shane, proposes, Mia is jubilant and can't wait to organise the wedding. But things go awry when she spies, or thinks she spies, her dead husband, Adam, while working her stall at a wedding expo. She loses sight of him in the crowd, but when she spies him again the next day, it becomes more serious, because, if Adam is alive, she can't marry Shane. This nightmare calls for an urgent 'family' meeting. You can imagine what's going to happen when members of a 'crime' family come together; but Mia presses the importance of them finding her ex but keeping him alive. He keeps appearing and then disappearing. When, her ex is found dead in an alley in Mia's neighbourhood, and the police have implicated Shane in his murder, Mia and her family rally together to clear his name.

Can Mia and her family solve the mystery of Adam's murder? You'll have to read this one to find out!!

#TheWitlessProtectionProgram #NetGalley

Aaaah. I am sorry I have not started at the beginning of these series. But...
The Witless Protection Program has all the right ingredients to make it as a snazzy cosy mystery: Italian family, mafia history, love complications, cakes and weddings... and a cheeky grandma to boot.
If not for the mystery, read it for the snipy remarks and vocal ping-pong between friends, crazy Italian relatives, and enemies of all sorts.
A very nice read for the lovers of cozy Italian food, humour.. and yeah, mystery.

Mia Carina finally has her chance to marry ex=model and super hunk Shane, but there's one problem. Mia's long=thought deceased husband is spotted in Queens - very much alive. Many people want Adam out of the picture, but someone wants him dead. When his body is found behind Mia's house, the police and the Boldano family investigate. I would love to be invited to this wedding, just to see the outfits worn by the guests. Cute way to end this series.

The Witless Protection Program, the 8th and last book of Maria DiRico's A Catering Hall Mystery series, take this delightful series out with a bang. Mia's late husband suddenly shows up just as her already great relationship with Shane takes a positive twist. Of course, with the way life goes for Mia, not only are she and Shane prime suspects when the jerk is killed, but Ms. DiRico brings in twists and turns that keep the reader guessing and laughing. Nothing is ever easy in Mia Carina's world, but what a fun ride for us!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for allowing me to read and review and ARC of this wonderful farewell novel. I will miss the gang from Queens, but I know Maria DiRico still has tons of fun planned for us.

#NetNalley, #KensingtonCozies #KensingtonBooks #ACateringHallMystery #MariaDiRico

Mia Carina's family is going straight -- and the mob boss who owns the banquet hall where she works is proud of what she's been able to accomplish. When she and her friend Cammie go to the wedding expo to promote their business, Mia thinks she sees a familiar face -- that of her late husband, Adam Grosso, who is supposed to have died in an accident at sea. But if he's dead, how can she trust her eyes?

The next day she attends a baseball game with her fiancé Shane and sees Adam again. But he disappears just as quickly. Now she's called a meeting with both her family and the Family to try and find Adam. But she doesn't expect it when he shows up at her home late at night. He says he won't divorce her, and she wants to marry Shane. But not enough to kill Adam. Although there are others who would happily see him dead...

Then there's the problem of the House. Her grandmother had purchased the home across the street from hers as a wedding gift for Shane and Mia. Unfortunately, it's filled with memorabilia from the person who lately lived there -- a comic artist -- and he has followers who want it declared an historical site, so now Mia has that fight on her hands as well.

Between trying to run her business, save her new home, and try to find suspects in the latest murder, life is killing her. How could things have gone so wrong so fast? And how can she set them right in time to marry the love of her life...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have loved them all. I've become attached to the characters, even the quirky ones like Cammie and her long-suffering police detective ex-husband, Pete. Mia is sharp, independent, and takes care of her family as well as running the day-to-day operations of her business. Unfortunately, she wishes she didn't have to find her husband to get a divorce. It's kind of hard to get married when you're still married to your supposedly late husband.

Where has Adam been all this time, by the way? He feeds her one story and someone else another. And when she goes looking for clues, all it does is give her more questions, along with finding out just how low a snake she really married. She wants him out of her life, but not dead. If she can only convince the higher-ups of that...

But this book is a fun ride. Probably the best in the series so far. There's a lot going on, and not all of it surrounding Adam and his whereabouts. Enough action to keep you reading -- and I read this in one night; that's how good this book is. (Now I'm tired and barely functioning, but hey--).

When we discover the killer, it really does come as a surprise. And I loved it. But that's not the end of the story. There's more to come, and it's delightful. Please keep this series going, as it's one of my favorites, and it's so much fun to read. Murders included. (Plus, great recipes in the back). Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

While working at wedding expo, Mia can help but long for her own proposal and the chance to plan her own wedding. But at the expo, Mia feels like she’s seen a ghost. The ghost of her ex-husband to be exact. The man who was long thought dead.

Soon, Mia finds out exactly why Adam has returned from the dead. While Adam claims to want Mia back, and all Mia wants is to be divorced and rid of him. Apparently, someone else is in total agreement with Mia, as they have killed Adam.

With both herself, Shane, and others in her family, who have reasons to want Adam dead, Mia must find the killer. After all, if she wants to marry Shane, they both need to be on this side of the prison fence.

With Mia‘s “Family” connection, crazy things are always happening when things go awry. Making this series chock full of crazy characters, who really want to help Mia out. Though it’s Mia‘s own family that brings the warm fuzzies and crazy actions. A fun and enjoyable, cozy mystery series that will keep you on your toes.

Italian-customs, amateur-sleuth, caterer, catering, family-drama, relationships, relationship-issues, relatives, borough-of-Queens, series, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, verbal-humor, small-business, The Mob, family-dynamics, former-husband, friendship, friends, lies, murder, murder-investigation, recipes, secrets, situational-humor, unputdownable, wedding-madness*****

She THINKS that she has a dead cheating husband and a good guy fiancé. But even as she is working with a client, Mia spies the not-so-dead guy in the crowd. And that's just the beginning of this madcap escapade in Queens, NY! Add in a wedding present that turns out to be a shrine to a comic book character, a visit by the not-really-in WitSec cheater, and more Italian relatives than you can shake a cannoli at, and you have an afternoon gigglefest! Laughed my sox off while trying to solve the murder mystery!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date 26 Mar 2024
#CateringHallMysteriesNo5 #CozyCrime

The title of this book is a sure fire draw. It clearly says READ ME! So I did! and loved Mia and her madcap life. This may be book #5 in the series but it definitely stands alone as an entertaining cozy mystery. Mia's life has always been a little crazy but when she spots her "dead" husband at a conference, the crazy is out of control. What follows is sure to bring giggles and full on belly laughs as she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I’m kind of at a loss for words at the end of this book. Especially since the actual end of this book left me laughing so hard my sides hurt and I sort of can’t catch my breath now. Remembering how much I’ve enjoyed this series previously, I went back and re-read everything. Which made this extravaganza of a story feel even more over the top and perfect by the time I reached it. I adore Mia. I love her family and friends. I also have so much fun watching the hijinks and shenanigans they get involved in, both by accident and on purpose. I was rather glad to see that Mia’s love life had a clear direction forward and one of the specters of her past got dealt with, even if that meant that Mia was involved with yet another murder investigation. And what an investigation that was. At no point was I able to outthink the plot. Even by the time all the big reveals were finished I was still left asking “are you sure?” I have no idea what that closing scene means for the future of the series, but I can’t wait to see what Mia gets up to next.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

In this, the 5th in the series, Mia is about to get her man to the altar. But there might just be some stumbling blocks along the way....from her ex who suddenly is back ALIVE, to a wedding present that causes legal hassles, to a vengeful ex out to destroy Mia's day. It's gonna take some old school gangster family edge, and love, to figure out how to save the day for Mia and Shane! Full of laughs, this is a fun entry into the series!

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . .
While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family. Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .
Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .


I really enjoyed this book. I’m new to the series so I will definitely be going back and reading from the beginning!!

How sad am I that this series has to come an end? Maria DiRico has created an extraordinary character who holds a piece of my heart. I've had the privilege of meeting this author once or twice, and her personality is beautifully imbued in a small piece of Mia from the Catering Hall Mysteries. With The Witless Protection Program as the final book in this series, I find myself raving about all that it entails. I wished for Mia to be with Jamie, then I wanted her with Shane, and now... well, I'm just so glad she is happy. Excellent mystery. Perfect conclusion. It needs to come back for another book again in a few years!

Catering Hall manager and widow Mia wants to marry the love of her life Shane. Until the sudden appearance of her dead husband Adam throws a wrench in the works. After finding Adam dead, for real this time, Mia has to track down the real killer. This is a fast paced mystery with some over the top characters and plenty of humor.

This series just gets better and better! Which says alot because the previous ones were excellent! A believed dead husband shows up just as the wife is getting engaged. Filled with the most delightful characters that are supper charming. I want the series to just keep going! Thanks#Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.