Death of a Serpent — Susan Russo Anderson

Three bodies . . . A dark secret . . . And one woman determined to uncover the truth. Sicily, October 1866. At a high-class house near Palermo, three women are knifed to death, their foreheads slashed with a strange mark, their bodies dumped on the madam's doorstep. Infuriated with the inept police inspector who does nothing to solve the crimes, the madam summons her friend, Serafina, and asks her to catch the killer. Serafina launches into the investigation, gathering evidence, following leads. An unexpected murder plunges her into despair, but not for long. In a defiant meeting with the local mafia capo, her arch enemy, she makes an important discovery. Now convinced of the murderer's identity, she enlists the help of her very pregnant daughter and together they conceive a daring plan to ensnare the killer, but not before Serafina uncovers shocking truths of her own. EXTRA *****Be sure to read NO MORE BROTHERS, and DEATH IN BAGHERIA, the second and third books in the Serafina Florio series of mysteries. Meet Serafina Florio, a widow and midwife-turned-sleuth who births babies, struggles to support her children, and catches criminals despite insurmountable odds.