Kristi Belcamino

While Gabriella Giovanni has never had much luck with love, her passion is reporting the news associated with crimes. Her job at the Bay Herald has helped her to deal with the kidnapping and death of her sister at six years old, but she has never looked back at Caterina's case until now when another girl has gone missing. She is brought face to face with Jack Johnson, who claims to be responsible for both crimes. Her investigative instincts turn to obsession, when she meets with Johnson and allows him to manipulate her until she is on the precipice of losing everything.

Blessed Are the Dead takes inspiration from other serial killer stories, but spins them in a way that gives them new life in this first book in the Gabriella Giovanni Mystery series. Ms. Belcamino takes her experience as a former crime reporter and weaves it into a thriller that is almost impossible to put down. Throughout the story, we are in Gabriella's head as we learn about her strengths as a reporter and her insecurities as a woman. Many elements fill out the plot including Gabriella's family, her Catholic upbringing, her love life, and her relationships with her colleagues. Overall, Blessed Are the Dead is not a perfect book but is an amazing story told by a first time novelist.… (mehr)

Coming for You by Kristi Belcamino is a riveting mystery that is quite poignant.

With their seventeen year old daughter, Kate, about to leave for college, Sofia Kennedy and her husband Jason host their good friends Dan and Gretchen Williams and Alex and Cecile Moreau for an "Empty Nest" celebration. After a fun-filled evening, Sofia awakens to discover Kate did not come home from her evening out with Dan's daughter, Lily. Nor did her normally responsible daughter leave her a message that she is staying over with friends. Kate and Jason notify the police then they immediately begin searching for Kate. When their worst fears are realized, Sofia does not trust Detective Pete Marley to find Kate's killer so she begins investigating on her own. Will Sofia unmask her daughter's killer? And if she does, will she follow through on her impulse to make the murderer pay for their crime?

Sofia has lied to Jason and everyone in their inner circle about her identity and her past. She is very worried that Kate's murder is somehow connected to the life she left behind when she started college. The truth about her parents haunts her and due to her family history, Sofia is certain that when she identifies Kate's killer, she will have no problem exacting justice for her daughter's death. Convinced that her DNA is her destiny, Sofia relentlessly and sometimes, ruthlessly, hunts for Kate's murderer.

Kate's life in the months leading up to her murder are revealed through a series of her diary entries. She is a typical teen looking forward going off to college and beginning the "adult" portion of her life. However, Kate's life is a bit tumultuous as she looks to the future. Her long standing friendship with Lily is a bit strained but she is sure they will make it though this brief rough patch. Kate has been keeping several secrets that are quite troubling but are these undisclosed details related to her murder?

Coming for You is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery. Sofia is a sympathetic character whose family history is very dark and disturbing. Kate's murder is absolutely heartrending and it is easy to empathize with Sofia's need for vengeance. With a viable pool of suspects, Kristi Belcamino keeps the perpetrator's identity and motive for the murder carefully concealed until the breathtaking denouement. An outstanding mystery that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.… (mehr)

Border Line from Kristi Belcamino is the latest in the Gia Santella series. This volume not only makes a wonderful addition to the series it also marks even more growth in Gia as a person.

This story touches on some contemporary issues in society yet does so from a very personal level, not a in preachy or didactic manner. Like all large illegal operations, there is plenty of responsibility to go around for it being powerful, much of that responsibility being outside the organization.

If you've read previous Gia stories, you know she is a strong and independent woman. She has grown in every novel, usually incremental steps as she moves further in time from the events that helped harden her. This time she exhibits some major growth in areas that would naturally require time to happen. So while the change (or prospective change) is large it still falls into the realm of natural and believable. It also take her from a well-rounded but somewhat stunted character (I mean that in a good way, trauma stunts us whether permanently or temporarily) to a far more reflective person open to at least considering change. To quote a favorite movie: baby steps, baby steps.

The action, the characters, the writing, the intersecting plotlines, this novel satisfies on so many levels. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a kickass protagonist who is also a lot of fun. If you're new to the series, maybe consider starting from the beginning, but you can probably read this as a standalone, you'll just have to fill in a couple things from comments the characters make. Quite possible, I think, but if you don't like doing so, start with the first volume and work through this one by the time the next one comes out.… (mehr)