The beginning was great. I thought I was going to enjoys this book. But as the secrets start unfolding, I realized that this is far from the book I had in mind. The books is written well, but I don't care for the graphic details. I know every family has its drama and you deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly, but there's just some stuff I'd rather not know/read about! ( )

Suzanne has really outdone herself with this book. As much as I loved the Pam of Babylon series I have to say that I loved this book even more. Wonderful story line, great characters, great history of Greeks. I loved it from the very first page to the last page.

Jill Zannos is the daughter of a Greek grocery store owner, Gus, and a Detective for the Detroit Police Dept. It starts out with a gruesome murder of a young woman who Jill and her partner Albert Wong are investigating. The victim is a 26 year old beautiful young woman that still lives at home. She left for her date with her boyfriend Nick Fri. night and was found Mon. morning brutally sexually assaulted and then shot in the head. Her father, Jacob Parker a retired police officer called in a missing report when she was not home by her 11:00 curfew. Her mother Marianne Parker helped Jacob search everywhere for their beloved missing daughter. Jacob hated Nick, Gretchen's boyfriend because he was so much older that Gretchen and he just plain didn't like him. Marianne felt that something bad had happened to their daughter.

Jill has some psychic abilities that help her to see inside the victim and the people surrounding her. Jill's mother died when she was a young girl while coming back from visiting Jill's brother who was born with Down's Syndrome and put in an institution as a baby because the Dr's and her mother in law said it would be the best for him. Her father raised her on his own but of course had the help of his parents as they all lived above the store.

Jill would have breakfast every morning with her dad and he would make her lunch to take to work also.

This story has many twists and turn in it and things in the case that I did not see coming at first. It was not hidden what happen to Gretchen but I won't tell anyway. The family did a lot together and seem to get along very good, some too good at times. Christopher, Jill's brother was not Gus's son but he always went to see him and loved him as though he was. The Zanno's family has many ups and downs of their own that I look forward to reading more about in the next two books.

Jill is a strong woman but still can be hurt when the man she thought she knew betrayed her. This story has so much going on that I would have to write a small book here to really say how much I loved it and what about it I loved. I loved everything. It was well written and it was obvious that Ms Jenkins did her homework with this story. Learning about the Greeks was great and getting to know most of the family members was interesting too. They are a typical family in that they have their problems, up and downs, big dinners, fights and lots of love for each other.

I really loved this story and can't wait to start the next book, The Princess of Greektown. I gave it a 5 star rating because to me it deserved it and was such a good story. From beginning to end it kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. Great story Suzanne. Congratulations the start to another great series, that to me is even better than the Pam series and I loved every book in that one too. :) ( )

I finished this book quite quickly wanting to find out the who done its. Also what is going on in this close knit Greek family!
Jill Zannos is a Police Detective with an additional gift, she has gifted intuition! She is also in a long term relationship with an rather odd boyfriend. You wonder if there is any future for them?
Now Jill's Dad can come and live with me...how he loves his daughter. The food he makes her...he cooks her breakfast and dinner every day. All I can say is YUM!! We also become deeply involved with her Greek roots...who likes who and who doesn't. While we are learning about her family we are also with her as she goes about her job.
Her new case is very disturbing...a beautiful 26 year old woman is found murdered. Her family is also very distraught, as one might expect. Eyes seem to focus on her boyfriend....and then take another turn. No can never ever imagine what this girl has faced.
There has to be another book in this story...please. I need to know more. When we leave this book, things are looking pretty bleak in the Zannos family, and Jill needs a R & R from her job.
Ms Jenkins has written a compelling read, and if you enjoy mysteries, this one is going to keep your interest up!

I received this book from the Author, and Pump Your Book Virtual Tours, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

The Greeks of Beaubien Street is part murder mystery and part family drama. Jill Zannos is a police officer who with her partner Albert investigates the murder of a young girl. As the investigation progresses we find that there is some really strange family dynamics going on in the murdered girls family.

We also get to meet the large Zannos family and learn a bit about the Greek culture. Definitely a character driven story about how vulnerable people can be and the secrets that are kept within a family. The book held my attention throughout and the author did a great job with all the characters and their individual stories. I hope to read more by this author. ( )

Just when I thought author Suzanne Jenkins couldn't top her awesome Pam of Babylon series, she comes back strong with a new gritty no-nonsense murder mystery suspense thriller of a series called The Greektown Trilogy that will curl her readers' toes! In the first book of the series, The Greeks of Beaubien Street, the author introduces her readers to Detroit homicide detective Jill Zannos and her beloved Greek family who live in the Detroit neighborhood of Greektown. The story alternates between a disturbing rape/murder investigation of a retired police officer's twenty-six year old daughter; and tales of the Zannos family's Greek traditions and secrets that abound in the Greektown neighborhood of Beaubien Street.

This riveting and graphic whodunit and glimpse into the Zannos family history is a gripping page turner that will captivate the reader's attention. Full of dramatic and suspenseful twists and turns, the reader will be kept guessing what will happen next in both the murder investigation and the Zannos family drama as the story unfolds. Written in the third person narrative, the author weaves a tale that allows the reader to get a glimpse into the minds of each of the intriguing cast of characters. There isn't enough words to describe the creepiness of some of the characters, believe me when I say that the author sure does know how to create a fascinating cast of characters, who leap off the pages with their intriguing dialogues and interactions. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the richly detailed description of the setting in this book. The author's personal familiarity of growing up in a Greek household in the suburbs of Detroit allows her to transport the readers to the Greektown neighborhood and Beaubien Street where the Zannos family resides. I loved her description of the tight knit Greek community and their cultural traditions. I could close my eyes and visualize the neighborhood sights and sounds, especially Jill's father Gus' grocery store, their family home, and the Detroit streets that Jill cruises in her line of duty.

The Greeks of Beaubien Street is a compelling first book in The Greektown Trilogy series. This multi-layered tale of a gritty murder investigation and intriguing Zannos family drama will captivate you from beginning, while leaving you with a cliff hanger of an ending and wanting more ... only to make you wait for the continuation of the story in the second book in the series, The Princess of Greektown, which will be published in the Summer of 2013. Kudos Suzanne, you got me hooked on another one of your series!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours.

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