Author/Uploaded by Kimberly G. Giarratano
PRAISE FOR KIMBERLY G. GIARRATANO “Death of a Dancing Queen is a fast-paced thrill ride of suspense with lots of twists. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and Billie – the PI – is suffused with a fun, dry wit. An absolute must read!” Karen Katchur bestselling author of River Bodies and The Northampton County series “Nothing stops badass Jersey girl Bil...
PRAISE FOR KIMBERLY G. GIARRATANO “Death of a Dancing Queen is a fast-paced thrill ride of suspense with lots of twists. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and Billie – the PI – is suffused with a fun, dry wit. An absolute must read!” Karen Katchur bestselling author of River Bodies and The Northampton County series “Nothing stops badass Jersey girl Billie Levine from confronting mobsters, meth heads, and crooked cops to catch a killer. Not even her family. Perfect for fans of Liza Lutz’s Spellman Files, Death of a Dancing Queen is a page-turning PI mystery with depth and heart.” Kate Moretti, NYT bestselling author of Girls of Brackenhill “Twisty and witty, Death of a Dancing Queen delivers a Jersey Fresh private eye whose family troubles leave her little time to dig for clues. Fans of Veronica Mars will cheer fledgling PI Billie Levine as she fights mobsters and neo-Nazis to solve two murders separated by decades but linked by a fabulous diamond. Billie has moxie and grit to spare. I can’t wait to dive into Billie’s next case.” Delia C. Pitts, author of contemporary noir mysteries including Murder Take Two and Murder My Past “Kimberly G. Giarratano’s start to a new series is crackling with realism, and she’s created a savvy, tenacious, and street-smart investigator to root for! PI Belinda “Billie” Levine, holds the weight of the world on her shoulders with her mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and working to carry on her retired grandfather’s legacy. She’s also trying to mend a broken heart – easier said than done however when the murder of a young college student/true crime podcaster pulls her right into her ex’s family business – a strip club. With whip-smart prose, and a plot that will keep you guessing, you won’t set the book down until the very shocking and satisfying end!” Mary Keliikoa, Author of Hidden Pieces, and the award nominated PI Kelly Pruett Mystery series. “Whisking readers from a deli in North Jersey to a club run by the Jewish mob to a true crime podcast session at the local college, Death of a Dancing Queen is the best kind of PI novel: gutsy and multifaceted, with a palpable sense of place. This atmospheric mystery will have you craving a black and white cookie and a whole new Billie Levine investigation. A knockout.” Tessa Wegert, author of Death in the Family “Death of a Dancing Queen is a noir lover’s dream! If Kinsey Millhone moved to Jersey in 2023, you’d have Billie Levine. The private DATURA BOOKS An imprint of Watkins Media Ltd Unit 11, Shepperton House 89 Shepperton Road London N1 3DF UK daturabooks.com twitter.com/daturabooks Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend A Datura Books paperback original, 2023 Copyright © Kimberly G. Giarratano 2023 Cover by Sarah O’Flaherty Edited by Eleanor Teasdale and Red Adept Editing Set in Meridien All rights reserved. Kimberly G. Giarratano asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Sales of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it. Datura Books and the Datura Books icon are registered trademarks of Watkins Media Ltd. ISBN 978 1 91520 242 0 Ebook ISBN 978 1 91520 251 2 Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by TJ Books Ltd. 9 8 7 Dedication To the Jewish women who made me: my mom, Jane, and my grandmas, Elaine and Pearl TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO CHAPTER ONE June 6, 1991 Starla Wells lit a cigarette and slipped into the shadows. She pressed a spiked heel against the brick exterior of the building, and her bent knee revealed a slender thigh and a garter belt with a tiny dagger tucked underneath. The other heel stood in a puddle of rainwater, a souvenir from an earlier thunderstorm so violent it had forced a young