Created by Lawrence Kelter
GINA MARIE COTOTI is, according to the author (or at least his publisher) a “feisty Sicilian sparkplug, a Brooklyn-based private eye with a fondness for family, friends, and one roguishly handsome Casanova named Rocco Benelli. Hey, nobody’s perfect.”
If it already sounds like we’re edging into Evanovich territory, you’re not hearing things. Just swap out New Jersey for New Yawk.
She’s got the cool car (a split-window ’63 Corvette coupe), a gaggle of eccentric relatives (Ma, Dad, and sister Theresa) and friends in the hood, various healthy appetites, and of course the afore-mentioned troublesome (but super-hunky) maybe-boyfriend Rocco she’s known for years, a currently unemployed parole officer who really needs a job.
Snappy patter?
How about “With shoulders like his, I wouldn’t mind if he came over and leveled my terracotta,” or “as likely as WalMart instituting a mandatory dress code for their customers”?
Suffice it to say Gina has a mouth on her.
In the rom-commish series kick-off, Man-Killer (2024), Gina–despite her better instincts–hires Rocco to help her investigate a shady boxer with mob ties.
What could possibly go wrong?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lawrence Kelter has written over thirty mystery and thriller novels, including the bestselling the Stephanie Chalice series (about a NYPD detective), and the My Cousin Vinny books, based on the 1992 hit comedy. Early in his writing career, he received direction from literary icon, Nelson DeMille, who edited portions of his early work, and offered up the much-used blurb about Kelter being “an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.” He also told Kelter “Kid, your work needs editing, but that’s a hell of a lot better than not having talent. Keep it up!”
UNDER OATH
- “For my money Gina Cototi is the most compelling PI to hit the mystery scene in a good long while.”
— William Kent Krueger - “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.”
— Nelson DeMille - “A full throttle romp with more layers than a homemade lasagna.”
— Daniel Burke
NOVELS
- Man-Killer (2024) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
