Our Lady of Immaculate Deception

by: Nancy Martin

Published by: Minotaur Books

Reviewed by Linda Lee

Roxy Abruzzo runs an architectural salvage business, on a shoestring. She is always short on cash and not above some unethical, if not illegal, acts to keep herself afloat financially. It’s this flaw that creates some problems for her.

Roxy’s great-uncle is a mafia boss. She may be willing to push the limits of the law for her business, but she doesn’t want to be involved in his business. Due to an immature choice as a teenager she’s the mother of sixteen year-old Sage. It’s for Sage, that she wants to be straight. It’s also for Sage that a wad of cash sent by her don/uncle tempts her. Private school costs money.

When a wealthy family mansion burns to the ground, Roxy combs the ruins looking for salvageable items. An old marble statue catches her eye and she and Nooch steal away with it. The wealthy family member she encounters during this trip ends up dead less than an hour later. Who killed him and why is everyone interested in the statue? Roxy needs to protect herself, keep Nooch out of jail, and ensure her daughter’s safety while trying to keep the secret of the statue’s whereabouts.

The main character is complicated. While she is a loving mother, and works to protect the probation status of her right hand man, Nooch, she also appears to have a dark side. It appears she has a history that explains her dark side, but in the first book in this new series the mitigating circumstances aren’t evident. The lack of setup makes this heroine difficult to get close to, as the reader will find her difficult to trust. There’s enough here to draw a reader to the second in the series, but it will need to deliver more to make this series a success.