Twenty-one-year-old Frankie Grace, heir apparent to the family funeral business, is sure his life's calling lies not in embalming but in entertaining. But on the eve of Little Italy's annual Feast of San Gennaro in 1971, he finds himself in deep when he's summoned to make arrangements for a member of the mob. Will Frankie become a hit-or the victim of one? Die Laughing nails the characters, from mafioso Johnny Ballsziti and his henchmen to Sal, the neighborhood restaurateur who doubles as Frankie's manager, to Frankie's drop-dead-gorgeous love interest-who happens to be JB's daughter. Food and wine flow as freely as the punch lines in a zany neighbhorhood that combines an obsession over mourning with a zest for life-and where Frankie Grace always makes sure his customers leave with a smile on their face.