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Paperback
Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK
Escaping the heat and heartbreak of New York City for a summer in rural Pennsylvania sounded like the perfect plan to Nicky D'Amico. Little did he know that what began as a heavenly idea would turn out to be a hell of a job!Each year the nuns of rural St. Gilbert's College hire a city slicker to help with their summer theater festival. As the stage manager, Nicky has a lot to handle--a truly awful musical script, bickering school staff, a huge crush on the cute guy in the chorus but things are about to get a whole lot worse. Convent of Fear, the school's play, features a serial nun killer. When several cast members are murdered, the mystery moves from the stage to real life. With its suspenseful plot, loveable characters, and laugh-out-loud humor, A Habit for Death is one habit you won't want to break.
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| An excellent first effort! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Chuck Zito is a theater professional with a lifetime of experience who graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. He presently lives in New York City. A HABIT FOR DEATH is his debut mystery, with more Nicky D'Amico mysteries in the offing.
Nicky D'Amico thought a summer job in theater at St. Gilbert's College in rural Pennsylvania would be a great escape from the heat of Manhattan and the craziness of New York. He is hired as a stage manager for an awful script, Convent of Fear. As if that isn't bad enough, the cast is constantly fighting, and Nicky soon discovers that in this small town they are almost all related. When one of the stars of the show, Sister Sally, dies on stage of bizarre causes even as the protesters outside continue their Twilight Zone activities, it seems that only the visage of David Scott, Nicky's fantasy come true, could save the day. Two of Nicky's friends from New York, Paolo and Roger, arrive in the midst of their lover's spat to spice things up even further:
"'This is the worst caesar salad I've ever had,' Roger said.
'Who orders caesar at a family restaurant in backwater Pennsylvania?' Paolo snapped. Then, to David, 'Nothing personal, of course. Lovely place. Really.'
'Oh, you didn't offend me. I can't wait to leave. I'm off to New York myself when the summer is over.'
'Really?' I said.
'Yup. You know, Nicky, we should make sure and exchange--'"
Zito scores big time with this impressive first effort. The story is well plotted, blocked, and the characters are absolutely hilarious. Chuck Zito's intimate knowledge of the theater creates the perfect backdrop for this zany story. There are so many subplots that the reader is kept laughing almost nonstop. A HABIT FOR HEATH is wonderfully thought out, and the reader is immediately drawn to Nicky's plight. The dreadful play implodes, there is more murder and mayhem, and Nicky's fantasy continues to elude him and us. An excellent first effort!
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
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| Witty and Charming |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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When New Yorker Nicky D'Amico is hired to be the stage manager for the St. Gilbert's College summer theater festival in the small town of Huber's Landing, he expected it to be a pleasant break from The City. But when one of St. Gilbert's nuns is murdered during a rehearsal of Covenant of Fear, Nicky is thrown headfirst into the dark secrets and deep personal entanglements of small town living.
Chuck Zito's first novel in the Nicky D'Amico mystery series is charming, funny and very well written. Zito has a gift for surrounding his protagonist with colorful characters. Nicky's New York friends, battling couple Paolo and Rodger, are worth the price of the book alone. Zito's dialogue is sophisticated and witty and this reader can't wait for the second in the series, Ice in His Veins.
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| Can't Wait for More |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Chuck Zito's first effort bodes well for lovers of light mystery. Funny, charming, and with witty characters, the story revolves around the murder of a nun during a Summer music festival.
Zito's main character, Stage Manager and amateur detective Nicky D'amico is at once funny and sympathetic. Joined by his two friends Paolo and Roger, the trio undertake the task of unravelling the mystery that takes place during a horrid production of a horrid musical at a small college.
Full of laugh out loud moments, the tale contains just enough "inside jokes" that Gay and Lesbian theatre lovers will find themselves thoroughly at home.
This makes a wonderful Summer beach read. (In fact Zito suggests that in his opening.) I can't wait for more from Zito and to find out what Nicky is up to next.
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| A Habit For...FUN! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This was one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. Characters were interesting and quirky, and I didn't know who "did it" until it was revealed. I had my suspicions, but no solid conclusions. It was so enjoyable, I gave copies to my 4 best friends as a gift. I'm looking forward to the next adventures of Nicky D'Amico. Hurry up and write, Zito!
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| Witty, wry and different |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Zito's Damico leads a cast of characters that will delight all mystery fans and theater lovers. Light and very very fun, this is a greeat afternoon escape, perfect for a day at the beach or a long flight
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