A Lucie Rizzo Mystery Series

"This mystery will sink its fangs into your funny bone and drag you along by a leash of laughter." -- Denise Swanson, New York Times Bestselling Author Dog walking seemed like an innocent job… but the mob has its paws in everything. Lucie Rizzo, investment banker. Status: unemployed. It’s a hard fall from grace for Lucie to move back in with her mother until she lands on her feet again. Everything she did before was to get as far away as possible from her mob-infested family. Still, Lucie’s determined to make things work. She begins with a part-time gig walking dogs for wealthy clients, and it inspires her to start her own pet accessory line. Frankie Falcone, her smoking-hot ex, wants to start again as if they never stopped. He’s no stranger to family ties with “the Family,” either, but she’s hardly one to throw stones. What does concern Lucie is the kidnappings. Well, petnappings. Someone local is abducting innocent dogs, and all of them belong to her upper-crust clients. One pilfered pooch is bad enough. Three is a pattern. At this rate, Lucie will be out of business in days and on the ASPCA’s Most Wanted list. Unless she solves the mystery herself—and sends the dogjacking culprits straight to the pound. Dog Collar Crime is book one in the Lucie Rizzo Mystery series. For more Lucie Rizzo fun, check out all the titles in this high-spirited, hilarious series - read 'em all! * Knocked Off * Limbo * Boosted * Limbo (novella) * Whacked * Cooked * Incognito *

Mob princess turned entrepreneur Lucie Rizzo knows that when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. Despite her family's unshakable criminal reputation, Lucie's new business is booming. And for once, her love life isn't far behind. Lucie devotes her days to building the Coco Barknell brand of couture doggie fashion accessories. But her nights are all about roguishly sexy Tim O'Brien. At least they will be if she and Detective O'Hottie finally take their relationship to the next level. But bring an Irish cop home to her mobster father? Fuggetaboutit. Then, Lucie's knack for finding trouble lands her in hot water—and the six o'clock news. Someone's absconded with a million-dollar piece of cinematic costume history, and Lucie is the only witness to the crime. Not to mention the prime suspect. To clear her name, she'll need an assist from her entire wacky crew: friends, family… and future (hopefully) lover.

"Adrienne Giordano hits a home run once again with a fun mystery you can't put down." --Dianna Love, New York Times Bestselling Author Things were finally starting to look up for Lucie Rizzo. She has a thriving new business, a new outlook on life, and, most importantly, she never has to live under the shadow of her family ever again. No more mob-princess-shenanigans...And this time, she's determined to keep it that way. So when an art deal she brokered between clients turns suspicious, it's up to Lucie to uncover the truth. She might not know the difference between Monet and Manet, but Rizzos are no strangers to jail time, and Lucie refuses to be caught up in the mafia-mix again. And who better to help her than a tall, blonde, Irish cop? Detective O'Hottie Tim O'Brien might be on the wrong side of the law by Rizzo standards, but everything about him is oh-so-right. He doesn't care about Lucie's mafia-ties, and he knows what she needs. So when another handsome, familiar face comes knocking on Lucie's door, a whole new Rizzo-sized dilemma gets thrown into the mix. What do you get when you add a mob-princess, two smoldering men, and the peculiar mystery behind two crime-ridden paintings? One big rollercoaster of a Knocked-Off crime caper!

To taste success in this world, Lucie Rizzo knows that you need a good recipe. And this time, she finally has one. Big business might be ruthless, but Lucie Rizzo learned to take the heat from the best: her mob boss father. Except instead of cooking the books, she’s mixing up her next moneymaking expansion. But her BFF-turned-partner isn’t sold on the idea. Ro is the creative genius—not to mention the boobs—of their operation, but Lucie has the discerning business palate. And this venture smells like sweet success. All they need is the right investor. French chef Antoine Durand made casseroles sexy again. His closely guarded secret recipe built a billion-dollar empire. He’s got the cred and the cash to turn Lucie’s dream into a reality. She gives him a taste of her proposal and Antoine’s about to bite, when a fire breaks out in his restaurant. And in the chaos, his priceless recipe is stolen. The number one suspect? Lucie. Because a girl can’t shake her criminal connections in this town. She might be a mob princess, but she’s no thief. And she’s certainly no blackmailer. Someone has beef with the chef. The Rizzo crew needs to find out who, before Antoine puts Coco Barknell out of business…and Lucie behind bars.   "There are two things you can count on when reading a Lucie Rizzo Dog Collar series book...laughs and pure entertainment!" - Goodreads Review

Paris. Milan. New York. Franklin, Illinois? Aspiring design mogul and reluctant mob princess Lucie Rizzo dreams of taking the fashion world by storm. As the wisest of wiseguys will tell you, to go big, you have to start small. And a local charity fashion show provides the perfect chance to shine the spotlight on Coco Barknell. Not to mention the opportunity to work with the Don Corleone of pet products, Buzzy Sneider. But she didn’t earn that rank by being nice. Buzzy expects everyone to kiss her ring. When Coco Barknell designs start appearing on Buzzy’s website, Lucie wants to wring her thieving neck. Until somebody beats her to it. A dead celebrity plus a very public feud can only add up to trouble for a girl named Rizzo. Except it’s not Lucie the cops put behind bars, but her BFF—hotheaded creative diva, Roseanne. The evidence may be stacked against Ro, but Lucie and her zany crew will never let her go down without a fight.  "Adorably funny!... A fresh and unique cozy!"

Mob princess Lucie Rizzo can't catch a break. Or take one. Building a business empire is hard work, even without her family's notoriety. Staying out of trouble isn't exactly her forte. Still, Lucie could use a vacation from Chicago winters and the town where everybody knows her father's name. So when a certain Irish cop promises warmer days-and hotter nights-Lucie sees an offer she can't refuse.  Detective O'Hottie sweeps her away to the land of sun, sand, and…retirees? Before the real romantic getaway begins, Tim wants to visit his Uncle Henry. Or, to be exact, Tim's mom wants the goods on Henry's new girlfriend. Ha! Family drama without a Rizzo involved. What could a sweet, 50-something woman be hiding? Not a lot, judging by the amount of cleavage on display. Holy cannoli, Henry's Mattie could give Lucie's bombshell BFF a run for her money.  It's more than just the skintight leopard print making Tim do a double take. The details don't add up. Mattie's not being completely honest-and Lucie smells a rat. Uncle Henry's gal pal isn't who she claims to be. But is Mattie playing a long con, or is she the victim? Either way, Lucie is getting caught in a dangerous game.

Whacked Aspiring design mogul and reluctant mob princess Lucie Rizzo dreams of taking the doggie fashion world by storm. And a local charity fashion show provides the perfect chance to shine the spotlight on Coco Barknell. Not to mention the opportunity to work with the Don Corleone of pet products, Buzzy Sneider. When Coco Barknell designs start appearing on Buzzy's website, Lucie wants to wring her thieving neck. Until somebody beats her to it. A dead celebrity plus a very public feud can only add up to trouble for a girl named Rizzo. Except it's not Lucie the cops put behind bars, but her BFF Roseanne. The evidence may be stacked against Ro, but Lucie and her zany crew will never let her go down without a fight. Cooked Big business might be ruthless, but Lucie Rizzo learned to take the heat from the best: her mob boss father. Instead of cooking the books, she's mixing up her next moneymaking expansion. French chef Antoine Durand's closely guarded casserole recipe built a billion-dollar empire. Lucie gives him a taste of her proposal and Antoine's about to bite when a fire breaks out in his restaurant. In the chaos, his priceless recipe is stolen. The number one suspect? Lucie. The Rizzo crew needs to find out who has beef with the chef before Antoine puts Coco Barknell out of business…and Lucie behind bars. Incognito Mob princess Lucie Rizzo could use a vacation from Chicago winters, so when a certain Irish cop promises warmer days—and hotter nights—Lucie sees an offer she can't refuse.  Detective O'Hottie sweeps her away to the land of sun, sand, and…retirees? Before the real romantic getaway begins, Tim wants to visit his Uncle Henry. Or, to be exact, Tim's mom wants the goods on Henry's new girlfriend who doesn't seem to be who she claims. Is Mattie playing a long con, or is she the victim? Either way, Lucie is getting caught in a dangerous game.

Dog Collar Crime Out of work and down on her luck, Lucie Rizzo is forced to move home to her nutty, mob-infested family. When she parlays her temporary dog-walking gig into a career, she is thrown into a criminal conspiracy straight out of a gangster movie. One that, if she’s not careful, could leave her sleeping with the fishes. Knocked Off Being stuck in the old neighborhood is the last thing reluctant mob princess Lucie Rizzo wants. She's determined to make a name for herself. One not tarnished by her dad's mobster rep. When an art deal she brokered between clients turns suspicious, it's up to Lucie to uncover the truth. She might not know the difference between Monet and Manet, but Rizzos are no strangers to jail time—and Lucie refuses to be someone's prison bitch. Limbo Lucie Rizzo's life is...complicated. She's worked hard to grow a legit business and leave behind the mob princess reputation. Now her mobster father is on parole, making things awkward at home—especially with her detective boyfriend. And thanks to an inescapable penchant for trouble, Lucie keeps stumbling into the wrong crime at the wrong time. When her favorite client is snatched at a dog show by a mystery woman, Lucie and her zany sidekicks will do anything to take back what's theirs. Boosted Lucie's knack for finding trouble lands her in hot water—and the six o'clock news. Someone's absconded with a million-dollar piece of cinematic costume history, with Lucie the only witness to the crime. Not to mention the prime suspect. To clear her name, she'll need an assist from her entire wacky crew: friends, family…and future (hopefully) lover.