City of the Dead (Gia Santella #1) (2024)

I must admit that I bought a boxed set of books for .99 cents from Kristi Belcamino and the name sounded familiar to me, but because the boxed set contained 10 books, I purchased them. When I started reading the first in the series, I realized and confirmed my initial suspicion. I went to my Goodreads and noticed that the title of the first book had been changed from the first time I read it as Gia in the City of the Dead. A longer title, but to a horror guy a much more fascinating title than Vendetta. I remember panning the book although I gave it 2 stars, not a 1 star which are Avoid Like Plague books for me. In my re-read, I found Gia to be a lot more sympathetic and so this time around I felt like there was a lot more I wanted to know about her so strap in because there are nine more of these. If she gets on my nerves again, I will stop. I never DNF because I think that if I am rating and reviewing, I should have the courtesy to complete what I started. This is the way I am. I am OCD to a fault. I only advocate this behavior for me. You can do whatever you like. This time around, I give Vendetta a 3 and a half Grey Geeks, but for Goodreads I will give it 4 stars with the expectation that the series will give me 3- and 4-star stories. If the series wanes or wavers to such an extent that I can no longer continue, I will stop. I can stop mid-series; but not midbook.

Gia in the City of the Dead is the first book in the Gia Santella series by Kristi Belcamino. The writing is surprisingly good, but Gia Santella is not a good character / protagonist. She seems flat, whiny, and entitled. She spends most of the story bemoaning the death of her parents. (There is nothing wrong with that. It is logical and fitting.) However, she has a brother that she does not get along with and rather than naturally getting closer to her brother, they drift farther apart. Then, the person who has become a father figure to her, is accused by her as having organized the murder of her parents. There is no opportunity to explain. She says that he must die. Huh!? The reader gets whiplash with how quickly and seemingly without reason she reaches this epiphany. Gia is a mess. I find her boring and unworthy of my attention.

Want a fast paced story that you can't put down until you're finished, go with Gia Santella. It took me a few chapters, but once I was hooked, I could do little else. I have the first four in a collected ebook, and held off the temptation to jump right into book 2, only because I have a few other things I need to finish before the year ends.

I'm definitely going against the grain on this one. Everyone seems to want to give it 5 stars.

I was really looking forward to a story about a strong female protagonist. I managed about 20% of the story before I gave up. Gia, like the story itself, has no direction. Nothing for the reader to grab onto and get interested in.

Well, it was free.

Kristi Belcamino hits the jackpot once again with a striking new protagonist. Meet Giada Santella, a fast-driving, hard-drinking, Budo karate-trained free spirit, who is gorgeous, sexy, and a young heiress. She is also on a mission: her parents have been killed in a mysterious fire at their estate in Switzerland, her bother has fallen out of her life, her Sicilian godfather and protector is wasting away from effects of MS and Gia feels compelled to unearth the haunting secrets of her family's past while she still has family left. Digging into her past, however, brings danger and intrigue that has Gia on the run as she tries to stay one step ahead of those who would see her silenced. Gia discovers that her actions have consequences as those who are dear to her suffer in her wake, and the secrets she uncovers leave her with some valuable life lessons.
Bravo to the introduction of another multi-dimensional young firebrand from the fertile imagination of Kristi Belcamino!

How does one describe Gia, she flees to the big city after her parents died. Living the high life, burning the candle and trying to fill a void in her. Until she receives a letter and her world changed. She has a purpose, she was now focus on one thing, to find out why, and to stay ahead of the killer.
She is gusty, determined, giving us non stop action, excitement and adventure, great beginning to series..

340 reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.4...very respectable.

It was advertised as a vigilante story. The lead is a young woman, Gia, very Italian/American. I could smell the garlic. Probably first generation.

What I liked:
-Great character development at least on the main character, Gia.
-Very likable character.
-The church and its use and descriptions.
-The dive bar and what becomes of it and owner.
-Learning about the City of the Dead in SF.
-It had a very good twist.
-Great scene set up, I felt like I was in San Francisco and I enjoyed the trip to Italy.

What I didn't like:
-I felt it let me down in that regard to being a vigilante story. It was a short book that set up Gia to a likely vigilante future.
-Thinking about all the teachings of---- as she did or was about to do something. Felt unrealistic.
-The ending seemed odd with her getting off some previous charge, but no mention or glossing over of the "death-murder or suicide at the end of the book." The cops I guessed didn't care about it.

Okay so I had a lot I didn't like...but I get picky and the author should not be punished for my observations.

Overall-Very good, something a little different. I recommend it.

“This is a suspenseful captivating story filled with realistic characters. I was drawn into Gia’s world immediately from page one and could not wait to finish which was bittersweet because I was finished. Gia is a fierce, gusty woman who is willing to sacrifice and do everything and anything to not only protect but avenge her family and friends. She is a spoiled, rich Italian American Princess, who is thrown into a run for her life and the truth about her parents death. Her personal discoveries along the way lead her to finding her own definition of family. There are several memorable characters including Dante, her childhood friend and confidant, Kato the Budo Master, Vito the Godfather and the various people she befriends in the Tenderloin. Gia takes the reader from San Francisco to Geneva, Sicily, the Tenderloin and the City of the Dead. This is a novel which speaks to the readers in a very personal way to question and decide what “family” really means to each of us. Gia and the City of the Dead, features strong tough women, the Italian flavor we have come to expect from Kristi along with a historical setting and family. In my opinion this is her best novel yet and should not be missed. Gia Santella is a character who will resonant and stay with you long after the last page. Well done Kristi Belcamino!!”

Whoa! Kristi Belcamino has done it! She has created yet another take-charge, intoxicating character who is a fierce protector of those she loves. The new girl in town is named Gia Valentina Santella, and she is smoking awesome. Belcamino's first kick-ass series' character was Gabriella Giovanni, and I have been such a fan of Gabriella that I was a bit skeptical of falling quickly for another contender. But, when this author writes, this reader falls, into storytelling and characters compelling to the core.

Gia Santella is adrift in the world. Drinking herself into oblivion, driving fast cars fast, one-night stands, and spending her well-endowed bank account as fast as she can. Living in San Francisco in a luxury apartment overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, she is the quintessential Italian Princess, disconnected to any meaningful existence. The death of her beloved parents two years earlier has frozen the capacity of the twenty-three-year-old to move forward with her life. As it turns out, she must move backwards first anyway.

Having been told that her parents, who were living in Geneva at the time of their deaths, had died in a house fire, Gia is shocked back into the land of the living when a letter arrives from the coroner's wife stating that the Santellas' deaths were no accident. The letter makes it clear that Gia's parents were murdered. This revelation comes right on the heels of a new death in her family, her estranged brother's. The Santella family is slowly slipping into nonexistence, and Gia must use her physical training as a student of Budo karate and her plentiful intelligence to avoid becoming the last coffin in the crypt and finding out who murdered her family. Knowing who to trust is the first tangled web that Gia must unsnarl. However, even care must be taken with those she can trust, because the success of her mission could mean their deaths. Gia Santella begins a life on the run, searching for answers from Monterey to San Franciso to Geneva to Sicily and back to Colma, California that is the City of the Dead. There is not one dull moment in that search.

Kristi Belcamino has a gift, telling thrilling stories with all the excitement they demand. The plots, the action, the descriptions, the characters are all so brilliantly thought out and executed. I am ecstatic that readers have yet another prodigious protagonist and spectacular series to enjoy. Kudos to Kristi, again!

I admit it, I bought this book based on the title (and it was on sale). I'm sorry to say I was disappointed. The book reads like a first draft, certainly not something an award-winning author would publish.

The main character, while likable, is too good to be true (young, beautiful, rich, with nothing to do with her days but drink and stare at the San Francisco skyline while waiting for the next boy-toy to appear, jetting off around the world on a moment's notice). She makes horrible decisions for no apparent reason other than to further the plot.

The handy coincidences are unbelievable -- for instance, the pistol that shows up under her pillow, never mentioned until she needs it, and equipped with a silencer (illegal in California)!

Normally I would not have finished a two-star book, but as I said, Gia is likable, and I wanted to see how things turned out. I didn't feel the book lived up to the title, and wish Ms. Belcamino had spent more time (and invested in an editor) to make the story and character more believable.

Gia in the City of the Dead is the first novel I've read by Kristi Belcamino. For the most part, I enjoyed the story. Gina, whose parents were killed in a house fire in Geneva, discovers a conspiracy that covers her entire life and runs the risk of ending with her death. After her only living relative is found dead in suspicious circ*mstances, Gina runs away from her life as bored, drunk, drug using heiress in San Fransico and sets off to find out who exactly wants her dead.

My major gripe with this novel is automatic assumption Gina makes about who is trying to kill her and yet she never truly has any reason to think it is this character beyond a mistaken assumption. When the killer is unmasked, it's hardly a surprise; it feels like we've been chasing after Gina from one crisis to another which all good have been sorted out with a single phone call.

All in all, though, I did enjoy the characters and the setting. While the story may have been a little weak it still held my interest enough that I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Here's the thing with this book. Gia Santella is touted as this tough-as-nails badass chick. Which, as a character, I like. Problem is, this particular tough-as-nails chick does nothing but run. The whole book. Run and hide is the default setting for our heroine. Not exactly badass, and not exactly interesting to read.

I'll pass on the rest of this series.

The story was okay, but not compelling. I felt like the protagonist cried “poor me” too many times to earn my investment.

I discovered Kristi Belcamino, thanks to IG, and let my curiosity get the better of me. So, I decided to check out the first book in her Gia Santella series. Gia is a completely new heroine for the modern era. She's not a cop, a private investigator, or even a psychic. She's an Italian/American heiress who just discovered that her parents' deaths weren't the accident she was led to believe; they were murdered. Aw, HELL NO! Gia is going to find out who had her family killed, even if it kills her in the process.
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Belcamino has created a wonderful cast of characters, as incredible and flawed as any I've encountered. The storyline is suspenseful and gripping, and the pace is sure to keep the reader fully engaged until the last page. Gia Santella is one character I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of throughout this series.
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My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Vendetta was my introduction to Kristi Belcamino’s writing/storytelling. What an introduction, I’m hooked on the Gia Santella crime thriller series. Vendetta follows Gia from being a spoiled rich kid to a person who comes to realize life is more than staying drunk and shopping. The action in this story is very intense and I some instances it turns into a real rollercoaster ride. Sonja Field’s narration truly brings Gia to life. I’m looking forward to reading/listening to the rest of this series.

A new feisty, smart heroine and an exciting beginning of a new series! Kristi Belcamino writes non-stop these days and her action-packed books have great appeal to a large audience. Although Gia Santella is only 23 she has already had life-changing and near-death experiences which keep the reader glued to the pages. I had the good fortune to read an ARC of Gia in the City of the Dead, and am looking forward to more books featuring this strong female character who minces no words and kicks butt when it's needed.

Not a bad read, still adjusting to first person narrative. Still story back building in this book to bring the reader up to date on Gia Santella and the direction her life is heading.

Gia is a very complicated and damaged woman who manages to make some daring decisions that lead her and anyone that knows her into danger.

The book is fairly well written and very fast paced.

I'm not well-read in this genre (sexy, kick-ass female amateur sleuth--I guess a subset of Chick Lit), but I was entertained by the breakneck pace, unique character, tight editing, and imaginative plot. The ending had a twist I didn't expect, but it made sense by the last page. I'd call this an excellent start to a series with a protagonist who can undergo a lot of personal growth along the way, as well as catching lots of bad guys or solving some crimes.

Engaging storyline and interesting characters. Plenty of action as Gia searches for the truth about her parents" deaths while evading the thugs that are dogging her. Highly recommended

Fast paced thriller with a blending of mafia, crime, family, romance, and finding oneself. There are a variety of characters, locations, and issues, but they come together in one heck of a start to a series.

The lessons of family and the emotions in this book are clear and heartfelt. The action is entertaining and kept me reading from start to end. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about Gia and hopefully her friends!

-In a story that goes at a breakneck speed, we follow the first in a series of books about Gia Santelli. In a prequel, we had learned that she was a 23 year old Italian American, whose parents had been very successful, but who died in a fire years before. She has only one brother who was just a little younger than her, but he had a violent streak. The two of them never got along, even to the current day. Her only other family, though not by blood, was her godfather, Vito, who was a friend of her parents from Sicily.
-Gia and her brother have more money than they could spend, but the lives of each of the siblings are empty. While Gia’s brother, Christopher has left home and wanted nothing to do with his sister or Vito, other than to get money, Gia realized that she was on a path of self destruction and took a form of karate so that she would be more grounded. Though the training does help, her depression, because of the death of her parents, still led her to be a heavy drinker at times.
-Gia learns that her brother has been killed, and also discovers that her parents’ death, which was thought to be from a fire, was actually a double homicide. It appears that she’ll be next, and the worst of it is that all evidence points to Vito, her godfather, as the one who is going after her.
-She knows that she must first survive in order to have any chance of avenging the deaths of her family, until she can determine if it is her godfather who is behind this. But as she continues to try to evade whoever is coming after her, she finds that people that come in contact with her, whom she befriends, also meet their deaths, and she doesn’t know who to trust. It’s her karate training, though, that allows her to keep her cool, as she must use her wits to not only stay alive, but find out who is behind this. Along the way, there are also secrets that her mother withheld from her, which are now revealed to her, and which will change her life.
-This is the type of book that makes you want to finish it in one sitting, and the choice of a spoiled rich girl like Gia as a flawed heroine, is a departure from the typical flawed cop character. This is a very promising start to this new series.

Gia in the City of the Dead - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Gia Santella's origins lie shrouded in mystery.
Why wouldn't her parents let her see her birth certificate? Why did her mother love her waste-of-space older brother Christopher more than her?
How did her parents really die?

Having been brought up by her guardian, Vito when her brother betrayed her and disappeared, Gia's a vacuous socialite, until a shocking discovery leads to a rude awakening that reaches a riveting denouement In the eponymous City of the Dead.

How does Kristi Belcamino's series opener conclude? Get your copy of Gia in the City of the Dead and thrill to the genesis of Gia Santella's route to where she is today in this outstanding novel - it's a 5 star winner!

GIA IN THE CITY OF THE DEAD is a murder mystery featuring Kristi Belcamino’s new protagonist Gia Valentina Santella. Belcamino's storyline is full of the action. The author introduces Gia to her readers. She is describing the carefree lifestyle of a wealthy American Italian woman who loves to party. Drinking and partying was Gia way of dealing with the grief of the loss of her parents. Belcamino describes how Gia’s life suddenly takes a life-altering change in direction when someone kills her brother and then tries to kill her.

Belcamino’s introduction of her new character and series GIA IN THE CITY OF THE DEAD will establish events leading to the catalysts where will get justice for her family. The fast-moving storyline places readers next to Gia as she seeks answers to her questions. Will she find the strength to bring those responsible to justice? GIA IN THE CITY OF THE DEAD is a compelling storyline full of suspense as the Gia battles good over evil. Gia and those friends willing risk everything to help her as she follows her path to find the truth. Belcamino is a skillful storyteller who can capture her reader's interest from the first page to the last. Kristi Belcamino’s GIA IN THE CITY OF THE DEAD is a great beginning to a new series. The storyline is a must read and earns a five-star ranking.

Was not my cup of tea,,, too descriptive ( pages and pages ) and she gets drunk all the time and casual sex all the time then pages of trying to figure out if she used a condom,, Brother was a problem child and Gia goes through the book wondering why her mother loved the brother more than her, ( so she thinks) she is in a mafia family and parents are murdered/fire. I usually read end of days and zombie books, this had little action although she works out at local marial arts gym, she never gets into a scuffle... like I said, I skipped alot of pages, just was not my bag,, got it from Bookbub or Robin reads which when you join each you can get free books daily.. I have a ton..

I just couldn't put it down, I really love strong female lead characters and Gia Santarella is stronger than most, she is also a true survivor and never gives up even in the darkest times.

I'm not sure if I love Dante or want to kick his ass as a best friend he kinda sucks with his honesty lol but he is loyal so he gets points for that but then so does a dog....

Django is awesome but then I just love a good dog sidekick...lol all of Gia's side characters are great after loosing her family she as build a new one and this is only book 1 I can't wait to see were she goes from here.

Remember how fun Jackie Collins, Sidney Sheldon and Judith Krantz books were to read? Those were the fun, glitzy thrillers I was reminded of when I read this. Gia is like a cross between Marvel's Jessica Jones and Collins' Lucky Santangelo. It was fun to check out parts of California and Italy vicariously through Gia as she tries to figure out who's trying to kill her.

I liked this. I’m surprised though as when it first got started I wasn’t so sure. I wasn’t surprised to learn of her parentage, that was easy to gleam from the context of the chapters around her brother. But I was surprised of the ultimate outcome in the end. I’m curious to see how she turns in a crime sleuth or whatever it is she’s supposed to be.

Heartpounding excitement

Gia's story is both exhilarating and sad. She loses her family and must rely on her friends while she seeks revenge. She is a strong and driven young woman. Her brains and talents keep her out of trouble most of the time, but there are many close calls. This is a real page-turner. Hard to put down!

My New Hero

I tore through this book in under 3 days. Gia is fabulously damaged and does everything she can to avoid any kind of responsibility. But when Gia’s life begins crumbling like dominos around her she realizes she doesn’t know who she can trust and who wants her dead. Fully recommend!