The Goddaughter

By Melodie Campbell

Gina Gallo is a gemologist who would like nothing better than to run her little jewelry shop. Unfortunately she's also "the Goddaughter," and, as she tells her new friend Pete, "you don't get to choose your relatives." And you can't avoid them when you live in Hamilton and they more or less run the place. When Gina bumps into Pete at the Art Gallery Gala, sparks fly. So do bullets, when her cousin Tony is taken down by rival mobsters from New York. It turns out Tony was carrying a load of hot gems in the heel of his shoe. When Gina is reluctantly recruited to carry the rocks back to Buffalo, the worst happens: they get stolen. Pete and Gina have no choice but to steal them back, even though philandering politicians, shoe fetishists, and a trio of inept goons stand in their way. It's all in a day's work, when you're the Goddaughter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raven Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781459801264

Melodie Campbell

Melodie Campbell is the winner of many awards for crime writing, including the Derringer and the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for The Goddaughter's Revenge. She has over 200 publications, including 100 comedy credits, 60 short stories, 17 novels and the Goddaughter series in the Rapid Reads line. Her work has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Star Magazine, Canadian Living, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and many more. She has been called the "Queen of Comedy" by the Toronto Star. Melodie lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Reviews for The Goddaughter

[plappen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This very short novel (actually a novella) is about Gina Gallo, a certified gemologist. She is also related to the local mob in the Hamilton, Ontario area, but she insists that she is out of "the family business." Well, not exactly.A botched diamond delivery leads to Gina being "convinced" to smuggle them across the border, to Buffalo, in the heels of a pair of fancy shoes. The shoes get stolen, forcing Gina, and local sports writer Pete Malone, to follow the thief, a bleached blond prostitute, to a hotel in Phoenix. The shoes are retrieved, and the pair head back to Hamilton.Before the delivery can be made, there is the small matter of getting a recently murdered mob associate out of the Buffalo morgue before the autopsy. It involves the use of an ice cream truck to get the body across the border.Do Gina and Pete get the diamonds to the right people in Buffalo? Since Pete now knows too much about internal "family business," his choices are to marry Gina, or get whacked.This is a very short book that can be read in an hour or so. It's got some humor to it (the mobsters are not exactly at the level of the film "Goodfellas") and it will keep the reader entertained.

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received the third book, the Artful Goddaughter, free as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. When I heard that, I bought the previous two so I could read the whole story. While each does a nice job of being a stand along story, having read the previous two made the third that much better. All were funny, faced-paced, easy stories that would make a great beach read. Campbell is has an excellent eye for the quirks of families and she created some memorable ones. Stories like these three could easily disolve into a mess of sterotypes, but Campbell avoids that with a deft hand. I enjoyed these works immensely. I look forward to reading the next ones!

[rebeccagraf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Are you looking for a read that won't take you days to get through and keeps you glued to the pages? I would suggest checking out Melodie Campbell's The Goddaughter.This is the story of Gina who was born into a mafia family. She left the 'business', but very persuasive family members brought her back on terms she laid down. Through one fateful night, her life gets tuned upside down with a murder, a drop, a theft, a lie, and a trip across the boarder. Through all that, love still finds a way to squeeze in.This is a Rapid Reads book for a reason. It is fast paced and keeps you hooked all the way until the last page. Even the history that is brought in throughout the story is done in a way that it never once detracts from the pace.The storyline is great. I laughed quite often as all the characters are such....characters. I loved it. I want more of it. They took a serious situation and brought life into it. You will fall in love with Gina and her new beau as he gets sucked into the mob life.Ms. Campbell's writing is fresh and entertaining. She works magic with dialogue and scenes developing characters you love. I highly recommend this book. I'll be looking for more from this author which I hope doesn't abandon these delightful characters.Note: This book was provided as part of a book tour with no expectations of a positive review.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok, I'll admit it, it was pure chick-lit, it has a handsome stud, some behind the scenes sex, a rather contrived but ultimately almost believable plot, and some fun characters. I'm not sure there's enough to make even another book, far less a series, but this quick (146 page lots of white space) read which I promised to review for TLC Book Blog tours was just the brain candy I needed to read this afternoon as I sat here fighting my tummy.Story is simple....girl (goddaughter of mafia person) is recruited to deliver some stolen gems which are hidden in heels of super stilettos. Girl is distracted by extremely handsome stud, takes shoes off because her feet hurt. Shoes are stolen. Stud and girl begin frantic chase across international borders, and to three or four different cities to retrieve shoes.