The Bootlegger’s Goddaughter. (A Gina Gallo Mystery). (Rapid Reads). Melodie Campbell. Victoria, BC: Raven Books/Orca, 2017. 117 pp., pbk., pdf & epub., $9.95 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-4598-1413-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4598-1414-1 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-1415-8 (epub). Grades 11 and up / Ages 16 and up. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

I was a tad miffed when Nico picked me up in his little red Beetle half an hour later.

"What did he steal?" said Nico.

"Everything," I said, sliding into the passenger seat. "My wallet, credit cards, Christmas presents. Even my car keys. Shit." I slammed the door shut. "Thank God I had my cell phone in my hand."

This really sucked. I'd wasted a whole day of shopping. I'd also lost a pile of money and the gifts. And now I would have to spend a whole lot of time cancelling cards and getting new ID. Right before my wedding and Christmas.

Not to mention replacing those car keys. "I have another set of keys at the store. Let's go there first, and I'll come back for my car later."

Nico nodded. He seemed preoccupied. He drove the Beetle down to Cannon, made a left and headed for our shops in Hess Village.

His silence concerned me. "What's up, Nico?"

"Your mom is in New York right now, right?"

"Yup. She's doing a little Christmas shopping before flying here for the wedding." Mom and Phil live in Florida. They stopped off in New York to visit his family before coming up here to be with mine. is thin face contorted into a worried frown. "I was talking to Luca. Did you hear me before? There's a big storm expected along the eastern seaboard. It may affect all flights."

I groaned. My mother was flying in on Thursday."Do they know when it's going to hit?"

"It's just off the Carolina coastline right now. Thing is, it looks like it will be an ice storm." This sounded ominous. But rather fitting news on what was turning out to be a totally crap day.

The fifth book in the “Gina Gallo Mystery” series, The Bootlegger's Goddaughter picks up where The Goddaughter Caper left off in main character Gina Gello's life. She is busy getting ready for her Christmas wedding to Pete and running errands when she is robbed. This event is the start of a series of other events that reveal more of Gina’s family's "shady" side.

     Melodie Campbell has created a fun character in Gina, one that readers will want to know more about. Through the Gina Gallo mysteries, Campbell has garnered a readership invested in her main character. While reading, the audience is rooting for Gina while, at the same time, wondering what secrets in her family's past will be revealed.

     A good read and a must-read if you are a fan.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike is the principal of Macdonald Drive Junior High in St. John's, NL.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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