Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: City of Angels
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.kristibelcamino.com/
CITY: Minneapolis
STATE: MN
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.harpercollins.com/cr-110840/kristi-belcamino
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2014118823 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2014118823 |
| HEADING: | Belcamino, Kristi |
| 000 | 00688cz a2200193n 450 |
| 001 | 9651528 |
| 005 | 20150804144138.0 |
| 008 | 140908n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2014118823 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca09955787 |
| 040 | __ |a CoCr |b eng |e rda |c CoCr |d DLC |
| 053 | _0 |a PS3602.E6453 |
| 100 | 1_ |a Belcamino, Kristi |
| 370 | __ |e Minneapolis (Minn.) |f California |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Journalism |2 lcsh |
| 374 | __ |a Journalists |a Authors |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a female |
| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a Blessed Are the Meek, 2014: |b title page (Kristi Belcamino) About the author (writer, photographer, artist; formerly a newspaper crime reporter in California; currently a journalist based in Minneapolis) |
PERSONAL
Married; children: two daughters.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and journalist. White Bear Press, MN, reporter; Contra Costa Times, CA, reporter; St. Paul Pioneer Press, MN, police reporter.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking.
WRITINGS
Contributor to publications, including the New York Times, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, and Writer’s Digest.
SIDELIGHTS
Kristi Belcamino is a writer and reporter. She has worked for White Bear Press, as well as for publications, including the Contra Costa Times and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Belcamino has released novels in the mystery and thriller genres, as well as books of nonfiction.
Blessed Are the Dead and Blessed Are the Meek
Belcamino is the author of Blessed Are the Dead, the first novel in her “Gabriella Giovanni Mystery” series. She told a writer on the Big Thrill website: “The book, which features an Italian-American crime reporter and is the first in a series of at least four books, is inspired by my dealings with a serial killer while I was a reporter on the crime beat in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the actual jailhouse conversations I had with this man are in my book. When he died in prison a few years back, I was called for a comment.” The man she refers to is Curtis Dean Anderson. She added: “I think that is why I first sat down to write this story—to purge the monster out of my head. It was very cathartic.” In an interview with Quinton Skinner, contributor to the Minnesota Monthly website, Belcamino discussed the similarities between her own life and that of her protagonist, Gabriella Giovanni. She stated: “Sometimes I’ve worried that she’s too much like me, but I took a personality test twice—once as her and once as me—and we came out as complete opposites. Gabriella is probably more courageous than me, a little more rebellious. She’s very clever and quick thinking—I like her, I think she’d be fun to hang around with.” This first book in the series finds Gabriella reporting on a child’s murder that may be connected to her sister’s death long ago.
In Blessed Are the Meek, the female suspect of a millionaire’s murder is connected to Gabriella’s boyfriend, Sean. A reviewer on the Paper Blog website described Blessed Are the Meek as “another excellent installment in this series.” The same reviewer added: “A few times the author tended to overuse gestures or phrases, but other than that this was a solid mystery, well plotted.”
Blessed Are Those Who Weep, Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, and Blessed Are the Peacemakers
In an interview with John Clement, writer on the Big Thrill website, Belcamino described the plot of Blessed Are Those Who Weep. She stated: “Gabriella stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor—a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan.” Belcamino continued: “But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella’s obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves … It is a story about family, forgiveness, betrayal, and government cover-ups.”
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn finds Gabriella desperate to save her child, Grace, from a kidnapper. E.M. Powell, critic on the Big Thrill website, suggested: “It’s already a taut, fast-moving read. But when Grace’s life is threatened, the novel becomes a nerve-jangling hunt for her, with Giovanni increasingly terror-fueled in her desperate attempts to save her daughter.”
Giovanni goes to Guatemala to uncover a mystery involving her husband in Blessed Are the Peacemakers. “Blessed Are the Peacemakers is an engaging story of mystery and intrigue focusing on issues of truth, family relationships, and the conflicts of good against evil,” asserted a writer on the Comfy Chair Books website.
Letters from a Serial Killer and City of Angels
Letters from a Serial Killer is a nonfiction book and a collaboration between Belcamino and Stephanie Kahalekulu, the mother of one of the children killed by Curtis Dean Anderson. In an interview with Rachel Raskin-Zrihen, contributor to the Vallejo Times-Herald website, Belcamino explained: “Stephanie and I kept in touch over the years and talked about sharing our letters from Curtis Dean Anderson. … We talked about different ways to do that — a blog post, or something like that. But, this winter we thought we’d do a small book—not a true crime book, but just our take on what happened at that time, our story—as a reporter and the mother of a child who was kidnapped and killed.”
City of Angels, Belcamino’s standalone young adult novel, tells of a teen named Nikki Black, formerly trafficked by a child pornographer, who attempts to save difficult twelve-year-old named Rain. A contributor to Publishers Weekly suggested: “The relationships between the well-drawn characters … are a strong point but don’t quite compensate for the overstuffed plot.” However, Erin Segreto, reviewer in Voice of Youth Advocates, commented: “Belcamino captures the setting and time period with discerning accuracy.” Segreto concluded: “Reluctant teen readers will devour this book.” “With a strong female protagonist who won’t stop fighting, this page-turner is a delightful and gripping read,” asserted a Kirkus Reviews critic. Theresa Muraski, writer in School Library Journal, described the book as “a dark but entertaining mystery with a convincing portrayal of the dangers associated with young people trying to survive on their own.” Reviewing the book on the Criminal Element website, Dave Richards stated: “In City of Angels, Kristi Belcamino expertly proves that great crime fiction isn’t just for adults. All you need is a cast of fascinating characters, a strong sense of place, and a suspenseful narrative that illustrates that darkness and humanity can be found in the most surprising places and people.” Amanda MacGregor, contributor to the Teen Librarian Tool Box website, remarked: “Though at times the plot requires a suspension of disbelief, and Nikki makes some choices that will leave readers shaking their heads, this is a well-paced story full of plenty of action and distinct, diverse characters. … This gritty look at the life of a runaway girl trying to keep off the streets in early 90s L.A. will easily appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2017, review of City of Angels.
Publishers Weekly, March 27, 2017, review of City of Angels, p. 102.
School Library Journal, May, 2017, Theresa Muraski, review of City of Angels, p. 100.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2017, Erin Segreto, review of City of Angels, p. 61.
ONLINE
Big Thrill, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ (July 31, 2014), Owen Laukkanen, author interview and review of Blessed Are the Dead; (March 31, 2015), John Clement, author interview, review of Blessed Are Those Who Weep; (September 30, 2015), E.M. Powell, review of Blessed Are Those Who Mourn.
Black Five, http://www.blackfive.net/ (December 4, 2015), Elise Cooper, review of Blessed Are Those Who Mourn.
Comfy Chair Books, https://comfychairbooks.com/ (August 15, 2017), review of Blessed Are the Peacemakers.
Crime Spree, http://crimespreemag.com/ (July 26, 2014), Dan Malmon, review of Blessed Are the Dead.
Criminal Element, https://www.criminalelement.com/ (May 24, 2017), Dave Richards, review of City of Angels.
Flash Bang Mysteries, http://flashbangmysteries.com/ (February 1, 2016), author interview.
Kristi Belcamino Website, http://www.kristibelcamino.com/ (November 12, 2017).
Literati Literature Lovers, https://literatiliteraturelovers.com/ (April 7, 2015), review of Blessed Are Those Who Weep.
Minnesota Monthly, http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/ (May 5, 2015), Quinton Skinner, author interview.
Paper Blog, https://en.paperblog.com/ (November 12, 2017), review of Blessed Are the Meek.
Teen Librarian Tool Box, http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (May 9, 2017), Amanda MacGregor, review of City of Angels.
Times-Herald Online (Vallejo, CA), http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ (April 9, 2016), Rachel Raskin-Zrihen, author interview and review of Letters from a Serial Killer.*
Briefest Bio
Kristi Belcamino is a Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Award-nominated author, a newspaper cops reporter, and an Italian mama who makes a tasty biscotti.
She writes books featuring strong, fierce, and independent women facing unspeakable evil in order to seek justice for those unable to do so themselves.
Her first novel in the Gabriella Giovanni Mystery Series, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was inspired by her dealings with a serial killer during her life as a Bay Area crime reporter. She is also the co-author of Letters From A Serial Killer, co-written with the mother of the girl kidnapped and killed by the serial killer who inspired Blessed Are The Dead. Her first YA novel, CITY OF ANGELS (Polis Books) came out May 2017.
Longer Bio
Kristi Belcamino is a Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Award-nominated author, a newspaper cops reporter, and an Italian mama who makes a tasty biscotti. As an award-winning crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca and watched autopsies.
She is the author of the Gabriella Giovanni mystery series (HarperCollins). The first book in the series, Blessed are the Dead, based on her dealings with a serial killer, was nominated for the 2015 Anthony and Macavity awards for best first novel. The third series book, Blessed are Those Who Weep, is nominated for the 2016 Barry Award for best paperback original. Here is what Lisa Unger said about it:
“Blessed are Those Who Weep is a crackling, emotional, and rocket-paced mystery. Kristi Belcamino brings her reporter chops to Gabriella Giovanni, the very best kind of heroine — smart, plucky, and true. Keep your eye on this writer.”
She is the co-author of Letters From A Serial Killer, co-written with the mother of the girl kidnapped and killed by the serial killer who inspired Blessed Are The Dead. Belcamino’s debut young adult mystery, CITY OF ANGELS (Polis Books), comes out May 9, 2017.
Her books featuring strong, fierce, and independent women facing unspeakable evil in order to seek justice for those unable to do so themselves.
Belcamino has written and reported about many high-profile cases including the Laci Peterson murder and Chandra Levy’s disappearance. She has appeared on Inside Edition and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Writer’s Digest, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News, and Chicago Tribune. Kristi now works part-time as a police reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and her two fierce daughters.
Find out more at http://www.kristibelcamino.com. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kristibelcaminowriter/ or on Twitter @KristiBelcamino. Sign up for her newsletter here http://www.kristibelcamino.com/contact/newsletter/
FAQ
FAQ
Q: When do you write?
A: I usually write from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.
Q: How much do you write a day?
A: My goal is to get at least 1,000 words down on paper, but I usually shoot for closer to double that. If I’m really in the groove, and I don’t have errands to do, such as (yuck) grocery shopping, I’ll continue writing into the afternoon.
Q: How many books do you write a year?
A: I’m averaging one book a year.
Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: The first draft usually takes three to four months and then the next eight or nine months is spent revising and rewriting.
Photo by Paul Dols
Photo by Paul Dols
Q: Do you write yourself into the books?
A: Yes and no. Let me explain — I once read that every single character in an author’s book contains bits and pieces of the author — that includes the antagonist. There are parts of me that are like Gabriella Giovanni, but then there are parts of her that are nothing like me. In fact, she’s way cooler than I ever was as a newspaper reporter.
Q: Do you write your children into your books?
A: No way.
Q: I wrote a book. Will you read the manuscript?
A: Because of legal concerns, my publisher and agent have advised me not to read any manuscript that is unsolicited and unpublished.
Q: How do you bring characters to life?
A: I start by sketching an idea of what they are like but then they sort of reveal themselves to me on the page. They take on a life of their own outside of me.
Q: How did you get started with a publisher?
A: I took the old-fashioned journey: Send out a million queries, get a million rejections, repeat, keep at it, and eventually get an offer from a rock star agent, who then got me a book deal.
Q: Do you like ebooks/what do you think about ebooks?
A: I do like ebooks. I don’t see them replacing traditional books, only giving readers another option.
Q: How do you keep your series books straight?
A: I create a series bible with lists of characters names, backgrounds and some plot points.
Q: Do you do author talks at bookstores?
A: I will. I’ll do author talks anywhere, book clubs, coffee shops, bars, you name it. I can’t wait to talk to my readers in person.
Q: Do you write about people you know?
A: Just like bits and pieces of me end up in my novels, so do fragments of the people I know.
Q: Do you help with your titles?
A: I always turn in a manuscript with a title attached.
Q: With your covers?
A: No.
Q: Do you write on the computer or longhand?
A: I’d lose my mind trying to capture my thoughts fast enough in longhand. I might be able to do it, but I wouldn’t be able to read it later.
Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Ernest Hemingway, Sara Gran, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Lisa Unger, Joan Didion, Anais Nin, and many, many more.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: My real life writer friends, so very many of them, but off the top of my head, the hardest working ones I know, such as Owen Laukkanen, who often writes as much as 5,000 words a day. And Joelle Charbonneau, a mother of a toddler and voice teacher, who still managed to crank out four books in one year.
Q: Where do you write?
A: Either at the bar counter in my kitchen, sitting on a backless stool, or at the neighborhood coffee shop when my finances allow me to splurge on a latte.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: A young adult novel, a mystery, set in Minneapolis.
Q: Your bio says you’re an artist. What’s up with that?
A: Unfortunately, I don’t have time to indulge my love of art or photography right now, but I can tell you that my Mexican-style assemblage pieces have been featured in two exhibits. The art pieces are made of photographs of shrines and altars combined with vintage jewelry pieces, found and recycled objects and pictures of Frida Kahlo. They have sold across the world.
I’ve also had an exhibit of my photography. “Ghost Bikes” honored four Minnesota bicyclists killed within a few months of one another. It included photographs of the Ghost Bike altars created in their memory on city streets and small photographs and biographies of the slain bicyclists.
Author Kristi Belcamino – February 2016
Author Kristi Belcamino
Welcome to Flash Bang Mysteries, Kristi! What can you tell us about the latest book in your Gabriella Giovanni mystery series? (Love your titles, by the way!)
Thanks so much for having me, BJ.
My latest book is the fourth in the series, called BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN. I’ve been very happy to hear from reviewers that it can stand on its own without readers having read the first three books.
Here is a bit about it:
San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni has finally got it all together: a devoted and loving boyfriend, Detective Sean Donovan; a beautiful little girl with him; and her dream job as the cops’ reporter for the Bay Herald. But her success has been hard-won and has left her with debilitating paranoia. When a string of young co-eds starts to show up dead with suspicious Biblical verses left on their bodies–the same verses that the man she suspects kidnapped and murdered her sister twenty years ago had sent to her–she begins to question if the killer is trying to send her a message.
It is not until evil strikes Gabriella’s own family that her worst fears are confirmed. As the clock begins to tick, every passing hour means the difference between life and death to those Gabriella loves…
What inspired you to start writing fiction, and how long have you been at it?
I wrote the first book in my series, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, to basically purge this guy I met as a reporter–a serial killer who preyed on kids–out of my head. I had quit reporting and was a stay-at-home mom of two little girls. I found myself extremely paranoid about everything in relation to them. I wrote the book to get him out of my head.
I see that you work as a journalist, as well as being an author. Do you find it a challenge day to day to switch gears from writing nonfiction to fiction?
When I first began writing fiction it was a bit of a difficult switch. I had to learn how to show rather than tell. It is pretty easy now to shift gears as I only work as a reporter on the weekends and write fiction during the week.
What genre do you prefer reading, and who is/are your favorite author(s) in that genre?
Crime fiction! Of course! My favorite authors are ones who don’t shy away from darker themes and include Lisa Unger, Alex Marwood, Chelsea Cain, Sara Gran, Laura Lippman, Jamie Mason … oh so many … those are just a few.
Along that same line of questioning, have you ever read an author who has had a lasting and positive impact on your life?
Yes! S.E. Hinton’s books, specifically THE OUTSIDERS. She changed the way I viewed the world.
How many hours per day do you devote to writing fiction?
Four to six hours a day, more when I’m on deadline.
It appears you’ve had some interesting jobs and experiences. Can you describe a typical day in the life of Kristi Belcamino?
Oh my life is very sedate now. During the weekdays, after I get my children off to school, I write for four hours, eat lunch, write for a few more and then the kids are back home. My evenings are most often spent ferrying the children to different activities or watching a movie with my husband. On weekends, I work at the newspaper. Snore. Sorry, if you thought it might be more interesting!
To me, you’re living the life. I dream of a day when I can write full-time. What has been the highlight of your novel-writing career thus far?
I’m still very honored that my first book was a finalist for best first mystery for the Anthony and Macavity awards.
If you could write from anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Mexico, Spain or Italy. Are you sensing a theme here? My dream location would involve warmth and sunshine.
What are some of your interests or hobbies outside of writing?
I am a film buff. After reading, my favorite thing to do is watch a movie, usually a Sci-Fi flick. I also love wine and food. Are those hobbies?
I don’t drink wine, but I would definitely call food a hobby–or passion! What’s next after BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN?
I am juggling several projects right now.
I’m writing a nonfiction book called LETTERS FROM A SERIAL KILLER that is about my life as a reporter and the dealings I had with the man who inspired BLESSED ARE THE DEAD. I’m collaborating with the woman who raised one of the little girl’s he kidnapped and killed.
In addition, I’m writing the fifth book in the Gabriella Giovanni series, BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS (out June 21, 2016).
And, I’m polishing a standalone book, but I’m too superstitious to say anything more about that one yet.
highresmourncover
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN blurb:
San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni has finally got it all together: a devoted and loving boyfriend, Detective Sean Donovan; a beautiful little girl with him; and her dream job as the cops’ reporter for the Bay Herald. But her success has been hard-won and has left her with debilitating paranoia. When a string of young co-eds starts to show up dead with suspicious Biblical verses left on their bodies–the same verses that the man she suspects kidnapped and murdered her sister twenty years ago had sent to her–she begins to question if the killer is trying to send her a message.
It is not until evil strikes Gabriella’s own family that her worst fears are confirmed. As the clock begins to tick, every passing hour means the difference between life and death to those Gabriella loves…
profileKristi Belcamino is a crime fiction writer, cops beat reporter, and Italian mama who also bakes a tasty biscotti. In her former life, as an award-winning crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and conversed with serial killers.
For more
QUOTED: "Sometimes I’ve worried that she’s too much like me, but I took a personality test twice—once as her and once as me—and we came out as complete opposites. Gabriella is probably more courageous than me, a little more rebellious. She’s very clever and quick thinking—I like her, I think she’d be fun to hang around with."
Crime Reporter Turns Crime Novelist By Quinton Skinner
Published: May 05, 2015
photo by Wilson Webb/location courtesy of the James J. Hill House
Minneapolis-based crime novelist Kristi Belcamino is a longtime newspaper reporter who has worked for the San Francisco Bay Area’s Contra Costa Times and currently works for the Pioneer Press. The protagonist of her novels, Gabriella Giovanni, also works the newspaper crime beat. In Belcamino’s third book, Blessed Are Those Who Weep, which debuted this spring, Giovanni finds a crying baby in a room full of murder victims and embarks on a hunt for the killer.
“I majored in journalism, then screwed around and chased the grunge scene in Seattle, then went to Europe for a couple of months. After that, I moved to Minnesota and I got my first job as a reporter at the White Bear Press. It was the best job I’ve ever had: $14,000, 60 hours a week. And I loved every second of it.”
“It was a small newspaper chain, and each reporter basically had their own newspaper—covering cops, city hall, the school district. That got me into crime reporting. The first crime story I covered on my beat was about a teenager, 18 or 19 years old, who joined the military. She was in Texas on a military base and was talking to someone back home on the phone when she was abducted. They found her body a week later.”
“I found that I was really good at crime reporting. A lot of other reporters didn’t want to touch it. I discovered that I really believed it was important to write those stories, to give the victims a voice so that their death is more than just a name in the newspaper. Each death is a loss in this world.”
“I had carted around a big box of notebooks and letters from this serial killer I had been investigating at my job in the Bay Area. I was planning to write a nonfiction book about him, but he hadn’t yet been convicted of the crime I wanted to write about. So I started writing it as fiction, and I realized it was way cooler: My character could be smarter than me, and I could live vicariously through her when in reality I’m a mom with two little kids.”
“There was a story just a couple of weeks ago I wrote for the Pioneer Press that made me sit at my desk and cry. I was the first person to contact someone who knew someone who died in a murder-suicide. It was something really horrible that had happened, and I said, ‘I’m so sorry you had to hear this from a reporter,’ and then we hung up. About 10 minutes later, my phone rings and it’s him. He went on to tell me all about the people who had died—information to give a more balanced portrait of who the people were.”
“At my first book-club meeting ever, I realized that people were quoting Gabriella from my book—at that moment I knew that she was independent of me, and it blew my mind. Sometimes I’ve worried that she’s too much like me, but I took a personality test twice—once as her and once as me—and we came out as complete opposites. Gabriella is probably more courageous than me, a little more rebellious. She’s very clever and quick thinking—I like her, I think she’d be fun to hang around with.”
“There’s a kinship between people like crime reporters and police officers. It’s a draw to the underworld, and to the adrenaline rush. In my case, being aware of the tragedies in life helps me be more grateful for everything I have that’s good. It’s a constant perspective on my problems, along with a little bit of paranoia, and it creates a daily gratefulness. It makes everything really real.”
QUOTED: "Belcamino captures the setting and time period with discerning accuracy."
"Reluctant teen readers will devour this book."
Belcamino, Kristi. City of Angels
Erin Segreto
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.2 (June 2017): p61. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * S * R
Belcamino, Kristi. City of Angels. Polis Books, 2017. 304p. $18.99. 978-1-943818-43-3.
Nikki Black quickly goes from suburban Chicago princess to homeless teen after the shocking death of her mother and the resulting neglect from her alcoholic father. Meeting Chad seems to be the answer to her prayers, offering the promise of a new life together in Los Angeles. Things do not work out as he promised, and Nikki soon learns of his intent to get her into adult films. Consequently, Nikki meets Rain, a destitute twelve-year-old girl trapped in the home of a seedy and powerful Hollywood director, and the two of them barely escape his clutches. The girls manage to find a room at a hotel above a punk rock bar and make friends with other teens and artists living in the building. Everything seems to be looking up when Nikki scores a job waitressing at a nearby restaurant, until Rain goes missing and Nikki believes the director to be involved. When the verdict of the Rodney King trial is announced, the streets are no longer safe; Nikki and her friends must find Rain before someone gets hurt or killed.
Belcamino's first young adult novel, set in 1992 Los Angeles, is a gritty, heart-pumping ride with a strong female lead for whom readers will root. Belcamino captures the setting and time period with discerning accuracy, describing, in dark and sometimes sad detail, a cast of colorful characters possessing tremendous heart. Realism is rife and warranted throughout the story as drug use, HIV/AIDS, murder, and sex are woven into the plot and characters. Reluctant teen readers will devour this book.--Erin Segreto.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Segreto, Erin. "Belcamino, Kristi. City of Angels." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 61.
PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1& id=GALE%7CA497860304&it=r&asid=23692e29f7549df1f8d37d9924a7fe2b. Accessed 22 Oct. 2017.
1 of 5 10/22/17, 9:42 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497860304
QUOTED: "With a strong female protagonist who won't stop fighting, this page-turner is a delightful and gripping read."
2 of 5 10/22/17, 9:42 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Belcamino, Kristi: CITY OF ANGELS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 1, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Belcamino, Kristi CITY OF ANGELS Polis Books (Children's Fiction) $18.99 5, 9 ISBN: 978-1-943818-43-3
Belcamino sets a coming-of-age mystery against the backdrop of the Rodney King case.With a dead mother and a father who blames her for it, Veronica Black doesn't have much going for her at home. When her boyfriend lures her from her Chicago suburb to LA and tries to force her into the child-porn industry, the white 17-year-old finds herself on the run from some very dangerous men. Along the way, she rescues Rain, a 12-year-old runaway, also white, from the same horror. The two find refuge and a multicultural band of friends at the American Hotel, but their newfound peace is shattered when Rain is kidnapped. Determined to find Rain at all costs, Veronica plunges into LA's dark underbelly, where she encounters an enemy more powerful than she imagined. Peeking through Veronica's narrative are snippets of the Rodney King case. As tensions rise in the city, ready to erupt, Veronica finds herself in a number of circumstances that force her to think about race and privilege. While Veronica's introspection only grazes the surface of these topics, she is a well-rounded character who will have readers rooting for her. Belcamino also does an excellent job of fleshing out the novel's side characters with distinct personalities and some interesting back stories. With a strong female protagonist who won't stop fighting, this page-turner is a delightful and gripping read. (Historical thriller. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Belcamino, Kristi: CITY OF ANGELS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2017. PowerSearch,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1& id=GALE%7CA487668580&it=r&asid=dd65b7f13a00a47885876cc2a9728678. Accessed 22 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487668580
QUOTED: "The relationships between the well-drawn characters ... are a strong point but don't quite compensate for the overstuffed plot."
3 of 5 10/22/17, 9:42 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
City of Angels
Publishers Weekly.
264.13 (Mar. 27, 2017): p102. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
City of Angels
Kristi Belcamino. Polis (PGW, dist.), $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-943818-43-3
A runaway from Chicago winds up on the tumultuous streets of 1992 Los Angeles in Belcamino's (the Gabriella Giovanni Mysteries) uneven first book for teens. Seventeen-year-old Nikki Black fled the Midwest for L.A., lured by an much older guy who promised her a leg up in Hollywood. Turns out that meant child pornography with a sleazy big-name director; Nikki splits, but not before rescuing 12-year-old Rain from the same fate. The two land at the American Hotel, once home to Charles Bukowski, where Nikki helps Rain kick a heroin habit and slowly befriends the motley crew of musicians, waitresses, and artists living there. Rain doesn't stick around long, and soon Nikki is embarking on a quest to find her wayward new friend, certain that she has been kidnapped. The plot strains believability once Nikki ties Rain's disappearance to a Scientology- esque church replete with famous actor acolytes and rumors of murder. The relationships between the well-drawn characters, particularly tough but vulnerable Nikki, are a strong point but don't quite compensate for the overstuffed plot. Ages 14-up. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"City of Angels." Publishers Weekly, 27 Mar. 2017, p. 102. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps
/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487928223&it=r& asid=6b1660ea11d2a8920ddc6a3ba8fee527. Accessed 22 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487928223
QUOTED: "A dark but entertaining mystery with a convincing portrayal of the dangers associated with young people trying to survive on their own."
4 of 5 10/22/17, 9:42 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Belcamino, Kristi. City of Angels
Theresa Muraski
School Library Journal.
63.5 (May 2017): p100. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
BELCAMINO, Kristi. City of Angels. 304p. Polis. May 2017. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781943818433.
Gr 9 Up--A fast-paced mystery that will keep readers anticipating what the heroine will encounter next. The book takes place in a gritty, dangerous neighborhood in 1990s Los Angeles, set against the backdrop of the Rodney King riots. Nikki Black inhabits a world that includes illegal drugs, child trafficking and pornography, religious cults, homelessness, and violence, all of which are realistically integrated into the setting and plot. The story is told from Nikki's point of view and is packed with nonstop action as she tries to survive as a young woman in Lxis Angeles. Readers also get glimpses into her past and the events that led to her mother's death and the teen's self-imposed exile from her family. The protagonist's resilience and her unwavering quest to find Rain, a young runaway, are some of the best aspects of the mystery. Aside from Nikki, the characters are less well developed, but they illustrate the extent to which friendships and small kindnesses can be lifesaving for kids on the streets. For the most part, Nikki's determination carries the plot to a satisfying conclusion. Belcamino, author of the "Gabriella Giovanni" adult mystery series, is a former reporter, and her understanding of the problems encountered by runaway youth gives the novel an authentic feel. VERDICT A dark but entertaining mystery with a convincing portrayal of the dangers associated with young people trying to survive on their own. A good choice for older YA readers, especially those who enjoy mysteries.--Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Muraski, Theresa
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Muraski, Theresa. "Belcamino, Kristi. City of Angels." School Library Journal, May 2017, p.
100. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1& id=GALE%7CA491032153&it=r&asid=af11f4d1d25b0c6c272679cd1b444ec3. Accessed 22 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491032153
5 of 5 10/22/17, 9:42 PM
QUOTED: "another excellent installment in this series."
"A few times the author tended to overuse gestures or phrases, but other than that this was a solid mystery, well plotted."
Blessed Are the Meek by Kristi Belcamino- a Book Review
By Gpangel @gpangel1
BLESSED ARE THE MEEK BY KRISTI BELCAMINO- A BOOK REVIEW
Blessed are the Meek: A Gabriella Giovanni MysteryBlessed are the Meek: A Gabriella Giovanni Mystery by Kristi Belcamino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Blessed are the Meek by Kristi Belcaminio is a 2014 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Another excellent installment in this series featuring newspaper reporter Gabriella Giovanni and her detective boyfriend Sean Donovan.
Sean and Gabriella have been together for nearly a year and the relationship is solid enough except for Gabriella's fears of starting a family. But, when a dot.com billionaire is murdered his girlfriend is the first person on the police radar. When Gabriella starts poking around she is stunned to learn that the stricking and cold as ice, Annalisa, was once involved romantically with Sean. This sends Gabriella straight into avoidance mode, even more than usual.
In the background of this high profile murder case, Gabriella is still searching for answers in regards to her sister's death. Once again there appears to be a real lead, but will Gabriella finally get closure or is this yet another dead end?
Gabriella is so human with her insecurities, her fears, and her “die before you cry” mantra. She is pitted against Sean's former lover, Annalisa, who is intent on luring Sean away from her ,plus for kicks and giggles, both she and Sean are under investigation.
The San Francisco locale is the perfect setting for this moody crime drama that packs a lot of emotional punches along with the shoot outs, murders, and plot twist, yet it still manages to pull all the elements together to give our characters more strength to deal with the past, the present, and what looks like a promising future despite the issues Gabriella and Sean will still have to work through.
The characters here have made strides in dealing with their problems with the ever present lesson that one can't run from life, can't continue to keep secrets, and to make relationships work they must face their fears and take changes. While the crime drama and all the twist are in the forefront of the story, the complications and implications of the crimes reek havoc on Gabriella on all levels. I felt like I was going through every emotion right along with her.
A few times the author tended to overuse gestures or phrases, but other than that this was a solid mystery, well plotted , and I simply loved the ending. This one is 4 stars.
BLESSED ARE THE MEEK BY KRISTI BELCAMINO- A BOOK REVIEWKristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and Italian mama who also bakes a tasty biscotti.
As an award-winning reporter in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca and watched autopsies. Her first novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was inspired by her dealings on the crime beat with a serial killer.
"Kristi Belcamino uses her newsroom background to grand effect in this crackling, savvy debut. Insider know-how and deft detail make every page come alive -- and those pages fly by as the story reaches out and grabs you by the heart. Blessed are the Dead is a great read, Gabriella Giovanni is a one-of-a-kind character, and Kristi Belcamino is a writer to watch." --David Corbett, award-winning author of DO THEY KNOW I'M RUNNING?
"A fast-paced and remarkably assured debut, featuring an immensely likeable protagonist and a reporter's eye for detail. Belcamino puts her experience on the crime beat to good use, creating the kind of villain who'll lurk in your nightmares long after the book ends. Double-check your locks before you crack this one open!"
-- Owen Laukkanen, author of THE PROFESSIONALS
QUOTED: "The book, which features an Italian-American crime reporter and is the first in a series of at least four books, is inspired by my dealings with a serial killer while I was a reporter on the crime beat in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the actual jailhouse conversations I had with this man are in my book. When he died in prison a few years back, I was called for a comment."
"I think that is why I first sat down to write this story—to purge the monster out of my head. It was very cathartic."
Latest Books, Mysteries
Blessed are the Dead by Kristi Belcamino
July 31, 2014 by ITW
0
By Owen LaukkanenBlessed are the Dead by Kristi Belcamino
If the fiction writer’s mantra is “write what you know,” then Kristi Belcamino has amassed a career’s worth of background material. A crime reporter by trade, the Minneapolis resident based her debut on a series of interviews she conducted with a convicted kidnapper who claimed to be a serial killer. BLESSED ARE THE DEAD is a gripping fictionalization of that encounter, putting the reader in the shoes of young Gabriella Giovanni, a San Francisco Bay Area newspaper reporter whose second adventure was released as BLESSED ARE THE MEEK on July 29.
I’ve known Kristi for three years. We met via Twitter, when she found out I was visiting the Twin Cities to research my second novel. Kristi threw me a wonderful dinner party with her writer’s group, set me up with contacts in the Minnesota PD, and hooked me up with tours of the locations I’d set out to research. BLESSED ARE THE DEAD was still searching for a publisher then, but in the years that followed, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Kristi find an agent and a home for her wonderful debut.
Recently, I lobbed a few questions at her about the series, the writing process, and just how many similarities she shares with her protagonist.
Kristi, your debut, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was just published by Harper-Collins. Congratulations! Tell us about the book.
Thank you! It’s been a dream come true for sure. The book, which features an Italian-American crime reporter and is the first in a series of at least four books, is inspired by my dealings with a serial killer while I was a reporter on the crime beat in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the actual jailhouse conversations I had with this man are in my book. When he died in prison a few years back, I was called for a comment.
In many ways, the book seems like something of a roman à clef: young Italian reporter (and amazing cook!) investigates a kidnapping based on a real-life case. What characteristics do you share with Gabriella Giovanni, your protagonist? Where do they end?
I think that is the danger of writing in the first person, and I fall prey to that as well—thinking that the writer and the character are essentially the same person. But I’m not Gabriella.
With that said, we do have some similarities. We are both Italian-American, we both bake biscotti and are crime reporters.
However, I was never raised around the Italian side of my family, I never lived in San Francisco, I’ve been with the same guy for twenty-three years, and thank God, I never was subjected to the childhood tragedies that she experienced.
Like Gabriella, you have plenty of experience working the crime beat. What appeals to you about the crime beat? Is crime something you set out to cover when you became a reporter?
I never set out to cover crime at first but found an intensity and an emotional weight to covering crime stories. I feel an obligation to do the victim justice with my story. Like Gabriella, I vow to make sure every victim I write about is more than just a name in the paper.
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD is based on your real-life interviews with a convicted kidnapper who claimed to have been a serial killer. You mention on your website that the real-life case in question haunts you to this day. Was it at all cathartic to write about it in a fictional way?
I think that is why I first sat down to write this story—to purge the monster out of my head. It was very cathartic. One important reason this story is fiction, is that honestly, sometimes reality doesn’t always transfer well to fiction. It is sort of boring in a way compared to what our imaginations can cook up. The closest parts of my book to reality are the conversations that take place between the killer and Gabriella. Many, but not all of them, are the exact conversations I had with the man I based my antagonist upon.
Can you talk a little bit about the path you followed to getting published?
I took the traditional path of slogging through the query trenches looking for an agent. I queried around one hundred agents before I signed with mine. During this query journey, I learned how to write by being obsessive about seeking feedback, studying books on writing, and reading as much as possible. I call it my home school MFA program.
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD is the first book in a series featuring Gabriella Giovanni. Did you set out with a series in mind, or was that something that came later?
In all honesty, when I finished the first book, I was convinced I could never write about any other character except Gabriella so I almost immediately sat down and wrote the second book. I wanted to be back in her world and her life again.
Writing is, fundamentally, a solitary pursuit, but you’re one of the most social and outgoing writers I know, both in person and online. Do you feel that this has been a benefit to you? What advice would you give writers who are looking to join the crime writing community?
Good. I have everyone fooled. I don’t feel social and outgoing, but thanks. I spend the majority of my workdays sitting by myself for eight to ten hours at my computer and I’m totally cool with that. But I do have a blast interacting with people online during my writing breaks. My advice would be to stick with writing crime fiction because it is the hands down greatest group of people around.
What else are you working on these days? Do you have plans for Gabriella beyond these two books?
Right now, the plan is to have at least four books in the series. I’m chomping at the bit to get going on them!
*****
Kristi BelcaminoKristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and Italian mama who also bakes a tasty biscotti. As an award-winning crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and conversed with serial killers. She now works as a weekend cops reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Her first novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was inspired by Belcamino’s dealings on her crime beat with a serial killer who police and FBI agents linked to the kidnapping and murders of little girls.
To learn more about Kristi, please visit her website.
QUOTED: "Gabriella stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor—a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan."
"But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella’s obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves … It is a story about family, forgiveness, betrayal, and government cover-ups."
Contemporary Thrillers, Latest Books
Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino
March 31, 2015 by John Clement
1 0
Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi BelcaminoBy John Clement
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WEEP is the third book in Kristi Belcamino’s acclaimed series of thrillers chronicling the life of Gabriella Giovanni, an Italian-American crime reporter who happens to make a mean biscotti on the side. Not for nothing, Belcamino is herself Italian-American, and she knows a thing or two about baking biscotti as well, but it’s her career as a crime-beat reporter that imbues her fiction with a unique and rare note of authenticity. Her readers have come to expect suspenseful and gripping page-turners, and they’ll be happy to know that this new book does not disappoint.
I sat down with Belcamino to talk about her life, her work, and her latest novel.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WEEP is out this month, and it’s already receiving high praise from readers and critics alike. Can you talk a little about the story?
Gabriella stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor—a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan. But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella’s obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves …
It is a story about family, forgiveness, betrayal, and government cover-ups.
As a crime-beat reporter, your job is to report the facts. As a writer, you create them. Is it hard to keep the two separate? Do characters sometime overlap? Are there liabilities or legal concerns to consider?
When I wrote my first two books, I’d been out of the crime-reporting world for nearly a decade so I didn’t find it difficult to keep the two worlds separate. When I wrote BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WEEP, I’d been a reporter again for about a year, but really have no difficulty keeping them separate. Instead, I find myself jotting down ideas at work as I hear things on the scanner or talk to police and victims.
For instance, one day I heard something on the scanner about some police following an ambulance to the hospital for security reasons because “We’ve got a real live wire in the back of that rig!” So, of course, I jot something like that down and hope to use it in a book one day!
There are a few characters in my books that are based on people I know. My defense is that I always try to paint an extremely flattering portrait of the person so they won’t complain! I had one nerve-wracking moment last summer. I was in Oakland, California and stopped to visit my favorite priest in the world, and my good friend, Father Seamus Genovese. We arrived just in time for his nightly happy hour where a few friends gathered around with drinks in hand and lots of good conversation and laughter in his study. At the time, he didn’t even know I was a published author and so I waited for everyone else to leave the room for a few minutes before I broke the news:
“Um, I wrote a book. And you’re in it.”
I told him a little bit about his character and said I’d send him the book. A few weeks later, he called me.
“I had Sister Mary (something like that) read your book and I think she found the part with me in it.”
Good grief, I thought. A nun was reading my book. The same book that drops the “F” bomb no less than 15 times in the first two pages alone.
“Are we still friends?” I asked.
He laughed. “I don’t drink bourbon. I’ve never drunk bourbon. I drink gin.”
I apologized profusely; saying when I wrote the book it had been more than a decade since we had happy hour together. Ironically, he never mentioned the priest character I based on him being connected to the IRA, having a safe room in the rectory, and owning a lot of guns. Instead, he was irritated about his choice of drink. God love the man! Before I hung up, I told him the priest character would be in another book and asked if there was anything he wanted his character to do in the next book.
“Yes! I want to go back to drinking gin!” he said.
Your first book, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was inspired by your real-life interviews with Curtis Dean Anderson, accused of the kidnap and molesting of an eight-year-old. He confessed to a number of un-related murders, and led investigators and reporters on a Hannibal Lecter-style goose chase, providing cryptic clues and asking for money in exchange for information, not all of which turned out to be accurate. When and how did you decide you wanted to write about it? Had you written crime fiction before?
That is the story that has always haunted me. I became close with the little girl’s family and probably broke some lines of journalism ethics by my emotional involvement in that story. When I left my job as a reporter and moved to Minneapolis, I carted with me an entire box full of reporter’s notebooks and letters from Anderson.
My intention was to sit down and write a true crime novel about it, but when I actually sat down to write the book it quickly became fiction. Partly because when I first wrote BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, Anderson had not yet been convicted of killing the little girl. It is hard to write a true crime book that says, maybe he did it, but we don’t have solid proof. And he was still alive at the time.
I wrote the book to purge him out of my head. As the mother of two small little girls, I was especially haunted by all of the horrible things he had told me. By writing the book, I was essentially engaging in a form of self-administered therapy. Getting it all out of my head and on paper did help.
So, although I had dreamed of writing fiction since I was a small child, I sort of fell into writing my first book in an effort to rid myself of the memory of this man.
Has it changed the way you see the world?
Definitely. I’ve written articles about how I fight against being a helicopter mom and how I’m insanely jealous of parents who casually let their children ride bicycles across town WITHOUT helmets and without adult supervision. I’m the mom who would check on my kids in our FENCED back yard every five minutes. I’ve gotten slightly better about this over the years, but yes, as I titled one article, “I’ll never be a normal parent.”
The woman who raised the little girl who was kidnapped and killed by Curtis Dean Anderson is the mother of two other children. We have spoken on the phone about how we can never be normal parents. Both of us spent countless hours in a dark visiting room talking to this predator in an attempt to get him to reveal his crimes.
On the bright side, I nearly never take a minute of my life for granted. I am always extraordinarily grateful for what is right in my life. I don’t take things like having a healthy and safe family for granted. So seeing the dark and tragic sides of life are constant reminders of the blessings in my own life.
Do you read crime fiction yourself? Crime non-fiction? What are you reading now? Is there a writer whose work you’re most influenced by?
Once I realized I had written a crime fiction book I began devouring as many books as I could in that genre. Before that, my favorite writer was Adriana Trigiani, who writes about Italian-American characters. I still love Trigiani, but right now would say Lisa Unger, Alex Marwood, and Laura Lippman are the authors I admire and want to emulate the most. I’m still on cloud nine that Marwood read my book and liked it. Right now I’m reading Jamie Mason’s Monday’s Lie and loving every page.
Talk about your writing process. Do you stick to a set schedule?
I’m a parishioner of the Church of One Thousand Words as my pal, Brad Parks, calls it. I write from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. I shoot for a minimum of one thousand words during each writing session, which to be honest, is not that hard if you are a journalist.
I outline and use index cards for plotting. I write up a three-page synopsis of the book and then use index cards to map out key moments in the plot before I actually sit down to write. Then as I write, I fill out an index card for each chapter, listing where it is, what day it is, and what happens. I carry the index cards, bound with a rubber band, around in my bag and can jot down scene ideas while I’m waiting for the kids to finish a piano lesson or at a soccer game.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WEEP is your third book about Gabriella Giovanni. I’ve read you planned to write four. What’s next for Gabriella? Will it end there? Do you have plans for another series?
I’m knee-deep in the fourth book in the series, Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, and I feel like everything I learned in writing the first three books is making this fourth book the best. It is so much fun to write. I’m really delving into Gabriella’s Italian family life and showing how she has grown as a character.
As far as ending there, we will see. I will continue to write more books as long as there are readers who want to read more about Gabriella.
Ed note: After our interview, Belcamino received the news that Father Seamus had passed away. “Sadly,” she says, “I never got the chance to tell him that I dedicated this latest book to him.”
*****
kristiKristi Belcamino is a writer, reporter, and Italian-American mama who also bakes a yummy biscotti. Along with writing mysteries, she covers the cop beat part-time at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. As a crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca and hung out at the morgue, watching autopsies and eating barbecue with the deputies who worked there. Her debut mystery novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, (HarperCollins 2014) is based on her dealings with a serial killer while she covered crime in the Bay Area.
To learn more about Kristi, please visit her website.
QUOTED: "In City of Angels, Kristi Belcamino expertly proves that great crime fiction isn't just for adults. All you need is a cast of fascinating characters, a strong sense of place, and a suspenseful narrative that illustrates that darkness and humanity can be found in the most surprising places and people."
Review: City of Angels by Kristi Belcamino
Dave Richards
City of Angels by Kristi Belcamino is an edgy, gritty, mature YA mystery about a young woman's struggle to not only belong—but survive.
One reason why I'm drawn to crime fiction is that it shows so-called “bad” people at their best and “good” people at their worst. That nuanced look at humanity and the forces out to corrupt it makes for some powerful, poignant, and pretty dark tales. You have to be an adult to fully appreciate and understand those types of stories though, right? You can't do a gritty, street level, crime story as a YA novel ... can you?
It turns out you can. City of Angels, Kristi Belcamino's (author of the Gabriella Giovanni series) debut YA crime novel, proved I need to reevaluate my assumptions about YA novels' ability to tell gritty and powerful crime stories.
The book opens with a sordid, gripping prologue where the protagonist, teenager Veronica “Nikki” Black, introduces two of her friends: Sadie—a no-nonsense, gun-toting, ex-fashion model—and Danny.
His black eyes caught mine for a moment and he cackled loudly, his teeth gleaming in a Cheshire cat grin. I forced a small smile and turned away. Earlier, I'd found him in his room giggling and talking to himself, high on PCP or something. I hoped it wasn't one of those days he thought he could fly.
We first meet Nikki and her friends on April 30, 1992, as they've taken to the roof of the downtown L.A. hotel they live in to defend it from the wave of rioters who have descended upon the city. Belcamino then rewinds the narrative and takes us back to Nikki's early days in Los Angeles, where she suddenly discovers the real and horrific reason her “boyfriend” Chad helped her run away from Chicago to L.A.
He set his glass down and turned toward me, headed my way. He was going to hit me again. He was mumbling under his breath. “You've embarrassed me, baby. I think it's time to make you star in a movie you'll never have a chance to see.”
Belcamino immediately establishes the dark and dangerous underbelly of Los Angeles before allowing readers to get to know that world and the characters that live there a little better. Nikki makes for a pretty fascinating protagonist. Like some of the best crime-fiction heroes and heroines, she's a damaged person who's torn between survival and doing the right thing. Rain, a 12-year-old girl that Nikki meets early on in the book, is also a very human character. But it's the friends they meet at the place they come to call home, the American Hotel, that really steal the show.
In addition to Sadie and Danny, there's also aspiring musician Taj, his friend John, and John's girlfriend Evie. These eclectic characters, each dealing with their own personal demons, show Nikki something she's not used to seeing from adults: kindness. This group of strange, damaged, and fascinating outcasts begin as Nikki's friends and eventually turn into family.
Later, the bonds between Nikki and her chosen family are tested when Rain disappears into the L.A. underworld, and only Nikki believes she was taken. Desperate to find her, Nikki embarks upon an amateur but very believable investigation that makes her a target of dangerous individuals. Surprisingly, she's also greeted by moments of unexpected compassion.
My neck hairs tingled as the men watched me. When I was nearly to the wall, a man stepped out of the crowd. I braced as he approached, ready to kick and scratch, but when he got closer, a glimmer of kindness in his eyes confused and relaxed me a little.
He spoke in a quiet voice, “Young lady, you need to leave. Everything is different now because of Rodney King.”
The danger begins to escalate as Nikki starts to uncover the forces behind Rain's abduction, and like some of the best crime fiction, those forces possess a power and reach that make them seemingly unstoppable. Then, in one of the most exciting and interesting parts of the book, Nikki and her friends suddenly find themselves with one shot to get Rain back, as L.A. is turned upside down by the chaos and violence of the 1992 riots.
Setting the climax of City of Angels against the backdrop of the L.A. riots gives the book an added element of momentum and danger. It also provides some great payouts on earlier character investment. By the time the rioting breaks out, I was cheering on Nikki and her friends and gasping in horror when they were put in peril.
In City of Angels, Kristi Belcamino expertly proves that great crime fiction isn't just for adults. All you need is a cast of fascinating characters, a strong sense of place, and a suspenseful narrative that illustrates that darkness and humanity can be found in the most surprising places and people.
QUOTED: "Though at times the plot requires a suspension of disbelief, and Nikki makes some choices that will leave readers shaking their heads, this is a well-paced story full of plenty of action and distinct, diverse characters. ... This gritty look at the life of a runaway girl trying to keep off the streets in early 90s L.A. will easily appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers."
Book Review: City of Angels by Kristi Belcamino
May 9, 2017 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Publisher’s description
city of angelsNikki Black has been self-imposed lone wolf since her mother died, fleeing suburban Chicago to escape her painful past. But when her so-called boyfriend reveals why he really lured her to Southern California, she ends up on the streets of Los Angeles with only the clothes on her back and a destitute twelve-year-old named Rain following in her shadows. The girls seek refuge at a residential hotel above a punk rock bar in downtown L.A. a few months before the city erupts into chaos during the 1992 riots that nearly razed the city of angels to the ground.
At The American Hotel, Nikki makes friends and, for the first time in years, feels as if she has a real family again. But everything changes when Rain disappears. Everyone believes Rain succumbed to the seductive allure of addiction and life on the streets, another life lost that seemingly nobody will miss—except for Nikki. Determined to find Rain, Nikki burrows deeper into the underbelly of a city that hides darkness beneath the glamour. And when she unveils a sinister cover-up by a powerful group that secretly controls the city of angels, she could lose everything, including her life.
City of Angels is an edgy, gritty, and riveting Young Adult mystery about a young woman’s struggle to not only belong ― but survive.
Amanda’s thoughts
Nikki thought escaping to L.A. with Chad, a decade-older guy she barely knew, would get her away from all of her problems. Unsurprisingly, it just lands her in a whole new set of problems.
Nikki’s family has fallen apart–her addict mother is dead and her father, unable to cope, blames Nikki and cuts all ties with her. Once in L.A., she meets Chad’s director friend, the one who will (of course) make her a star–except that’s not true at all. The sketchy (but powerful) director and Chad would like to put her in some films, yes, but they’re child porn flicks. She manages to get out of the director’s house with Rain, a 12-year-old she meets there, in tow. Now not only is she homeless in L.A., where she knows no one, but she’s got this young girl with her. Nikki finds a cheap room in the American Hotel, above a punk rock bar, where she hopes Rain will stay, too. But Rain’s hooked on heroin and Nikki, not only scarred by her mom’s drug use and death but totally out of her element here, has to help her detox. It’s just another thing that Nikki unexpectedly finds herself dealing with. Thankfully, the other residents of the hotel are friendly and help her with Rain. But when Rain takes off–and appears to be kidnapped–things become really interesting.
In addition to waitressing and trying to survive on her own in L.A., Nikki now is wrapped up in figuring out who took Rain and still worrying about being found by Chad and the director she escaped from. Before long, people she interacted with are ending up dead. Nikki and her hotelmates work to put all the pieces of this mystery together, finally focusing their investigation on people associated with The Church of the Evermore Enlightened and the Star Center, a Scientology-like group full of celebrities and secrets. They begin to amass evidence that points to who took Rain, but have learned that the LAPD has many members in cahoots with the Star Center people, so they’re unsure what to do with their information when it seems like they can’t trust anyone. Things come to a head as the city explodes in the aftermath of the verdict in the Rodney King case. Nikki and friends make their way through the more-dangerous-than-usual city in hopes of saving Rain, but learn that nothing is as it has seemed.
Belcamino usually writes for adults, and her foray here into YA is good for older readers looking for a little more edge and slightly older characters in their YA books (Rain–who is absent most of the book– and Nikki are younger than the rest of the residents of the hotel). Though at times the plot requires a suspension of disbelief, and Nikki makes some choices that will leave readers shaking their heads, this is a well-paced story full of plenty of action and distinct, diverse characters. Nikki is tough, resourceful, determined, and just the right amounts of naive, sheltered, and foolish. This gritty look at the life of a runaway girl trying to keep off the streets in early 90s L.A. will easily appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers.
Book Review - "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn" by Kristi Belcamino
Friday, December 04, 2015
The following book review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link on the right side bar.
9780062389411_p0_v1_s192x300
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn by Kristi Belcamino is a non-stop action packed novel involving murder, mind games, and a parent’s worst nightmare. She has come into her own as an author with great character development, showing their emotions, fears, and strengths.
Almost from the very beginning of this plot, readers are drawn into the character’s anguish. Bay Area crime reporter, Gabriella Giovanni and her live-in partner, Detective Sean Donavan confront evil when their child is kidnapped. She suspects that the same person who kidnapped and murdered her sister is behind the nightmare she is personally facing now. Detective Donovan is frustrated when he cannot protect those he loves, his girlfriend and daughter. The story’s suspense never lets up, as it becomes a race with the clock to find the child before time runs out.
Belcamino uses her experiences as a crime reporter to add realism to the plot making her main characters jump off the page. She noted to blackfive.net that in a New York Times Op-ed both her worlds as a reporter and parent sometimes conflict. “As a mother and crime writer, I’m two people every day. One is an Italian American mother who carts children to soccer and softball, making pancakes and acting silly. The other sits down and writes about terrible people doing terrible things to others. And sometimes those others are children. I wonder how I can tell my own daughter that the monsters she reads about are not real, when I know better than most just how real they are?”
A powerful quote from the book exemplifies this feeling, “At work, I’m pulled into the depths of darkness talking to people who are grieving or coaxing information out of convicts. When I return home at night, I’m confronted with innocence in the form of my small child who knows nothing of the evil in this world.” Americans tend to forget that policemen, those serving the military, reporters, and first responders must reconcile having to deal with the darker side of humanity.
She wants her readers to understand, “As a crime reporter I understand all those who must confront evil and then go home to hold their children. I began to find it very difficult to do both. I have put in all my books the theme of a child kidnapped and killed because I was haunted by the reality in a story I covered as a reporter. The dedication in my first book is to every girl and young man kidnapped and killed. Unfortunately, the details I draw from are my real life experiences of sitting with parents in the first few days as the search went on for their taken children. Now, as a reporter, I am more guarded, and try not to get as emotionally involved.”
It becomes obvious after reading Belcamino’s books that her character Gabriella is her alter ego. Besides writing a strong, smart, and sassy character; a riveting and intriguing plot; she also writes about the inner workings of a large Italian family, their loyalties and devotion towards each other.
Posted by Blackfive on Friday, December 04, 2015 at 01:20 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (0
QUOTED: "Stephanie and I kept in touch over the years and talked about sharing our letters from Curtis Dean Anderson. ... We talked about different ways to do that — a blog post, or something like that. But, this winter we thought we’d do a small book—not a true crime book, but just our take on what happened at that time, our story—as a reporter and the mother of a child who was kidnapped and killed."
Authors hope new book on Vallejo child killer encounters can help them heal
Some of the letters author Kristi Belcamino received from convicted child kidnapper/rapist/killer Curtis Dean Anderson are the subject of a soon-to-be released book.
Some of the letters author Kristi Belcamino received from convicted child kidnapper/rapist/killer Curtis Dean Anderson are the subject of a soon-to-be released book. Kristi Belcamino — Courtesy photo
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen, Vallejo Times-Herald
Posted: 04/09/16, 4:12 PM PDT | Updated: on 04/09/2016
0 Comments
Stephanie Kahalekulu
Stephanie Kahalekulu
Stephanie Kahalekulu of Vallejo and Kristi Belcamino of Minnesota say that for the past 16 years, they’ve had the same dead madman squirming around their brains.
Now they’ve collaborated on a book about their often bizarre and infuriating dealings with the late convicted child killer Curtis Dean Anderson in part, they said, to exorcize the demons and move on with their lives.
“Letters From a Serial Killer” comes out April 26, they said.
Belcamino, a former Bay Area crime reporter, met Kahalekulu after Xiana Fairchild, the little girl she’d raised to age 7, was kidnapped on her way to school in Vallejo and murdered.
“Letters From A Serial Killer” is a novella-length book that “delivers a riveting true crime/memoir that offers intimate details of their journey to seek justice for Xiana,” according to marketing material.
Though Anderson’s crimes garnered much media attention at the time, there were some things the women never felt comfortable sharing before — about their efforts to get Anderson to come clean about Xiana — that are explored in this book, they said. Anderson died at age 46 in a prison-related hospital on Dec 12, 2007, while serving a combined 301-year sentence.
“Stephanie and I kept in touch over the years and talked about sharing our letters from Curtis Dean Anderson,” Belcamino said. “We talked about different ways to do that — a blog post, or something like that. But, this winter we thought we’d do a small book — not a true crime book, but just our take on what happened at that time, our story — as a reporter and the mother of a child who was kidnapped and killed.”
Kahalekulu said she wasn’t ready until recently to relive the worst period of her life.
“Last year, when (Belcamino) asked me, I was in the middle of a time in my life when I was just trying to enjoy and not think about that stuff,” Kahalkulu said. “This winter, when it came up again, I was OK with it.”
Both women said their encounters with Anderson left lasting scars that have impacted the way they parent their children. Both also said the process of writing this book has helped them heal.
Anderson was convicted of kidnapping and other related charges after a second Vallejo victim — Midsi Sanchez who was then 8 — escaped from him and ultimately helped authorities track him down. At that time, Xiana was still missing, but the discovery soon afterwards, of a tiny skull in the Santa Cruz mountains, dashed all hope of finding her alive.
“Writing this book was cathartic for me, and I felt it was empowering for (Kahalekulu),” Belcamino said.
It has been more than a decade since two little Vallejo girls with similar physical characteristics went missing within a few months of each other — one on the way to school and the other on her way home, so, in many ways, both women have moved on, they said. But, they have never really been free from the effects of coming face to face with evil. For entirely different reasons, both women met and corresponded with Anderson after his arrest and they explain in the book what they were trying to accomplish and what those encounters were like.
“You just felt dirty after talking to him,” Belcamino said. “The long hot showers afterwards didn’t help. You can’t really wash that ugliness off.”
About a decade ago, Belcamino quit full-time reporting, became a mother and moved to Minnesota where her husband’s family lives, but she was still affected by the encounters with Anderson and that followed her there, she said.
“I found I was extremely paranoid about my two little girls, knowing what some people do to little girls,” she said.
As writing has always been therapeutic for her, Belcamino started journaling about those Anderson encounters, and those musing became several works of fiction, with only the first being loosely based on the Xiana Fairchild story, she said. These include Blessed are the Dead, Blessed are the Meek, Blessed are Those Who Weep and Blessed are Those Who Mourn.
“Over the years, Stephanie and I kept in touch,” she said. “We talked about being mothers and about knowing Curtis Dean Anderson, and knowing people like him exist and how this affected our parenting. So, we sort of bonded on that connection and our friendship grew.”
But, as much as she’s tried to forget Anderson, Belcamino said she still has all his letters, and she’s not sure why.
“I keep thinking now I can get rid of them,” she said. “I think I’m still trying to figure out what made him the way he was. Maybe that’s one reason I haven’t been able to let it go. I still don’t understand what makes people like that.”
Kahalekulu said she also became over-protective of her remaining children.
“I still worry about my kids now, and they’re all grown up,” she said. “Right after we finished the book, and I read the completed manuscript, it felt like being able to grab all of that, roll it up and throw it all away.”
Even so, a mother never forgets a lost child or, by extension, the monster who stole her life.
Kahalekulu and her grown children still celebrate Xiana’s birthday every year. She often comes up in conversation and Kahalekulu said she often wonders what she’d look like and what she’d be doing now had she not encountered a serial child killer that day.
Anderson, too, has a way of cropping up from time to time, despite Kahalekulu’s best efforts to block him out. Like the time Kahalekulu, a local realtor, accidentally stumbled on a notice for his mother’s Vallejo house which had been listed for sale, she said.
“That monster still creeps into my brain periodically,” she said. “The things he said about Xiana still crop up. But, (finishing the book) felt like throwing him and any ability he had to take over my life, away.”
“Letters From a Serial Killer” will be available in paperback and as an ebook on amazon.com.
Contact Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at (707) 553-6824.
QUOTED: "It’s already a taut, fast-moving read. But when Grace’s life is threatened, the novel becomes a nerve-jangling hunt for her, with Giovanni increasingly terror-fueled in her desperate attempts to save her daughter."
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn by Kristi Belcamino
September 30, 2015 by E. M. Powell
0
blessedBy E. M. Powell
The first novel featuring cops’ reporter Gabriella Giovanni, Blessed Are The Dead, is nominated for both a Macavity and an Anthony Award. Now author Kristi Belcamino has brought Giovanni back for a fourth time in her latest release, BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN.
Although she’s in a happy relationship with Detective Sean Donovan, one that has given them their beloved daughter, Grace, Giovanni can’t let go of her traumatic past. When a string of young co-eds start to show up dead with suspicious Biblical verses left on their bodies—the same verses that the man she suspects kidnapped and murdered her sister twenty years ago had sent to her—Giovanni fears the killer is trying to send her a message.
It’s already a taut, fast-moving read. But when Grace’s life is threatened, the novel becomes a nerve-jangling hunt for her, with Giovanni increasingly terror-fueled in her desperate attempts to save her daughter.
A mother herself, Belcamino acknowledges that she is extremely fortunate that she has never had to deal with anything as serious as Giovanni has in her books, describing it as “absolutely the worst nightmare I can imagine.” She does however convey that visceral fear of motherhood under one of its most extreme challenges with great skill. At one point she has Giovanni musing that if anyone had told me that motherhood leads to this: your heart ripped to shreds while you are willing to beg the devil to take your soul in exchange for the safety of your child—if I had been magically given a glimpse of my life right now by the Ghost of the Future, I would’ve said, “Fuck that.”
But as a newspaper reporter covering crime, Belcamino has spent time growing close to parents who have lost their children in the most horrendous ways imaginable. She alludes to the tragic case of Xiana Fairchild, a little girl who was kidnapped and murdered. Belcamino maintains a friendship with Xiana’s family to this day, and believes she lost a lot of objectivity writing those very difficult stories.
Yet she is keen to stress that objectivity is not necessarily what a reporter should be striving for. “I think people assume reporters are always objective, which is impossible. What we are is fair. For instance, if I’m writing about two issues and have a strong feeling about one side, I am extremely careful in making sure I show both sides of the issue. Once when I was writing about a police union dispute with the city, I measured how many inches of type I gave the union and the city so it was equal.” Her conclusion is wryly amusing, like so many of Giovanni’s views: “Of course, I still ticked off both sides anyway, simply by writing about it at all. That might be the answer—If both sides hate your article, it’s fair?”
And fairness is something that really matters to Belcamino, something that she sees being undermined with the insatiable appetite for immediate news. “In what I call ‘the good old days’ of newspaper you had at least until that night’s deadline to get your information correct. Now, an editor wants something online immediately. With that said, any real newspaper will make sure the information is correct and won’t ask a reporter to be unethical to get it up online first.
“For instance, this week at work, a sixteen-year-old boy was shot and killed while he attempted to rob a man on the street. We had the name of the teen. We knew everything about him, but the morgue hadn’t officially released his name and we couldn’t reach his family to confirm his identity so we held off on naming him in the story. Any good newspaper or media outlet will err on the side of caution—even if it means getting scooped—rather than take a chance on getting something wrong.”
While Belcamino’s first outing, Blessed are the Dead, was inspired and very loosely based on a story she covered, all her subsequent books have not been news items she personally covered, though they have been inspired by real life events.
Part of the backdrop to BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN is the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, a ship graveyard of decommissioned/inactive US navy warships in the San Francisco Bay Area. For Belcamino, it always held appeal. “I read somewhere that writers should base their big scenes in a place that gives them a visceral reaction. I’ve always been absolutely fascinated by the ship graveyard in the Bay Area. When I lived nearby, it was one of those places that gave me the shivers to drive by. It is so much larger than life and hard to believe it exists, so for me it was a natural place to include in my book. For that scene, I was lucky enough to encounter a website that had pictures from these two guys who snuck onto the big ships and wrote in detail about their adventures and took amazing photographs. I’m totally jealous they did this.”
Given the high stakes in this novel, I wondered what might be coming next from Kristi Belcamino. “What I found when I sat down to write my first book was that the main character took on a life of her own at the same time the world I created became something separate from me.” She recalls that discovery as being something wonderful for her. “When I wrote ‘the end’ I discovered that I wasn’t ready to leave that world yet and almost immediately sat down to write the second book. So it wasn’t until I finished the first book that I realized I wanted it to be a series.” So does that mean there’s more to come? Belcamino isn’t saying—at least not yet. “I initially had a four-book series plotted, so any adventures she has next will be a surprise to me, as well!”
*****
kristiKristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and Italian mama who also bakes a tasty biscotti. In her former life, as an award-winning crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and conversed with serial killers. Her first novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, was inspired by Belcamino’s dealings on her crime beat with a serial killer who police and FBI agents linked to the kidnapping and murders of little girls.
To learn more about Kristi, please visit her website.
Review & Giveaway: Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino
Posted April 7, 2015 by RobbieLea in Book Reviews, Giveaways / 0 Comments
Review & Giveaway: Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino
Review & Giveaway: Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi BelcaminoBlessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino
Published by Witness Impulse on April 7, 2015
Genres: Crime, Fiction/Mystery & Detective/Woman Sleuth
Format: eARC
Goodreads
four-half-stars
FTC disclaimer applies, please visit 'About' page
San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor--a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan.
But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella's obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
Robbie-300x50
At first I think she is a doll. Sitting there so still on the floor in her pink dress, chubby legs sticking out from her diaper, big black eyes unblinking, staring at something I can’t see. A ribbon hangs loose in her hair. Something that looks like chocolate is smeared around her mouth and one cheek.
. . .
“Are you in there, Mrs. Martin? It’s Gabriella Giovanni from the Bay Herald. We spoke yesterday.” Silence. As if my voice has flicked a switch, the child moves and talks, babbling. “Mamamama. Maaamamama.” She picks something up. Something floppy and pale and long. Something with short red fingernails. An arm.
With those jump-out-of-your-skin opening paragraphs, author Kristi Belcamino invites us into the world of investigative reporter Gabriella Giovanni. Gabriella is a beautiful woman whose world is not a pretty one. She is a complex character with a past that not only haunts her, but defines much of her present life. I think if I had to choose a single word to describe her character, it would be obsessed. She’s obsessed with finding her sister’s killer, obsessed with becoming pregnant, obsessed with preventing the baby she finds at a murder scene from being returned to her only living parent. Despite the fact that Gabriella has a job she loves and a fiancée who loves her, she seems unable to overcome the obsessive behavior threatening her career, her health and her relationship with Detective Sean Donovan, a man so attractive his image graces the cover of the Sexiest Bay Area Cops calendar.
The first two books in the series are Blessed Are the Dead and Blessed Are the Meek. This third book, Blessed Are Those Who Weep, is a flawlessly written, fast paced book with a plot that is a perfect vehicle for Gabriella’s personality. Readers will find themselves needing to put the book down and walk away occasionally just to catch a break from her intensity. This book will definitely be a treat for those who love detailed murder investigations and intricate plot twists. Even though Gabriella thinks she has the killer nailed from the beginning, I was never sure she had it figured out and kept expecting a surprise perpetrator to pop out of the shadows, but . . . no spoilers! Secrets are revealed . . . even ones with international implications, bodies keep turning up everywhere, and Gabriella proves again and again that she will go to any lengths in pursuit of her obsessions. Blessed Are Those Who Weep is one of those books in which more questions are asked than you, the reader, think the author can ever answer, but with her keen attention to detail, Ms. Belcomino ties up every loose end in a very satisfying manner. The ending will be quite a revelation because you reach a point where you think there can be no good outcome for the characters in this book. Believe me, it will make the fact that you clung to edge of your seat from the opening paragraphs to the very last words worthwhile!
Critical Praise for Ms. Belcamino
“Tense, disturbing and smart….Belcamino is a writer to watch.” — Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls
“Truly first- rate.” — Bruce DeSilva
four-half-stars
About Kristi Belcamino
Kristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and artist. In her former life as a newspaper crime reporter in California, she flew over Big Sur in an F/A-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and interviewed serial killers. She is now a journalist based in Minneapolis, and the Gabriella Giovanni mysteries are her first books. Find Kristi on Facebook or on Twitter.
QUOTED: "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS is an engaging story of mystery and intrigue focusing on issues of truth, family relationships, and the conflicts of good against evil."
Book Review: Blessed Are The Peacemakers by Kristi Belcamino
Posted on August 15, 2017 by SOMDReigel
Blessed Are The Peacemakers by Kristi Belcamino
A Gabriella Giovanni Mystery (Book 5)
August 15, 2017
51406AVvA9L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_
BLURB
The Anthony, Barry & Macavity nominated series continues … Gabriella Giovanni has it all. A stunning penthouse in San Francisco. An exciting job on the crime beat. A doting, handsome husband and a beautiful little girl. So, when she complains about all the travel her husband’s new DEA job requires, Gabriella knows she has good problems. But when her husband’s plane goes down in the jungles of Guatemala and she is told he is dead, Gabriella thinks things could not possibly get any worse. She is wrong. Despite the U.S. government’s attempt to find the wreckage, they come up empty-handed. Gabriella heads to Guatemala to find some answers, and hopefully, some healing. In the deepest, darkest jungles, it doesn’t take long for Gabriella to realize she’s in over her head and putting what remains of her life—and everything she loves—at risk.
REVIEW (by John Kurtze)
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS is an engaging story of mystery and intrigue focusing on issues of truth, family relationships, and the conflicts of good against evil. Kristi Belcamino places her readers inside heads of Gabriella and Donovan so they can experience and feel what is happening to them as the storyline shifts back and forth between the principal characters. Belcamino brings heart-wrenching emotions of fear and sadness giving Gabriella and Donovan find themselves in difficult circumstances and unimaginable struggles.
Readers embrace the realism of BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS supported by Belcamino’s knowledge of investigative reporting and her research of the DEA’s war against drug trafficking and the ruthlessness of the drug cartels. The author creates an atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal exposing readers to one surprise after another. Belicamino skillfully weaves family issues, loyalty, and romance giving readers a look at what makes Gabriella tick. They see a complicated person, a mother and lover. Gabriella knows Givonn’s are survivors. Belcamino’s fifth book in the Blessed series BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS doesn’t disappoint her readers and earns my recommendations with a 5-star ranking.
Review by John Kurtze
BUY LINK
http://amzn.to/2wLybRL
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristi Belcamino is a writer, reporter, and Italian-American mama who also bakes a yummy biscotti. Along with writing mysteries, she covers the cop beat part-time at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. As a crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca and hung out at the morgue, watching autopsies and eating barbecue with the deputies who worked there. Her debut mystery novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, (HarperCollins 2014) based on her dealings with a serial killer, was an Anthony and Macavity finalist for best first mystery novel. Her third book in the series, BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WEEP, is a Barry award finalist.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristibelcaminowriter
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kristibelcamino
Website: http://www.kristibelcamino.com/
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD BY KRISTI BELCAMINO
Posted by Dan Malmon on Jul 26, 2014 in Books, Reviews
2014
HarperCollins/Witness Impulse
“My landmarks are morbid.”
This is my favorite line from Kristi Belcamino’s debut novel, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD. As Gabriella Giovanni drives around her San Francisco neighborhood, she associates all of her landmarks to the horrors that she reports on. A murder here. A car crash there. It goes on and on. But as Belcamino writes her, Giovanni isn’t haunted by her job as a reporter for the Bay Harold; she breathes it like air. Being a reporter is a calling that has cost her relationship after relationship, yet she gets up each morning knowing that she has a job to do, and loves doing it. Gabriella Giovanni makes her living digging for the truth. It’s her job to find evil and report it to the world. Her readers will know about the crime that happens in their city, and hopefully, justice will be done.
Because years ago, crime hit her family and justice wasn’t done.
Giovanni’s sister Caterina was kidnapped when both of the girls were small. While her body was eventually discovered, the kidnapper never was. The death of her sister lead to the passing of her father. Both of which almost tore her tight-nit Catholic family apart. But really, it’s her faith and family that keep Giovanni going.
It’s this strong sense of character that is the most appealing piece of Belcamino’s novel. We know this woman. The story is loaded with character beats that you instantly relate to, but don’t feel like you’re knocked over the head with. You know this woman: you’ve hung out with her at family gatherings, you’ve talked about loving Simple Minds and U2. And if you feel like you know the hero, if you can relate to her, then you find yourself caring about WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT is this: A little girl is discovered missing from a rundown part of town. And because the wound never really got to heal properly, this missing little girl story becomes a missing little girl obsession for Giovanni. And like an evil spider sitting at the center of nasty, rotten web sits a nasty, rotten evil bastard of a villain that may be responsible for the loss of her sister.
It all comes to a head in BLESSED ARE THE DEAD.
Dan Malmon
Please Share: