A Deadly Habit by Andrea Sisco

Penelope Santucci has a problem. Separated from her husband, she went to get some belongings and found him murdered. Now the police are circling around ready to arrest Penelope, or Pen as she's known, as they think she had the best motive and opportunity. But that's not all the problem. There's the hundred thousand dollars she found that happens to belong to the local mob boss. He's not amused when she doesn't give it back to him. There's her mother-in-law, who tells everyone that Pen is guilty and tries to bar her from the funeral. Finally, there's Pen's mother, the typical helicopter mom who can't give up hovering even after the kids are grown.

But Pen has help on her side also. She has gone to her childhood priest, and soon has him and her sister, who is a nun, helping her investigate. The priest knows one of the best defence attorneys in town and convinces Marco to be Pen's lawyer. All three try to rein in Pen's impulsiveness as she attempts to find out who killed her husband, to varying degrees of success.

There are lots of suspects. Paul, the ex-husband, was the attorney for that mob boss, and it was a stormy relationship. There were rumors of him blackmailing court personnel and maybe even buying off judges in order to win cases. His business partner was dissolving the partnership due to Paul's shady business practices. Paul wasn't one to remain idle and had started a relationship with a local beauty, Stephanie. The problem was that he didn't stop playing the field with Stephanie, and she wasn't happy to have the relationship end.

Andrea Sisco has done an impressive job in her debut novel. Penelope Santucci is a heroine who the reader will not soon forget; an infectious, exasperating, lovable character. The other characters in this novel are also well-drawn. The tone is comedic, and the reader will find themselves laughing out loud over and over. This book is recommended for mystery readers who are looking for a light-hearted read.

Reviewed for Book Pleasures