The Goddaughter Caper: A Gina Gallo Mystery

By Melodie Campbell

In The Goddaughter Caper, Gina Gallo finds herself embroiled in her family's shady dealings when a body turns up at her uncle’s restaurant. But it’s just the beginning of her problems. Strange things keep happening in Steeltown. A body shows up in the trunk of Gina’s car. Another is mistakenly shipped to her cousin Nico’s new store. And then Gina and Nico stumble across a stash of empty coffins! Worse, everything mysteriously points to her own retired relatives from the Holy Cannoli Retirement Home.

Gina is determined to get to the bottom of it. But she’ll have to act fast, because the police are right behind her.

This is the fourth in a series featuring Gina Gallo, who wants nothing more than to run her little jewelry store but, try as she might to escape it, somehow Gina gets drawn into the family business, with hilarious consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Jan 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781459810556

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.

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ONE

G ina, you have to have red flowers. Whoever heard of a Christmas wedding without red flowers? Nico waved a hand dramatically through the air.

Sweetie, I’d rather have pink. You can find pink poinsettias, right?

He sat back, and his brown eyes went wide. Pink! My favorite! And black. It’s perfect. I can see it now—black tablecloths with ice-sculpture centerpieces. Pink poinsettias on those narrow platforms with streamers coming down from the ceiling…

He was out for the count. I could sip my coffee in peace now. Not that there wasn’t peace in this restaurant. It was Monday night, and the place wasn’t full.

Nico is my younger cousin, an interior designer, newly minted. He is tall and thin, with bleached blond hair. Nico is starting up an interior-design business next to my jewelry store in Hess Village. He does event planning on the side and is rather enthusiastic about my upcoming wedding. Some might say over-the-top.

Nico isn’t gay—he just likes the color pink. So I knew I could get him off the red Christmas kick with a little subterfuge.

We were seated at La Paloma, my uncle Vito’s restaurant in the slick part of Hamilton. Okay, don’t laugh. The Hammer has some nice places in amongst the steel mills. This upscale bistro is across the street from a major urban teaching hospital. So it’s popular with doctors. Doesn’t hurt that my other uncle, Vince, donated a whole wing to St. Mary’s and sits on its board.

Vince is also my godfather. You may have heard of him. He hails from Sicily and has a number of family businesses I try to stay clear of. This is because I am allergic to prison cells. Let me leave it at that.

What do you think about peacocks? Nico said.

I nearly fumbled my coffee cup. "Peacocks?"

A crash from the kitchen punctuated that word.

Someone screamed.

Aunt Vera? Nico was out of his chair, dashing for the kitchen.

I threw down my linen napkin and jogged right behind him.

The kitchen staff stood like stone statues. I had to push my way to the back, where Vito was standing in front of the open door to the alley.

Aunt Vera, Uncle Vito, Nico and I peered down at a body. It didn’t move because it had been recently plugged.

"Oh my god, Gina, I can’t look. There’s blood." Nico hid his face dramatically behind his bent elbow.

Gina, do you know dis guy? Aunt Vera poked at him with a wooden spoon.

Who is it? Nico said, peeking around his arm.

Oh jeez. It’s Wally the Wanker. Yeah, I knew him. Complete loser from high school. Pilfered the student lockers for cash and blackmail material. Even bigger creep in adult life. Not that Wally was ever an adult, except when it came to buying porn. Hence the nickname.

Who took him out? Vera said, rifling through the poor guy’s pockets for a wallet. She wasn’t as squeamish as Nico.

Gina, you come with me. I need a calming influence.

I followed Uncle Vito’s stout body back into the restaurant.

"Everything is buono, buono, he assured the diners. We just dropped a pan back there."

I walked to my seat, smiling all the way. Big fake smile pasted on my face. Several diners beamed back at me, including a few clients. I nodded to Dr. Drake, who was just sitting down, and to his wife, who had been waiting for him. She grinned widely and flashed her right hand. Big hulking sapphire, recently purchased. I nodded in fake appreciation. No, that’s not right. I appreciated her business—truly. I just couldn’t think beyond the body at the back door.

I reached my chair, sat down and stared into my cold coffee. Who the hell had shot Wally the Wanker? And why leave him on Vito’s doorstep?

Don’t get involved, my fickle conscience warned me. Your wedding is just six weeks away. Your fiancé, is a great guy who has no idea how involved you still are with the family. Keep it cool, Gina Gallo.

I should have been calling the cops. But the cops don’t like me much, especially Rick Spenser, AKA Spense, another high school non-friend. I didn’t think he’d appreciate a call from me. He might even get the impression I’d had something to do with the hit. So I decided not to interrupt his Monday-night poker game.

Maybe ten minutes passed before Nico came out from the back room. He sat down at our little table.

All taken care of, he whispered. We can leave now.

Phew! The relief. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, to put some distance between me and the recently departed.

I picked up my purse and jacket. Nico followed me out of the restaurant and over to my car in the back parking lot.

When we were all buckled in, I said, "Whew. What a night. Shall

Reviews for The Goddaughter Caper

[janicseblen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was, in part described for readers 16 and up. When I was 16 this book was below my reading level and that of my friends, IF this representative of the average 16 year olds vocabulary and ability to figure out a plot we are in trouble. The premise of the plot was a good one. It needed considerable fleshing out and written in a somewhat more adult level. I appreciate the opportunity to have read this but must say that for me I would not care to read another book by this author.

[therealjim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great little story well written and very entertaining. Gina has a small problem, dead bodies keep showing up in odd places. She even runs into a stack of coffins. Just what is going on? She calls in her crazy mob family for help. I look forward to reading the other books in this series. If you are looking for a mystery with an amusing twist then this a read for you.

[readerbynight · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Rapid Reads that delivers a slapstick murder mystery in a condensed but full-blown exciting story. The Goddaughter books by Melodie Campbell are 'dead' on hilarious. Gina, a reluctant member of The Family, seems to be forever entangled with their 'business' like it or not. Her very large Sicilian family can be overwhelming, but because of that, Gina is always getting caught in the middle. Fortunately for her, her fiance often is available to give some help from various connections he has. I love this series!Gina is within days of marrying Pete when a body drops by. Literally. Everyone turns to Gina to try to find out who offed Wally the Wanker. Where to hide the body until they can make it disappear? Gina doesn't know it, but she will soon find she is in possession of it. So much for staying out of the 'business.' Meanwhile, she is trying to help her cousin Nico set up his decor business next door to Gina's jewellery shop. Gina is determined to be straight, and keep cousins Nico and his sister Tiff straight. But bodies keep dropping in complete with coffins. Or do they?A box has been delivered to Gina's store, definitely not a coffin but neither is it something she is expecting. On the other hand, her Uncle Seb has recently passed away and she has inherited everything, so maybe this is related to the inheritance? With coffins stacking up in Nico's building next store when what he is expecting is statues, and her cousin Marco, one of the dimmer family members is responsible for making deliveries, who knows what is within Gina's box...or Nico's coffins for that matter.After a few calls to the Family, everything should be straightened out. From this point on, the story takes on a slapstick farce as things get out of hand at the Holy Cannoli Retirement Home where many of Gina's aunts live. It is also where the aunts plan to have a bridal shower for Gina and Pete, which Gina dreads. The story takes on a life of its own as it builds to an outrageous fiasco of a finale that is going to take the reader and Gina totally by surprise. I can hardly wait for another Gina Gallo mystery!

[chgstrom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A cute short story. The humor reminds me of Janet Evanovich in the Stephanie Plum series. This book is a very quick read and would be good to read by the pool.

[bah195 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gina is a smart-talking mob goddaughter who doesn't want to be one and who has a bumbling mob family that never gets it right.In this latest story featuring reluctant sleuth, Gina Gallo, strange things are happening. A body shows up in Gina's car, another is mistakenly delivered to her cousin Nico's new store and then Gina and Nico stumble across a stash of empty coffins. Worse, everything points to her own retired relatives at the Holy Cannoli Retirement Home.I love a book that has a great story and makes me laugh and this is one of them. One reviewer compared the author to Janet Evanovich. I have to disagree. Author Melodie Campbell's writing is much better than Evanovich. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book. Coming from an Italian family I can identify with Gina as she interacts with her family. I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

[bbofje · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received The Goddaughter Caper by Melodie Campbell from The LibraryThing Early Reviews program. I wanted to like this book more than I did. It's basically a short story with not much depth. However, it you're interested in a light hearted story about a "crime family", this is for you.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute little intro into the series. Gina Gallo is sassy and funny, the side characters are interesting, there is enough background mentioned to make you want to know more. The Holy Cannoli Retirement Home sounds like a fun place to retire!

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a quick, fun, easy read. Campbell had a knack for witty dialogue and memorable characters. None of her characters are deep and complex, but they feel each have a unique feel and don’t all run together. Her descriptions of several of Gina’s family members had me giggling. But Campbell’s strength is certainly her dialogue. Particularly, the banter between Gina and her fiancé, Pete. I laughed out loud at a few point due entirely to her dialogue. The story has a good mix of action, romance, and mystery – although the mystery parts get solved rather quickly. Expected, I suppose, for a “rapid read”. Given the length, there isn’t room to really develop the mystery well enough to “hook” the reader. I was never on the edge of my seat wondering who done it. But I enjoyed reading about the character’s antics and that smoothed over the lack-luster mystery part. Over all, it’s an enjoyable read, perfect for a day at the beach or poolside, along with a cold cocktail and a cannoli!Note: I received this book free as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

[kmt01_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Library Thing to read and provide and honest review. This was a rather short book. Gina Gallo belongs to a family that sometimes is not on the right side of the law. She is the goddaughter of one of the chief honchos of the local mob. Gina is about to be married. Shortly before her wedding shower, she finds one body, then another, then a bunch of empty coffins. Gina delves into the mystery of what exactly is going on. I am not quite sure why the upcoming marriage even was discussed as much as it was, since it really did not lend anything to the story plot. As I said, this book is quite short. Short books can be difficult to pull off for any author, because there is usually so much to include and so little space/time to include it. In this case, more book would have been better. The characters are not well developed. The plot jumps along, with little or no development or suspense. Gina claims she wants to distance herself from her mob family, but has absolutely no problem going to them for any help she may need or becoming involved in stunts one could attribute to them. Someone compared this to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. I do not agree. I have not read anything else in this series, but if this is any example (and I hope it is), they are a far cry from Janet Evanovich’s books (all of which I have read). This book is shorter and lacks a well- developed plot and/or well-developed characters. Gina spends a lot of time involved in and doing things normally associated with the mob—almost too much, in my opinion. In such a short book, this overpowered the story. I am not sure if I will read any more in the series, after reading this one. It was humorous at times, but often the humor fell flat or was just too much for me. If you enjoyed the first one or are looking for a quick, easy read, this may appeal to you. You may like it more than I did.