A Deadly Habit: A Penelope Santucci Mystery

Both my husband and I enjoyed reading this novel. This is a fast-paced mystery with lots of clever commentary. It's well-written and holds the reader's attention throughout. Penelope Santucci begins by making a confession to Father Daniel. The fact that she is not herself a Catholic is unimportant to both of them. Pen has just found her estranged husband's dead body. She is certain that she will by considered the principle suspect in his murder. Father Daniel recommends the services of a criminal attorney who is willing to help her in spite of her bad habits. Pen has both a smart mouth and a smart mind. Convinced that a certain judge is the murderer, she tries to break into his house with disastrous results. Her cohorts in crime are none other than Father Daniel and her sister, Sister Germaine. In spite of receiving several beatings courtesy of some nasty thugs, Pen manages to interview a number of suspects and ferret out the truth. A very entertaining novel, that I hope will be the first in a long series.

Who is Penelope Santucci? She's not a Catholic although she tends to go to confession on occasion. She is not a murderer although the police suspect she might have killed her husband. She is fearless and determined to prove that although she was getting a divorce that she most certainly did not kill her husband. She discovered her husband Paul's body when she broke into his house to recover her belongings. Being a good citizen, she did call the police and report what she found but she failed to give her name and she did disguise her voice. After explaining all of this to Father Daniel Kopecky, he advises her that she had better get a lawyer and do it quickly. Father Kopecky refers her to Mario Silva, a defense lawyer, who agrees to take the case as a favor to Father Kopecky. Mario soon finds he has his hands full as Pen Santucci decides to head up her own investigation. Pen manages to include not only Father Kopecky in her antics but gets her sister, Germaine, who is a real Catholic and a real Nun, to participate as well. Pen takes her reader on a wild ride with never dull moment.

A Deadly Habit is an unusual mystery as far as mysteries go. It is laugh-out-loud funny and features a feisty, willful heroine that will both test your patience and steal your heart. Penelope Santuci -- known to friends as Pen -- is a probation officer. When her big shot laywer ex-husband is murdered, she becomes the first suspect. She would wait for the police to solve the mystery - if only they had brains! Refusing to put her fate on the officers' hands, she decides to take charge and prove her innocence herself. Of course, she has a handsome lawyer (she bullied him into taking her case, but what else is new?), but he wants to do things by the book and unfortunately, that's not Pen's style. However, Pen accepts when she needs help, so she recruits -- against their will -- a nun and a priest to help her. This leads to all types of funny situations. Will Pen find the true murderer and prove her innocence before she completely corrupts them, drives her lawyer crazy, and gets herself killed? A Deadly Habit is one of the most humorous novels I've read in a long time - more so because it is a mystery. The protagonist's distinct, strong voice combines street smarts, naivete and stubborness and will easily find its way into readers' hearts. The story moves at a quick pace and is full of twists and turns. The dialogue is one of the best aspects of the novel, sharp and witty. This is the first book in the Penelope Santuci mystery series and Andrea Sisco's debut novel. I already look forward to the next book. This is one of those series that makes you wonder what the protagonist will be up to next. --Mayra Calvani, The Dark Phantom Review

Andrea Sisco, from Minnesota and the Great Southwest is an accomplished writer-reviewer that has hosted Book Talk on TV, interviewed numerous authors, and succeeded as a Probation Officer. She knows plenty about crime! Co-owner with Connie Anderson of Armchair Interviews, a leading review site with millions of views from 2004 - 2009 already, she and the site have been recognized four times consecutively by Writer's Digest Best 101 Websites for Authors, 2006 - 2009. Andrea Sisco knows about writing! That being true, Andrea is hard at work on a book that will guide authors in how to get their work to the top of reviewer's priority lists. It will be another top-notch accomplishment. Watch Out For That Nun -- She'll garrott you with her rosary! Bad guys -- This is more than you bargained for. This revitalizing new mystery series is witty, thought provoking, and loaded with delicious danger. As a Minnesota probation officer and an independent crime-solving go-getter - or loose cannon - protagonist Penelope "Pen" Santucci commandeers a leading place among fictional female sleuths. Hilarious narratives and dialogues, unique storylines, and engaging subplots create fun for the readers that are easily submerged into the story as witnesses. The characters are three-dimensional from the start, as if we are beginning in the midst of their real lives. However, we want to know more, like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone that reveals her self slowly through the Alphabet Murder Series - Pen's favorite possession is, after all, A is for Alibi. While loving Kinsey as a sleuth, Penelope pursues her own cases. Ms. Santucci does not always follow legal code, so "Pen" may be a euphemism for a big house she may one day call home. Guns and Rosaries - This book is high class because while reading it, I can be present at conflict, murder, bloodshed, and sinister plotting without feeling like a truck ran over me. Works like Drag Me Back to Hell and early Stephanie Plum have that effect. I needed body armor and a stiff drink for those - and I don't drink. A Deadly Habit is deadly enough to be exciting without murdering the reader. It also offers some romantic comedy reminiscent of The Thin Man's Nick and Nora Charles - but with occasionally reversed roles and sometimes in nuns' habits. An offbeat love interest does not interfere with a suspenseful plot, and the inclusion of colorful nuns and priests in CSI antics is a hoot of bloody good fun Laughter and Bloody Murder - The characters seem real and to experience problems of all sizes, some of which create humor. I was laughing before finishing the first page. By the third page, I had to stop to catch my breath. By the second chapter, I wondered if bloody mayhem could also make me laugh. Pen Santucci became one of my favorite female private eyes at the story's midpoint. I hope to see this amateur CSI team of a Father, a sister or two, a PO, and a criminal attorney again soon. Dearest Penelope - A woman is desperate to att

Ms. Sisco created a very memorable character with Penelope Santucci. Pen is a hyperactive handful! Get ready for some fun as she impulsively dashes into danger despite the warnings and attempts to hold her back from her stodgy older sister, who is a nun, and the ever-patient Father Kopecky. Unable to subdue Pen, she drags both of them into her well-intentioned escapades. I would have liked it if Sisco had developed a little more romantic tension between Pen and her hunky Latino lawyer, but I suspect she'll do that in subsequent books. I certainly hope she continues writing more Penelope Santucci Mysteries, because I thoroughly enjoyed Sisco's many twists and turns and her delicious assortment of red herrings.