With all of the cold and snowy weather we’ve been having, I’ve been spending a lot of time curled up in front of the pellet stove reading. What’s more perfect reading than a cozy mystery on a cold day! Cozy mysteries differ from the regular mystery and thriller type reads in that they often feature an amateur detective who helps solve the mystery and often take place in a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else. I haven’t read many cozy mysteries, but of course the ones I have been interested in are the ones that revolve around food.
This book, On What Grounds is the first of fourteen in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. The series is written by Cleo Coyle, a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini. In this first book, Clare Cosi, manages the Village Blend, an historic coffee house that’s been in her ex-husband’s family for years. Clare has been managing the Village Blend for several years and has just moved from the New Jersey suburbs to the apartment above the coffee shop, which is located in Greenwich Village, in New York City. When opening the shop one morning she finds the body of one of her assistant managers, Annabelle, at the bottom of the basement stairs. Of course she has to get involved in trying to help the police figure out who did this to Annabelle and there might be some possible romance rekindling with her ex-husband in future books?!
This was a light, fast read but it’s definitely not a suspenseful page turner, if that’s what you’re looking for. I enjoy my daily morning cup of coffee, but I’m no coffee aficionado. I learned a lot about coffee, different types of coffee beverages and different methods of brewing. At some points, the author may have even gone a little too into detail about the finer points of coffee. Recipes from the story are included in the back. Overall, this was an okay mystery and this is a series that I wouldn’t mind continuing to read.
On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
*I borrowed this book from the library.
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