Heather’s Bookshelf: The Itch of Greed
Author: Christa Nardi
Released: 10/24/25
Genre: Adult Mystery
“The Itch of Greed: An Izzie Di Sante Mystery” is book 6 in the series. However, this review was conducted as a standalone.
The story follows Izzie Di Sante, a restaurant owner and amateur sleuth as she’s drawn to investigate the murder of a minor league baseball pitcher, Randy Kampton.
The DA believes this to be an open and shut case with the motive of good old fashioned jealousy. He believes Cole Rigley, a fellow pitcher behind on the depth chart, to be responsible and the rumor that Kampton stole Rigley’s girlfriend. The PR team for the Rosedale Thorny Bats and the police are not exactly thrilled by Izzie and her boyfriend Henry’s sleuthing. As they get closer to finding the culprit, someone doesn’t want the truth to be revealed and the danger hits a little closer to home.
Will Izzie and Henry be able to find the truth before it’s too late or will a killer go free?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder
Overall, I enjoyed this tale. This review was done alone. I have not read (or listed to) any of the other books in this series and I did not feel lost in the least. The author does a nice job developing the main characters in a way that felt natural and non-repetitive. It’s a short little, fun read. The main protagonist, Izzie, is smart, multi-faceted, and talented. She’s likable without pause. Her relationships with Henry, her employees, and her sister are endearing and the author does a nice job of layering personal anecdotes and events with the investigation. It keeps the pacing steady while also driving the story forward. The culprit was not obvious, but all is revealed by the end of the tale, wrapping everything up nicely. If the other stories in the series are like this one, I can see why readers have followed Izzie to book 6.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
The story was reviewed in audiobook format. The narrator did well in altering her speech for the alternate voices. However, her tone was a little too eager and constantly upbeat which I didn’t feel met most of the content- especially after listening for a prolonged period of time.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A short little mystery with a strong protagonist and fun anecdotes that drive the story forward.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Christa Nardi
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Find it for purchase here
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