Feeling flush from recent successful cases, Desiree feels no compulsion to seek out a new case -- but this one seeks her. Vito Da Silva is a man to whom you don’t say no, a “noted New Jersey mobster,” and he wants Desiree’s exclusive services to solve the recent murder of his friend and protégé, one Frankie Vincent.

The late Frankie was a chiropractor who did such a wonder job on Vito’s aching back that Vito took him under his wing and was grooming him for a glorious political future. A future cut short when Frankie was shot outside his office one night in a suspected robbery. Vito doesn’t buy that story for a minute, and wants his own investigation of what happened.

Desiree is reluctant to accept the case, her secretary is scandalized and her favorite niece annoyingly hysterical, but one just doesn’t say no to Vito da Silva, not to mention the incredibly healthy retainer he’s offered. Vito has already smoothed the way for Desiree, arranging for her to work with the town’s local chief of police.

Off Desiree goes to Riverton, New Jersey, to be assigned by the Chief to the Lieutenant already on the case, Lou Hoffman. As can be expected, Lou resents having a PI foisted upon him, a female PI at that, and is aggravated further when Desiree refuses to identify who hired her.

They begin by re-interviewing the family and neighbors, starting with the beautiful but distant wife, Shelia. Conversations with friends and neighbors confirm that while Frankie Vincent was charming on the surface, he was not so charming underneath. Is this enough to want him dead? Further digging reveals old betrayals, and Desiree suspects one of the Vincents had a lover, but the Lieutenant’s skepticism of her theory has her doubting herself.

Soon, Desiree has spent so much time with the Lieutenant that he is starting to look pretty good to her while her current dentist boyfriend pales in comparison, complicating both the case and her personal life.

By the time you’re ready to give up on the case, Desiree puts it all together. Murder Can Spoil Your Appetite relies too much on a pat recipe, resorting to stereotypes (the Italian mobster, the frigid wife, the misogynistic cop) and as a result, the characters never seem real.

This is somewhat stale fare, and while I doubt it will spoil your appetite for future mysteries, it won’t leave you feeling very satisfied, either.

--K. W. Becker