Wanna meet another Bad Girl? If ever there was a writer who deserved to be on the Bad Girl blog, it's Liza O'Connor. You could almost say it was 'meant to be.' (grin - You'll see!)
I first ran into her name when both our trailers were featured the same day on USA today. (Mine was for Rowena Through the Wall. Hers was Worst Week Ever.)
Three years later, here she is. Yup, meet the gal who ALSO writes about the mob! (Okay, not from the inside, like I do. But I've just started reading A Fortune to Die For, and I can tell you already that I can't wait to get back to it.) Humour, suspense, and a heroine with brains and a heart of gold. My kind of gal.
Ever wondered what it would be like to win really big in a lottery? Welcome to Hellsville with humour.
Mafia in Iowa?
As Chicago became overrun with mobsters, their
tentacles reached to nearby states. The most infamous mobster in Iowa was Louie
Fratto. He was the original Teflon Don, never convicted of a crime. He also
went by the names Lewis Ferrell and Cock-eyed. He had a brother, Frank, who was
an assassin for the mob and went by the nickname One Ear. (Probably not a good
idea to make fun of his missing ear.)
Everyone needed a legitimate business to launder their
money. Frank had an aluminum siding and storm windows business. Another
brother, Rudolph, had a garbage disposal business. Once prohibition was over,
Lou Fratto’s ‘legit’ business was beer distribution.
In 1932, Fratto was connected to the Fiore mob in
Chicago. The Fiore mob would muscle in on Speak Easies and cabarets, demanding
50% of the profits while doing 0% of the work. The owners who illegally ran
these establishments had no choice but to comply.
In 1933 Fratto was listed as the Secretary and
Treasurer of the Wardrobe Check, Washroom Attendant and Doorman Union. Sounds
like such a boring job.
In 1934 Fratto was sent to Milwaukee Wisconsin,
another suburb of Chicago. Unfortunately, he was soon arrested for gambling. To
escape the charges, Lou was sent to Des Moines Iowa, where he worked for his
good childhood friend and fellow Mafioso, Cherry Nose Gioe. By 1936 Lou Fratto
took over running Iowa while Gioe was sent back to Chicago. (Later when Gioe
tries to take control of Iowa back from Fratto, he has unfortunate accident.)
So much for ‘good friends’.
Fratto’s business front was the Iowa distributor for
Canadian Ace beer. He had tentacles in the police, the prosecutor’s office, the
local courts, and local state politicians. So he was sitting pretty. No one
could touch him.
In 1958 he was subpoenaed by a congressional committee
to bring all his financial data for their perusal. He arrives with a briefcase,
only it’s locked, and because they had not subpoenaed the key, the briefcase
remained locked. He took the fifth on a great deal of questions that day. At
one point, Fratto got annoyed with their questions and asked the congressmen if
they were getting their information from imaginative spacemen. (Generally
speaking, you don’t get sassy with congressmen unless you know you are
untouchable.)
In 1967, Fratto was still considered Iowa’s #1 boss.
However, to be called #1 implies there were other bosses in Iowa as well. Keep
that in mind as Fratto’s story turns south.
Some fellow said disrespectful things about Fratto and
later ended up with a chest full of bullets. Fratto was charged with the
murder, and this time he was going down. But before he could be brought to trial,
he died of cancer, thus remaining the Teflon Don to his death, never convicted
of a crime.
So what happened next? Did all the mafia in Iowa
disappear in a puff of smoke?
I seriously doubt it. I believe over time, they simply
found it more economical to go partially legit.
Are annoying people still being wacked?
In
fear of being wacked, I’m not answering that.
Blurb
Megan Clarke had a
good life until she wins the Mega Times Lottery and discovers the prize comes
with a curse. Worse than the many money-hungry suitors, a serial killer has her
in his sight. She changes her name and moves to Iowa with plans to buy their last
major forest of white oaks and turn it into a State Park. Unfortunately, the
Lottery Curse doesn't stop at state lines and someone there wants her dead, as
well. Good thing a disturbingly handsome law officer is just as determined to
keep her alive.
Excerpt
Megan realized it was going to be a while
before Steve would refocus on the package. “Can I get you something to drink?
Green Tea with lemon grass?” He looked health conscious. Actually, he looked
like a movie star with a crew cut.
He glanced up. “Sounds good.” He then glanced
around. “Any place I can sit and read these?”
“Seriously? There’s got to be over two hundred
letters in there.”
“I know. Which is why I’d prefer to do this
sitting down.”
“Okay, but if this package blows up on a
timer, I’m going to be grumpy when I reach the afterlife.”
He chuckled at her warning, set down the
letter he was reading, and picked up the
package. “If I open this in the next room, will you be safe from blasts?”
“The room is steel-lined, so I think so. But
wouldn’t you rather have some sort of robot handle the matter?”
His adorable grin returned. “Oddly, we don’t
have one of those.”
“I could buy you one… You could just take the
package somewhere safe and leave it unopened until the robot arrives. I have no
problem donating the money to get you guys a bomb robot, given this probably
won’t be the last time I need one.”
He studied her a long moment before replying.
“You know how I got to be a detective so
early in life?”
She almost replied that good-looking people
lived a charmed life and received promotions more often than less attractive
people, but realized he wouldn’t appreciate her observation. So she behaved and
answered, “No.”
“I’ve very good instincts. For example, before
you replied, you were thinking something…something I wouldn’t like, so you
wisely kept it to yourself.”
Her face burned. Busted! “And your instincts
tell you the package is safe?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then take it in the other room and open it.”
Despite his confidence in his instincts, Megan
remained on pins and needles for the excruciatingly long half-hour that crawled
by as she waited for Detective Williams to return.
Or blow up.
BUY LINK
A Fortune to Die For
Free with Kindle Unlimited
About
Liza
Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats,
left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast.
There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic
husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then
one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell
in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad
behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these
books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels
instead. They will likely traumatize you.
You have been warned.
Mostly
humorous books by Liza:
Ghost Lover—Two
British brothers fall in love with the same young woman. Ancestral ghost is
called in to fix the situation. And there’s a ghost cat that roams about the
book as well. (Humorous Contemporary Romance)
Saving Casey— Cass wakes up in the body of a troubled teen
who has burned every bridge imaginable. Her only choice is to turn this life
around, but that’s much harder than she ever imagined.
Untamed & Unabashed—The
youngest of the Bennet sisters, Lydia, tells her story. A faithful spinoff from
Pride & Prejudice.
A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd Romance)
The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Sleuth series: (Late
Victorian/Mystery/Romance)
The Missing Partner — Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian
England goes missing, leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100
servants. Not to mention an eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.
A Right to Love — A romantic detour for Jacko. Want
to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic save an old woman from
Bedlam?
The Mesmerist — The Mesmerist can control people from afar and
make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.
Well Kept Secrets — The problems with secrets is
that they always come to light, no matter how you wish to silence them.
Pack of Trouble — Changes are a part of life,
but these changes almost kill Vic.
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