The Esposito Series Book Review and Tour (Goddess Fish)

I reviewed the Esposito Series by J.M. Griffin, for Goddess Fish Promotions. The Esposito Series is three books in a series, featuring Lavinia (Vinnie) Esposito. 

Blurb:copied from media kit
Now you can own the first three books in the sassy and suspenseful Vinnie Esposito Series by 
J.M. Griffin!By day, Lavinia (Vinnie) Esposito is a criminal justice instructor at a college in Rhode Island. By night Vinnie is an amateur sleuth, solving murders while trying to avoid getting yelled at by her Italian father, her hunky protective boyfriend Marcus Richmond, and her sexy upstairs tenant, 
the mysterious Aaron Grant.

Excerpt:

The front door knocker rapped twice after the door bell rang. I hustled from the rear deck of the gargantuan house to answer the summons. Someone seemed impatient, and I was curious as to who it was. My watch read just after eight o’ clock. I swung the heavy door open to find my prospective visitor absent.

It was so quiet, the town ghostly in its seemingly deserted state. Sundays were always lazy days in Scituate, once church was over. With a glance up and down the street of the small historic Rhode Island village, neat colonial homes stretched along the sides of the road in both directions. No one came into view.

On the doorstep, a package addressed to my recently deceased Aunt Livvy sat wrapped in brown paper. Again, I gawked up and down the street, but only empty sidewalks and barren roadway appeared in the waning light. The idea of a jaunt along the main drag entered my mind. I figured it would be senseless since the street was visible for about two hundred yards in either direction. Whoever had left the package was gone, long gone.

An eternity passed, or so it seemed, while my gaze locked onto the square, little box. Reluctant to touch it, I decided to call the local fire company to come take a gander. Call me paranoid, but as a criminal justice instructor, a recent audit of a class on bomb components remained fresh in my mind.

I quickly stepped to the living room and grabbed the phone. I dialed the private number of the fire station up the street. A grunt came across the phone line that could only be Bill MacNert.

“Hey Nerd, its Vinnie,” I said. “A package was just left on my doorstep, could you come down and check it out for me?”

“Sure, you got a secret admirer or somethin’?” He cackled, as only senior men can.

“Not likely, but you never know. This package is addressed to Lavinia Ciano, not Lavinia Esposito and is wrapped in brown paper. Nobody’s here to accompany this little surprise either.”

“I’ll be right down, Vinnie, don’t touch it.” He warned.

“Okay.”

Anxious, I paced back and forth across gleaming hard wood floors in the spacious living room of my newly acquired colonial. My fingernails tapped the enamel on my teeth as I wandered to and fro. As irrational as it seemed, I finally leaned against the door jamb inside the entry to wait for MacNert to arrive.

It wasn’t long before the limber old guy came into view as he hot footed down the street with a stethoscope in his hand. This particular piece of equipment wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but then he wasn’t a bomb expert either.

When he arrived on the doorstep slightly out of breath, he glanced at the parcel, and then turned toward me.

“This was just delivered, you say?” MacNert squinted toward me with wizened brown eyes that twinkled all the time. It was as though there was a private joke going on inside his head.

“Yeah, someone knocked on the door, and when I got here to answer, there was nobody around

My Review:

The first book in the series is For the Love of Livvy. Vinnie is investigating the murder of her aunt. The book starts off with the aunt already dead, with a mysterious package waiting for her. This was somewhat different from other mysteries I read. Sometimes you get the prequel to the murder, the murder, and the investigation. I do like this format. No one knows at this point how the aunt died or the motives behind it. Livvy had been gone for over a month now. Vinnie wants to investigate her aunt's death. Of course, there is a chemistry and sexual tension between her and a police man, but I am not telling which one. Dirty Trouble focused on someone stalking Vinnie, while Dead Wrong focuses on Vinnie's brother being possibly involved in a crime. Each book was about 150 to 200 pages, which isn't bad for a quick, daily read. Anyway, the books flowed well from one scene to the next. I enjoyed reading the series.

Author Bio: copied from media kit
As a humorous, cozy mystery writer, J.M. adds a touch of romance to every story. She believes 
in fairies, doesn't believe in coincidence, and feels life is what you make it. Believe in yourself 
and look at the positive, not the negative, to bring about success. AND. . .never stop trying.
J.M. lives in rural New England with her husband and two very mysterious cats

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JM-Griffin/246751368685078
Website: http://www.JMGriffin.net
Twitter: mycozymystery
Blog: http://mycozymysteries.blogspot.com
Buy Link:
http://www.lachesispublishing.com/proddetail.asp?prod=EspositoBoxSet1-3E

For Love of Livvy (Book 1)
Vinnie investigates the death of her beloved aunt, and a mysterious box is left on her doorstep.
Dirty Trouble (Book 2)
Someone is stalking Vinnie and that’s just the beginning of her troubles.
Dead Wrong (Book 3)
Vinnie is out to save her brother from being framed after a valuable painting is stolen.