When Alberta Scaglione's spinster aunt dies, she leaves her niece her lake house and money in Tranquility, NJ. Alberta is a widow now and her children are grown, so she's happy to start a new phase of her life. Her peaceful prospects are interrupted, however, when the dead body of her childhood nemesis, Lucy Agostino, is found floating in the lake. Alberta teams up with her granddaughter, Gina -- known as Jinx -- to investigate who killed Lucy.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery with its Italian flavor. Alberta and Jinx bicker with each other as well as other characters, as Italian families and friends will do while loving each other unconditionally. Alberta is intelligent and feisty. And Jinx is a capable reporter and amateur sleuth. The mystery was interesting with plenty of suspects and some twists. There are some yummy recipes (two kinds of cookies and meatballs & gravy!) at the end of the book too! That is always a plus!

This is a nice start to a new cozy series, the Ferrara Family Mysteries. A second book in the series, Murder in Tranquility Park will come out in March 2019. I will definitely keep reading this series. It has a nice mix of humor and mystery!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

Alberta Scaglione hasn't had an easy life. She was married to a man who didn't love her, and her only daughter fights with her constantly - which culminates in her daughter moving out of state to get away with her. She's a 64-year-old widow who doesn't have much in life - until a spinster aunt leaves her over three million dollars and a lakefront home in Tranquility, New Jersey. Now she's enjoying her chance to relax and live her life the way she wants.

At least she was, until a body floats on the lake in front of her. It turns out to be an old enemy from school, and when Alberta notifies the police, she's convinced the woman was murdered. They don't believe her until after the autopsy report, and she decides to leave it at that. But when her granddaughter arrives in Tranquility, things change. Jinx's personality is like her grandmother's, but she's trying to make it as a reporter. She's tired of fluff pieces and wants to investigate the murder. When her editor tells her no, she convinces Alberta to help her, and along with Alberta's sister Helen and sister-in-law Joyce, they try and figure out who killed the woman. But will it bring Jinx the new job or just danger?...

This is the first in a new series and I really wanted to like this book. Sadly, it pretty much lost me at the beginning by showing me that Alberta isn't the 'nice' woman she's supposed to be. A relative - the one who eventually leaves her money - is in a nursing home and she repeatedly whispers to her, "Just go already. There is nothing left for you here, so just die for Crise sake." Does that sound like a warm, loving woman? Especially since the hearing is the last to go and the woman heard every word? I remember when I lost my father, and I spent my time telling him how much I loved him. It still breaks my heart to this very day.

Anyway, she's a nasty human being; what she said notwithstanding, she was constantly arguing and yelling at her daughter and the author tells us that because it's what they've always done we're just supposed to shrug our shoulders and think this is fine. Sorry, but this is not acceptable behavior and it's abusive. No wonder her daughter moved away.

Then her granddaughter convinces her that breaking and entering is an acceptable way to get information and clues to the murder, so she decides to go ahead with it, knowing it's illegal. I've never liked it when characters do that, mainly because the person who isn't supposed to be home always shows up (in this I wasn't disappointed).

I was disappointed, however, that the characters were so stereotypical - right down to spouting Italian at every opportunity. Not only is Alberta nasty and mean, her sister Helen, an ex-nun, throws insults around like a Frisbee; and the sister-in-law sure likes her liquor - having no problem drinking first thing in the morning. What a fun group of people.

In the end, I didn't find the "collection" interesting, and the characters just grated on me, which made me skim through the end of the book. Sorry, but I won't be reading any more in this series. ( )

This is the first book in a new series and what a start it was. I loved this loud, boisterous, sassy Italian family. When Alberta Scaglione's spinster aunt dies, she leaves her niece her lake house and money in Tranquility, NJ. Alberta is a widow and her children are grown, so she's happy to start a new phase of her life. Moving to the house on Memory Lake Alberta expected to have a nice peaceful place to retire but what she didn’t expect was to walk out and see a body floating in the lake. Just as the local law arrives so does Alberta’s granddaughter, Jinx. Jinx is a reporter and when she pitches an investigation to her boss, he shuts her down. Alberta and Jinx decide they will work together to solve the mystery of who killed Lucy Agostino, Alberta's childhood nemesis.

This is a fun cozy mystery story. With the big Italian family, quirky characters (one of her sisters is a nun who left the convent) and the small town atmosphere, I wanted to head off to Tranquility to meet up with them all. Alberta and Jinx, the two main characters, bicker with each other as well as other characters, while loving each other unconditionally. Alberta is intelligent and feisty while Jinx is a capable reporter and amateur sleuth. As the story unfolds there are a few suspects, some red herrings, some twists and turns that left me guessing. This book had a lot of character building, so the mystery sometimes seemed to take a back seat to the craziness of the family, but that was okay, because I enjoyed the quirkiness. The final reveal was not on my radar and was a bit out there, but it fit with the rest of the story. I listened to this book and my only complaint was the Italian phrase at the opening to each chapter. I did not know what the phrases meant and it was not translated in the story. The narrator did a great job with the various voices, especially the Italian voices. I felt like I was right there listening to the characters. Overall I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to my next visit with The Ferrara Family. ( )

Murder on Memory Lake by J.D. Griffo is the debut of The Ferrara Family Mystery series. Alberta Scaglione is surprised when she learns her recently deceased aunt, Carmela had an estate and left it entirely to her. It turns out that Carmela kept some secrets which included a lake house in Tranquility, New Jersey and a large amount of money. The only caveat is that she cannot give away any of the money (i.e.—to her greedy relatives) for two years (she knew her niece well). Alberta’s family used to vacation in Tranquility for two weeks every summer. One morning, Alberta is sitting on the porch of her new home enjoying the view of the lake with her cat, Lola when she spots a dead body. The victim is Alberta’s old high school nemesis, Lucy Agnostino. While Chief Vinny D’Angelo is ready to declare it an accidental drowning, Alberta states it is murder and she can prove it. Alberta’s granddaughter and local journalist, Jinx arrives during the hubbub for their weekly breakfast. It turns out that the victim was murdered, and Alberta intends to track down the killer. Jinx wants to prove her worth to her boss, so she teams up with Alberta to unravel the whodunit. They get help from Helen, Alberta’s sister (and former nun) along with their former sister-in-law, Joyce (they actually prefer her to their brother). These four ladies use their wits and connections to crack the case.

Murder on Memory Lake is a quirky cozy mystery filled with larger-than-life characters. Alberta is a widow of Italian descent living in New Jersey and frequently uses Italian words and phrases. Helen is a former nun, Joyce is their former sister-in-law, and Jinx (aka Gina) is Alberta’s granddaughter who just moved back to New Jersey. Each woman has a different skill or knowledge which aids them in solving the case. Their diverse personalities does lead to frequent disagreements. There are numerous characters introduced throughout the story. It seems that many of Alberta’s former classmates have relocated to Tranquility (what a coincidence). I wish the author had taken the time to flesh out Alberta’s character. She feels like a caricature. The Italian phrases and words that she throws into conversations quickly became annoying and they are not always explained/translated. I thought the author was overly wordy which led to a slower pace (a little rewriting would have made a difference). The dialogue (except for the Italian bits) was realistic and fits with the characters. The point-of-view switches between Alberta and Jinx providing two distinct perspectives. The ladies investigate the mystery in their own way and update each other on their progress while indulging in delectable delights. The ladies tend to jump to conclusions that are not supported by facts or evidence. The mystery is slightly convoluted with a drawn out ending. Most readers will arrive at the solution long before it is revealed. I am giving Murder on Memory Lake 3 out of 5 stars. Murder on Memory Lake has unique characters, humor, a black cat, a lovely setting and a curious murder mystery. ( )