Death of A Dancing Queen
A Billie Levine Mystery
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3.1 • 9 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Veronica Mars meets Serial in this detective novel, where a female Jewish P.I finds herself involved in a deadly gang war while looking for a murder suspect...
Crimereads Most Anticipated Crime Fiction 2023, Hey Alma’s 23 Jewish Books in 23 Selection, Featured in ITW’s Big Thrill Magazine, Book Riot’s 12 New Mystery & Thrillers To Get Sleuthing
After her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Billie Levine revamped her grandfather’s private investigation firm and set up shop in the corner booth of her favorite North Jersey deli hoping the free pickles and flexible hours would allow her to take care of her mom and pay the bills. So when Tommy Russo, a rich kid with a nasty drug habit, offers her a stack of cash to find his missing girlfriend, how can she refuse? At first, Billie thinks this will be easy earnings, but then her missing person's case turns into a murder investigation and Russo is the detective bureau’s number one suspect.
Suddenly Billie is embroiled in a deadly gang war that’s connected to the decades-old disappearance of a famous cabaret dancer with ties to both an infamous Jewish mob and a skinhead group. Toss in the reappearance of Billie’s hunky ex-boyfriend with his own rap sheet, and she is regretting every decision that got her to this point.
Becoming a P.I. was supposed to solve her problems. But if Billie doesn’t crack this case, the next body the police dredge out of the Hudson River will be hers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
YA author Giarratano makes her adult debut with a strong mystery featuring 24-year-old neophyte PI, Billie Levine. Still paying off her student loans, Billie has taken over her grandfather's investigative firm, which operates from the corner booth of a Teaneck, N.J., deli. She hopes that the flexible hours will give her time to take care of her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer's. Billie can't afford to turn down the money offered by her new client, Tommy Russo, a well-heeled college student with a serious drug habit. He asks her to find his girlfriend, Jasmine Flores, a 21-year-old college student and part-time stripper at the Malta club. When Jasmine turns up dead, Tommy becomes the prime suspect. While gathering background on Jasmine, Billie learns that the young woman was the force behind a true crime podcast called the Murder Girls. Could there be a connection between Jasmine's death and the 1991 murder of Starla Wells, known as the "cabaret vixen of the Malta club"? An appealing and resourceful protagonist with realistic personal problems complements an intricate plot filled with valid suspects and motives. Readers will want to see more of Billie.
