ALL RISE by Rosemarie Aquilina
Book One in the ALL RISE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
Arrested by detectives for murder of the Chief Judge, former Judge Nicoletta Kikkra learns there isn’t any problem that can’t be solved out of her recently opened Ratification Hair Salon, Spa & Café. Nicoletta’s cowboy boots and every day is wedding hair spray day sense of humor keeps everyone around her in good spirits even when twelve inexplicable bank accounts totaling 1.2 million dollars are discovered in her name—money that detectives pinpoint as her motive to kill. Nicoletta quickly loses control over her life as a cast of characters, including former court staff and grateful rehabilitated felons, pets included, who transplant in to her life to help solve the mystery of who killed the Chief Judge and ensure her new business succeeds and she remains a free woman.
To complicate matters, to the rescue comes entrepreneur ex-husband Dexter Breckenridge, who posts a million dollars in bond money that to him equate ample reason to keep her safe. Dex hires Nicoletta’s ex-boyfriend Hunter Greene, a private investigator, to protect his investment. Throw into the mix her handsome boyfriend, Australian attorney Sebastian Pearce who represents her. The three men who know her best persistently try to solve the murder always managing to also outshine each other much to her infuriation.
The trail leads to more murders, high-speed car chases and flying bullets, snakes and suspects—but as she tries to hone-in clues her home is turning into a bed and breakfast and her Hair Salon and Café into an animal retreat. Nicoletta begins to regain the power she lost with help from two inside female Judges and mysterious notes telling her to follow the money. Finally, she realizes Dark Money and court insiders may not only be behind Chief Judge Warren Donnettelli’s murder but now they want her dead.
In ALL RISE by Rosemarie Aquilina, everyone is in for a wild ride as cars blow up, trash-bin fireworks explode and skunk fumes burst from perfume bottles, and snakes slither in. Nicoletta keeps calm using her legal knowledge and her Salon know-how to clue-together insider gossip to solve Donnettelli’s murder and keep her freedom. This humorous cast of diverse characters their insights, barbs, and love for Nicoletta and everyday justice makes ALL RISE an enjoyable cozy-mystery, that is a standalone tale, but is the first in a Salon mystery series. You’ll want to keep revisiting Nicoletta’s world, the men in her life, and her whacky but all-supportive, all-in friends.
All Rise is in the genre of Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) meets Izzy Spellman (Lisa Lutz ) meets Ali McBeal with quirky, memorable, endearing characters, embroiled in circumstances that spiral, entertain and humor readers who will be so engaged they will want to visit the world of All Rise, and revisit it again, and often. The characters are developed, colorful and comical, with a side of serious.
Rosemarie Aquilina is the author of Triple Cross Killer, a Special Forces Detective Series, and Feel No Evil, both published by Sabieha Press.
Rosemarie Aquilina is the author of Triple Cross Killer, a Special Forces Detective Series, and Feel No Evil, both published by Sabieha Press.
