The author of the famous Tessa Graham mystery series, Tracy Eaton, never expects to find a live mystery in her own family. Actually her husband’s family, when she and her husband, Drew, go to New York City to attend her favorite and only sister-in-law Marisa’s wedding. Tracy, the daughter of two highly excitable, dramatic and fun-loving Hollywood legends, is a talkative and lively creature who finds the stiff formality of her in-laws' place constricting and repressive. This writer of mysteries loves nothing more than to play detective herself and soon finds an occasion to try out her amateur skills when Marisa is kidnapped, ransom is demanded and her in-laws (including her dear hubby) refuse to involve the police in the whole dangerous affair. With her penchant for nosiness, Tracy starts snooping around and soon starts stepping on toes and rashly heads into danger when she starts discovering information that people would rather not have becoming public.

Soon people are shooting at Tracy. Could it be because Tracy spots Marisa’s fiancé, who’s supposedly from Italy and speaks very little English, riding in a limousine and visiting a well-known mobster? Or is because of the notorious Lord Hunt, whom she boldly interrogates? Or could it be because Tracy says out loud whatever is in her mind without any restraint? Why is a police detective constantly dragging her in for questioning? Hurt by her husband’s siding with his family against her, ignoring her sarcastic mother-in-law’s verbal barbs, surprised and upset by the family’s seeming indifference to the disappearance of Drew’s lovable uncle Philly (who’s also a con artist), hating all the secrets so palpably prevalent amongst the Eatons, Tracy nevertheless keeps poking her nose into other people’s secret affairs, with startling results.

Revenge of the Gypsy Queen is pure, unadulterated fun. Author Kris Neri skillfully crafts an entertaining and well-plotted mystery that is refreshingly, comically candid. Neri writes in the first person and shares with the readers every outspoken thought in Tracy’s busy little brain -- and catches every word that trips off her unruly tongue. Tracy is an observant, blunt and irrepressible woman, and she makes for some hilarious reading, narrating the tale with a captivating wry wit and description so true that New York City and its people come alive in front of the readers’ eyes. Neri makes every one of the numerous characters stand out, and the dialogue is crisp and apt. The mystery is equally good and, with red herrings galore, difficult to solve. All in all, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen is an ideal mix of mystery, mayhem and humor.

Note : This book is the first book in the Tracy Eaton Mystery series. Second in this series is Dem Bones' Revenge. More details can be found at the author’s website - https://www.krisneri.com/.