Latte Trouble

I enjoyed Bk 1 and was okay with Bk 2. Bk 3 returns to a higher level which I’m glad to see/read. If we could give fractional ratings I’d do a 4.5 on this. The plot had surprising twists to it, and the characters were vivid without the need for excessive verbiage.

The pathos of Tucker being chained in Rikers added a sharp realism one doesn’t usually encounter in the “must have happy endings world of cozies”. It was delightful to have Madame play a larger part in helping Clare. She’s a wonderful character and helps make up for her son Matt and granddaughter Joy, both of whom I’d rather slap upside the head and then kick out of all future stories. They are really too annoying for words: puerile, selfish, and whiny.

The coffee lore remains fascinating. I’m impressed how well the authors work in these educational nuggets without making it sound pretentious. It’s almost worth reading the books just to learn about the variety of coffeebeans and their differing characteristics!

I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

This 3rd book in the Coffee House Mystery series was great fun and a wander through memory lane on my life in Manhattan and the surprises that awaited me around every corner of Greenwich Village. I totally enjoyed this plot and it kept me guessing 2/3 of the way through the book. It also made me chuckle about thinly veiled references, i.e, the S & S Ad Agency or a fashionista woman who started her career in ‘the village’. I also enjoy all the historical background that Cleo and Mark integrate throughout the stories they create. There is intrigue from the beginning when an attendee at a kick off party at the Village Blend intercepts a barista delivering a cup of signature latte with deadly consequences, and well..we are off the races, with mistaken arrests, the usual will they or won’t they get back together, Clare and Matteo, the dynamics of involving their mother in law , etc. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this thoroughly entertaining series. I have to take a break and get on with a few others , BUT I’ll be back for more!

Cleo Coyle’s coffeeshop mystery series is one of my very favorite cozy mystery series, and while I’d recommend reading the books in order, I’ve read almost all of them and am going back to catch up on the ones I haven’t read yet, Latte Trouble being one of them. It was fascinating to see the tension between Clare and Matteo as their romance is possibly rekindled, and their parenting differences, come to light. In this book, the murder hits close to home, both with Village Blend coffee being the culprit for the first murder, and barista Tucker being carted away to Riker’s (the scene where Madame and Clare visit him is wonderful and revelatory). Clare has many layers of history to unravel, not to mention trying to figure out who the intended target is. There seemed to be more than the usual amount of twists and turns, so many that I had no idea, just as Clare didn’t, who the murderer was until the very end (as it should be). Clare is just starting to get her bearings and confidence being a sleuth here, and Coyle gives us insight into her thought process as well as drama between her and Matt (though less so of Quinn here) and Joy. While there’s a lot going on, I never found it too much; this was a fast-paced plot that is a great addition to the series.

This is the third book in the Coffehouse Mystery series set in New York City. Clare is hosting an event for a fashion designer who makes coffee themed jewelry at the coffeehouse during Fashion Week. When one of the guests is poisoned, suspicion is placed on her barista, especially when the police find out that the victim was a former boyfriend. However, the coffee was meant for the fashion designer, Lottie. Clare begins to investigate to try to clear Tucker and find out who the real killer is. There are many suspects including Lottie’s current business partners and possibly the former founders of her company, not to mention a former lover. When another attempt is made on Lottie, Clare gets both her mother-in-law and her ex-husband to help her rule out some of the suspects. Adding to Clare’s woes is her worries that her daughter may be running with a bad crowd that is into drug use. Her favorite detective appears briefly near the end of the book to help out, but is absent for most of the story. The mystery was pretty good, but I had my suspicions about the killer fairly early on. I was a bit annoyed that the storyline with her daughter Joy really wasn’t resolved by the end of the book. Hopefully, this will be taken care of in the next book in the series.

I was recently introduced to the Coffeehouse series and have fallen in love with it! I’ve read the first three books in the series and this one was the best… So far! The writer nicely develops the characters and weaves the mystery throughout. Easy reading and I’ve learned more about coffee and coffee beans than I ever thought I would!!