The Goddaughter Caper. (A Gina Gallo Mystery). (Rapid Reads). Melodie Campbell. Victoria, BC: Raven Books/Orca, 2016. 227 pp., trade pbk., pdf & epub, $9.95 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-4598-1053-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4598-1054-9 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-1055-6 (epub). Grades 9 and up / Ages 14 and up. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

Don't get involved, my fickle conscience warned me. Your wedding is just six weeks away. Your fiancé is a great guy who has no idea how involved you still are with "the family." Keep it cool, Gina Gallo.

I should have been calling the cops. But the cops don't like me much, especially Rick Spense, AKA Spense, another high school non-friend. I didn't think he'd appreciate a call from me. He might even get the impression I'd had something to do with the hit. So I decided not to interrupt his Monday-night poker game.

Maybe ten minutes passed before Nico came out from the back room. He sat down at our little table.

"All taken care of," he whispered. "We can leave now."

Phew! The relief. I couldn't wait to get out of there, to put some distance between me and the recently departed.

In The Goddaughter Caper, Melodie Campbell continues to develop Gina Gallo's character along with the saga of her mob family. While trying to lead a normal life, Gina finds that trouble seems to follow her everywhere. Further complicating matters is the fact that Gina is trying to keep her family history from her fiancé. When bodies start showing up in unexpected places, like Gina's car trunk, things take a turn for the worse.

     Campbell creates a page-turner that is fast moving, exciting and filled with twists and turns. As the reader gets involved in the story and gets that familiar feeling, Campbell throws in another complication.

     A good read.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike is the Principal of St. Paul's Junior High in St. John's, NL.

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