I became a fan of Sylvia Massara's writing when I read The Soul Bearers. Since then, I have read all of her books, including Playing with the Bad Boys, the first book in the Mia Ferrari series.
This second book in the series did not disappoint me. The Gay Mardi Gras Murders convincingly portrays the world of the Mardi Gras,transsexuals, drag queens and violent family vengeance. I enjoy Mia Ferrari's smartars attitude and her unflagging determination and ability to solve the problems she encounters. She exhibits skills that help her deal with people on a sensitive, personal level, earning their confidence and getting them to open up to her. She also has an irrational dislike for Phil Smythe from the police department, and wilfully defies him,working behind his back to gleefully prove that she can achieve what his department can not. In the end she tacks down the murderer, but finds she is not invincible and cannot do everything on her own. Friends can be enemies, and enemies may turn out to be friends.
I liked Mia's personal growth in this book; while she is still bitter about her ex, she comes to realize how important friends are, and understand that she does not need a romantic relationship to be complete.
I am waiting for the next book in the series. This book shines a glimmer of light on new possibilities. I'm sure Mia will never lose her fire and determination, but will we see changes in her?
Don't miss a great read.
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The Gay Mardi Gras Murders: A Mia Ferrari Mystery (The Mia Ferrari Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition
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Sylvia Massara
(Author)
Format: Kindle Edition
Sylvia Massara
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Product description
About the Author
Sylvia Massara is a multi-genre author based in Sydney, Australia. She loves to dabble in wacky love affairs, drama, murder, sci-fi (or anything else that takes her fancy) over good coffee. Born in Argentina from Italian and Spanish descent (with a bit of Swiss thrown in) and transplanted to Australia at age 10, Sylvia describes herself as a bit of a "moggie" cat by way of mixed pedigree. She is also a citizen of the world as she has travelled widely throughout most of her life and she's the proud owner of three passports. From a creative perspective, Sylvia has been writing since her early teens and her work consists of novels, screenplays and freelance writing. She has also dabbled in acting on and off, songwriting and even had her own band during her teens/early 20s where she performed at various venues. As with most authors, Sylvia draws on her varied experience from the often puzzling tapestry of life. A few years ago Sylvia resigned from the human race because she discovered the animal kingdom was a much nicer place to be. Currently, Sylvia lives with her cat, Mia; and always vicariously through the many characters in her head. Occasionally, Sylvia ventures into the world of humans, and she cherishes genuine friendships as they are a rare find. Sylvia has recently released her 7th novel, The Stranger, a sci-fi apocalyptic romance with moralistic issues that involve the fight of love vs evil in the cosmos.
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B00BBS2R88
- Publisher : Tudor Ent Press (5 February 2013)
- Language : English
- File size : 1341 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 205 pages
-
Best Sellers Rank:
1,581,664 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 22,518 in Women Sleuths
- 34,291 in Women Sleuth Mysteries (Books)
- 36,215 in Cosy Mysteries (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
14 global ratings
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Top reviews from other countries

Gloria Antypowich
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sylvia Massara does it again! Mia Ferrari hasn't lost her fire.
Reviewed in the United States on 24 March 2013Verified Purchase
3 people found this helpful
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Nicole Chardenet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just FAAAAAABulous, darlings!!!
Reviewed in the United States on 10 March 2013Verified Purchase
I read the first Mia Ferrari book and thought it was a good strong first book in a series. If you're not familiar with Mia Ferrari, she's a middle-aged wannabe cop who does her own investigations when murders happen at the hotel where she works (and, with this book and the one from the previous one, that's happening rather frequently - if it happens any more the hotel's going to get a rep for being the place you're most likely to get murdered :)
In this one, a collection of drag queens in town for a gay Mardi Gras (um, is there any other kind?!?! LOL) find themselves targeted by what appears to be a serial killer - except for one seeming suicide. Mia Ferrari contends with her ongoing enmity with Smythe, a cop, and her attraction to his young bad-boy partner Sean Webb, all while she's trying to solve the mystery of the murders, as well as what happened to a large jewel that has mysteriously disappeared at the same time.
There are hints in the first book that at least some of the enmity between Smythe and Ferrari may have an underlying sexual tension, but this is brought out more clearly in the novel, and was the piece I enjoyed the most. It's well-handled, including when Mia's friend begins an affair with Smythe which fuels Mia's hostility, but she herself is not quite certain why. I hope this continues in the next book as Smythe has become more of an interesting character for me (I'm not much moved by David, with whom Mia is seemingly still in love).
The plot complexities are greater in this novel than in the previous novel, although there are multiple murders in this one compared to a solo murder in "Playing With The Bad Boys." All in all, a good solid read and an excellent continuation from Book 1.
In this one, a collection of drag queens in town for a gay Mardi Gras (um, is there any other kind?!?! LOL) find themselves targeted by what appears to be a serial killer - except for one seeming suicide. Mia Ferrari contends with her ongoing enmity with Smythe, a cop, and her attraction to his young bad-boy partner Sean Webb, all while she's trying to solve the mystery of the murders, as well as what happened to a large jewel that has mysteriously disappeared at the same time.
There are hints in the first book that at least some of the enmity between Smythe and Ferrari may have an underlying sexual tension, but this is brought out more clearly in the novel, and was the piece I enjoyed the most. It's well-handled, including when Mia's friend begins an affair with Smythe which fuels Mia's hostility, but she herself is not quite certain why. I hope this continues in the next book as Smythe has become more of an interesting character for me (I'm not much moved by David, with whom Mia is seemingly still in love).
The plot complexities are greater in this novel than in the previous novel, although there are multiple murders in this one compared to a solo murder in "Playing With The Bad Boys." All in all, a good solid read and an excellent continuation from Book 1.
2 people found this helpful
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ReaderGalore
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Queen of Sassy is Back!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 February 2013Verified Purchase
Author Sylvia Massara describes her main character in "The Gay Mardi Gras Murders" as a "smartarse, older chick, super sleuth," and I have to agree. Readers of this series will not be disappointed with this book because all the memorable characters that fill Mia's life are still around, stirring up her antagonism and her passions. Sometimes, however, I do feel the urge to shake her loose from her competitive streak. It makes her a better sleuth in many ways, but it does now and then seem to cut her nose off to spite her face on a personal level.
The murderer who has the misfortune of enacting their crime within striking distance of Mia Ferrari is brought to justice, but not without the reader experiencing a thrilling ride that takes you through the world of drag queens, transsexuals, and family dramas.
If you haven't read the first novel in this series, I suggest that you start your adventure with Mia Ferrari by reading "Playing With The Bad Boys" first and then following the Queen of Sassy into "The Gay Mardi Gras Murders." The energy that Ms Massara has invested in this series shows clearly in her writing style and quality of presentation.
The murderer who has the misfortune of enacting their crime within striking distance of Mia Ferrari is brought to justice, but not without the reader experiencing a thrilling ride that takes you through the world of drag queens, transsexuals, and family dramas.
If you haven't read the first novel in this series, I suggest that you start your adventure with Mia Ferrari by reading "Playing With The Bad Boys" first and then following the Queen of Sassy into "The Gay Mardi Gras Murders." The energy that Ms Massara has invested in this series shows clearly in her writing style and quality of presentation.
One person found this helpful
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Darcia Helle
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fun Read!
Reviewed in the United States on 10 August 2013Verified Purchase
Mia Ferrari is an older woman who manages to find trouble wherever she goes, and she revels in the mystery and chaos. She's a strong, sassy character that you can't help but root for.
The plot here kept me guessing, and I enjoyed solving the case with Mia as she uncovered the clues. There are a lot of characters roaming about, but Massara does a good job of keeping them straight for readers.
While this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone, I recommend starting with [book:Playing With The Bad Boys|13520277], the first book in this series. This will give you a better understanding of the relationships between some of the characters as the series evolves.
The plot here kept me guessing, and I enjoyed solving the case with Mia as she uncovered the clues. There are a lot of characters roaming about, but Massara does a good job of keeping them straight for readers.
While this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone, I recommend starting with [book:Playing With The Bad Boys|13520277], the first book in this series. This will give you a better understanding of the relationships between some of the characters as the series evolves.
One person found this helpful
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Rolyn
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Gay Mardi Gras Murders
Reviewed in the United States on 26 April 2014Verified Purchase
Mia Ferrari who is the senior duty manager at the Rourke International Hotel Sydney is still smarting from her divorce, drives a red Ferrari that shares her name, and has a friend visiting her from the UK finds herself investigating the grisly murder of a hotel guest/entertainer. She finds herself at odds with the head police detective on the case. She still has hard feelings towards him because he was the reason she was rejected from being a police officer about 20 years ago.