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Coffeehouse Mystery #6
French Pressed
Murder takes the plunge in the sixth book in the Coffeehouse mystery series.
Clare Cosi's daughter, Joy, is interning-and falling- for a top New York chef when his kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy becomes a murder suspect. Clare knows she must catch the real killer-even if it lands her in the hottest water of her life.
Clare Cosi's daughter, Joy, is interning-and falling- for a top New York chef when his kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy becomes a murder suspect. Clare knows she must catch the real killer-even if it lands her in the hottest water of her life.
270 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
134 people are currently reading
2517 people want to read
About the author
Cleo Coyle
53 books3,553 followersDon't miss the newest title in Cleo's long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series (with more to come),
NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY,
a National Mystery Bestseller and triple #1 Amazon Category Bestseller. Join Cleo's Coffee Club for bonus recipes and giveaways: Click Here to Subscribe to Cleo’s Free Newsletter
CLEO COYLE is the New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. With more than 1 million books sold, they have gained an enthusiastic following. Cleo's "relenlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech. Their books have earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus, Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers, and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections.
When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or wrangling their rescued stray cats, Alice and Marc are New York Times bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. One of those projects (ghostwritten by Alice Alfonsi) was named by Entertainment Weekly as the best media tie-in book written that year.
CONNECT WITH CLEO at CleoCoyle.com and CoffeehouseMystery.com
*******
CLEO'S TWO BESTSELLING SERIES:
Cleo’s Coffeehouse Mystery series, celebrated for pioneering both the “urban cozy" and “coffee cozy” mystery genres, follows the adventures of amateur sleuth Clare Cosi, a single mom with a complicated love life who manages a Greenwich Village coffeehouse and a crew of quirky baristas who helps her solve perplexing crimes.
Cleo’s Haunted Bookshop Mystery series, hailed as a highly original and "utterly charming" (Mystery Scene) blend of cozy and hardboiled genres, features an earnest young New England widow who catches criminals with the help of a gumshoe ghost, the irrepressible spirit of a tough private detective who’d been gunned down in her bookshop decades before.
*******
LATEST BOOK NEWS:
The newest title in Cleo's long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series is NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY, on sale April 1st and already a national mystery bestseller and triple #1 Amazon category bestseller. Cleo's previous release, BULLETPROOF BARISTA, was a "wildly entertaining" (Criminal Elment) national mystery bestseller; a #1 category best seller for Amazon; and honored with 2 Best of Year list selections by reviewers. It is now availalbe in a new paperback reprint edition along with the previous bestselling book in the series, HONEY ROASTED, "A honey of a tale" (Kirkus Reviews).
Cleo's latest Haunted Bookshop Mystery releases include THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS, praised by Kirkus as "a gem of a story." And THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS, a #1 category best seller for Amazon, which Fresh Fiction called "amazing and unique." Cleo is now writing the next Haunted Bookshop Mystery. Subscribe to Cleo’s Free Newsletter for updates on the pub date!
CLEO COYLE is the New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. With more than 1 million books sold, they have gained an enthusiastic following. Cleo's "relenlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech. Their books have earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus, Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers, and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections.
When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or wrangling their rescued stray cats, Alice and Marc are New York Times bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. One of those projects (ghostwritten by Alice Alfonsi) was named by Entertainment Weekly as the best media tie-in book written that year.
CONNECT WITH CLEO at CleoCoyle.com and CoffeehouseMystery.com
*******
CLEO'S TWO BESTSELLING SERIES:
Cleo’s Coffeehouse Mystery series, celebrated for pioneering both the “urban cozy" and “coffee cozy” mystery genres, follows the adventures of amateur sleuth Clare Cosi, a single mom with a complicated love life who manages a Greenwich Village coffeehouse and a crew of quirky baristas who helps her solve perplexing crimes.
Cleo’s Haunted Bookshop Mystery series, hailed as a highly original and "utterly charming" (Mystery Scene) blend of cozy and hardboiled genres, features an earnest young New England widow who catches criminals with the help of a gumshoe ghost, the irrepressible spirit of a tough private detective who’d been gunned down in her bookshop decades before.
*******
LATEST BOOK NEWS:
The newest title in Cleo's long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series is NO ROAST FOR THE WEARY, on sale April 1st and already a national mystery bestseller and triple #1 Amazon category bestseller. Cleo's previous release, BULLETPROOF BARISTA, was a "wildly entertaining" (Criminal Elment) national mystery bestseller; a #1 category best seller for Amazon; and honored with 2 Best of Year list selections by reviewers. It is now availalbe in a new paperback reprint edition along with the previous bestselling book in the series, HONEY ROASTED, "A honey of a tale" (Kirkus Reviews).
Cleo's latest Haunted Bookshop Mystery releases include THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS, praised by Kirkus as "a gem of a story." And THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS, a #1 category best seller for Amazon, which Fresh Fiction called "amazing and unique." Cleo is now writing the next Haunted Bookshop Mystery. Subscribe to Cleo’s Free Newsletter for updates on the pub date!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 359 reviews
November 25, 2013
That's it, I can't take any more of this series. The never-ending drama of Clare and her creepy, lying, condescending, sex-addict,douchetard ex-husband/housemate finally proved too much for me. The mysteries were often fun, but the squick-factor of their on/off relationship is just too...squicky. Somehow I made it through five books, but when it was still going on well into book number six, I, unlike Clare Cosi, decided I'd had enough.
(full disclosure: like any abused partner, I was still holding onto a little tidbit of hope that things would get better, that this would be the book where, say, the ex-husband dies in an espresso machine explosion. Not wanting to read on without some sort of assurance of improvement, I skimmed the descriptions of later books in the series, but when I continued to see Mat's name with no reference to funerals or shark attacks, I had to admit defeat)
(full disclosure: like any abused partner, I was still holding onto a little tidbit of hope that things would get better, that this would be the book where, say, the ex-husband dies in an espresso machine explosion. Not wanting to read on without some sort of assurance of improvement, I skimmed the descriptions of later books in the series, but when I continued to see Mat's name with no reference to funerals or shark attacks, I had to admit defeat)
December 25, 2015
I really love this series. I'm going to get a cup of coffee now.
January 26, 2010
Cleo Coyle's coffee-house mysteries are hard to read WITHOUT drinking coffee on the side, which is part of the reason this series is so enjoyable. I love how the author infuses knowledge of coffee in each of these books, educating readers while entertaining them with the story.
While the ride was certainly fun, I wasn't impressed by the mystery itself and the unveiling of the murderer. I didn't feel too surprised when finding out the killer's identity. As I don't think the author is trying to be deliberately humorous, I really like Clare's character and her demeanor. I was happy to see her relationships further developing with Mike the cop and her ex-husband Matt in interesting ways. With Joy being blamed for murder, I was slightly disappointed that her character had less speaking parts in the book, because she is really becoming quite fun!
I am really looking forward to the next book in the series!
While the ride was certainly fun, I wasn't impressed by the mystery itself and the unveiling of the murderer. I didn't feel too surprised when finding out the killer's identity. As I don't think the author is trying to be deliberately humorous, I really like Clare's character and her demeanor. I was happy to see her relationships further developing with Mike the cop and her ex-husband Matt in interesting ways. With Joy being blamed for murder, I was slightly disappointed that her character had less speaking parts in the book, because she is really becoming quite fun!
I am really looking forward to the next book in the series!
August 6, 2020
Digital audiobook performed by Rebecca Gibel.
From the book jacket: Clare’s daughter, Joy, is immersing herself in an internship at Solange, one of New York’s hottest French restaurants – and she’s getting pretty intimate with the older, married Chef Tommy Keitel as well. Resolved to keep an closer eye on Joy, Clarre makes a deal to provide exclusive coffee blends for Tommy, a man she wouldn’t mind seeing roasted and pressed. Then the competitive kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy’s a suspect. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare knows she must catch the real killer.
My reactions
This is book six in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, and I’m really enjoying them. I do think that Clare’s insistence on investigating on her own is a bit over-the-top, but it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without an intrusive amateur sleuth. I do enjoy the information on coffees (even though I stick with grocery-store blends myself), and this book really delves into foodie culture which had me salivating in places.
I also like that the romance with detective Mike Quinn is heating up, despite Madame’s (Clare’s mother-in-law and co-owner of the shop) efforts to get Clare back with her son Matteo.
Not a fan of the cliff-hanger ending, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. Still, I found it deliciously entertaining – a perfect “escape” during these unsettled times.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job performing the audiobook. I really love the voice she uses for Madame.
From the book jacket: Clare’s daughter, Joy, is immersing herself in an internship at Solange, one of New York’s hottest French restaurants – and she’s getting pretty intimate with the older, married Chef Tommy Keitel as well. Resolved to keep an closer eye on Joy, Clarre makes a deal to provide exclusive coffee blends for Tommy, a man she wouldn’t mind seeing roasted and pressed. Then the competitive kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy’s a suspect. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare knows she must catch the real killer.
My reactions
This is book six in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, and I’m really enjoying them. I do think that Clare’s insistence on investigating on her own is a bit over-the-top, but it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without an intrusive amateur sleuth. I do enjoy the information on coffees (even though I stick with grocery-store blends myself), and this book really delves into foodie culture which had me salivating in places.
I also like that the romance with detective Mike Quinn is heating up, despite Madame’s (Clare’s mother-in-law and co-owner of the shop) efforts to get Clare back with her son Matteo.
Not a fan of the cliff-hanger ending, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. Still, I found it deliciously entertaining – a perfect “escape” during these unsettled times.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job performing the audiobook. I really love the voice she uses for Madame.
August 1, 2016
More of an autocorrected rant than a review. I had so many frustrations with this book. It was depressing and boring and I just was incredibly annoyed with all the characters. I liked the last two books so much that I hoped the series was picking up but this book proved me wrong! First of all, I hated the 'friend/family member suspected of murder' last time they did it but it was even worse this time. It was sad and upsetting to see Joy (and Tucker in book ?3) suffer, and the solution was much messier as far as Joy's involvement went. The solution was so painfully obvious, which I don't necessarily mind but there was so much 'aha this will throw them off!' boring nonsense distracting from the main mystery. There were a bunch of threads in this that just went nowhere and didn't tie together, and the lack of craftsmanship was frustrating. The strength of these books imo is the detailed info about new York/coffee/whatever but this book had so many dull subplots there was no time for any of that. Also, Madame was barely in it!!
There was also sooooo much judgement wrt joy sleeping w her boss who is much older and married and like while i agree that is not good, the boss was waaaay worse and I spent the whole book wanting to punch him. Also, why is Clare so bad at talking to her own child?? Who she has been the primary caretaker for since always??? Like she seems to magically forget that Joy is stubborn before every convo and seems to have no idea how to get Joy to listen to what she says? Like obvi Joy is gonna make her own choices but it would have solved so many problems if Clare had just calmly said 'this is a bad idea and here is why I think that, but you are an adult and you have to make your own choices. ill be here for you no matter what' wow so hard to talk to your own kid. She is also soooooo condescending about her ex's relationship when a of all it's none of her dang business and b people can be fulfilled by different types of relationships!! Chill. To be fair, Mat needs to fuck off with the constantly hitting on her I don't like him rn either. And stop judging brianne?? Like her big flaw is what ?? being successful and Buying the guy she is banging a bunch of stuff. What a monster. So "emasculating"! Gender is fake, you're just an asshole, Clare.
A final complaint. I don't get why Clare is so often like 'oh I can trust mike bc he's a cop' when literally all the other police officers she encounters are both bad at their jobs and all around shitty people. (tbh including mike he's so controlling and fucking breaks the law bc he thinks he knows better all the time!!)
Some of these issues obviously are reservations I have w the series as a whole, but they stood out really starkly while reading this book because the plot was terrible and it was just all around uninteresting.
There was also sooooo much judgement wrt joy sleeping w her boss who is much older and married and like while i agree that is not good, the boss was waaaay worse and I spent the whole book wanting to punch him. Also, why is Clare so bad at talking to her own child?? Who she has been the primary caretaker for since always??? Like she seems to magically forget that Joy is stubborn before every convo and seems to have no idea how to get Joy to listen to what she says? Like obvi Joy is gonna make her own choices but it would have solved so many problems if Clare had just calmly said 'this is a bad idea and here is why I think that, but you are an adult and you have to make your own choices. ill be here for you no matter what' wow so hard to talk to your own kid. She is also soooooo condescending about her ex's relationship when a of all it's none of her dang business and b people can be fulfilled by different types of relationships!! Chill. To be fair, Mat needs to fuck off with the constantly hitting on her I don't like him rn either. And stop judging brianne?? Like her big flaw is what ?? being successful and Buying the guy she is banging a bunch of stuff. What a monster. So "emasculating"! Gender is fake, you're just an asshole, Clare.
A final complaint. I don't get why Clare is so often like 'oh I can trust mike bc he's a cop' when literally all the other police officers she encounters are both bad at their jobs and all around shitty people. (tbh including mike he's so controlling and fucking breaks the law bc he thinks he knows better all the time!!)
Some of these issues obviously are reservations I have w the series as a whole, but they stood out really starkly while reading this book because the plot was terrible and it was just all around uninteresting.
April 12, 2024
This will probably have minor spoilers but none relating to the main mystery plot!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now listen I don’t read these for genuine mystery, it’s all about the vibes but unfortunately this one was severely lacking. I think there were too many “twists and turns” to get to where we were going, especially when it was pretty obvious about at least halfway through.
I also just kept getting irked by Clare continuously thinking the younger women around her were incapable of making smart decisions for themselves. Like I get the urge to want to give them advice, especially her own daughter, but all she needed to do was have an open, non judgmental conversation with her and it would’ve worked out better for her.
Which leads to my least favorite character this book which was Joy. Can we please (in general) stop referring to grown young women as pure and innocent as if they were still little girls. Especially when that grown woman is talking about how she seduced an older, married man and would use her friend’s apartment for sex with said man. Like she’s not stupid, naive yes, but she knows what she’s doing (she even admits this), she just doesn’t care! And of course the man is at fault as well, abusing his power over her since she is so much younger than him but the way their relationship was written just didn’t sit right with me it felt as if all the blame was being put more on her than on the man.
Last point which will be a bit of a spoiler, but I was shocked that Clare was so okay with Tommy telling her that he was going to publicly dump Joy in front of her colleagues with the intention of embarrassing so she’d never return!? Like what?! If that was my daughter oh hell no I’m sorry but there would be hell to pay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now listen I don’t read these for genuine mystery, it’s all about the vibes but unfortunately this one was severely lacking. I think there were too many “twists and turns” to get to where we were going, especially when it was pretty obvious about at least halfway through.
I also just kept getting irked by Clare continuously thinking the younger women around her were incapable of making smart decisions for themselves. Like I get the urge to want to give them advice, especially her own daughter, but all she needed to do was have an open, non judgmental conversation with her and it would’ve worked out better for her.
Which leads to my least favorite character this book which was Joy. Can we please (in general) stop referring to grown young women as pure and innocent as if they were still little girls. Especially when that grown woman is talking about how she seduced an older, married man and would use her friend’s apartment for sex with said man. Like she’s not stupid, naive yes, but she knows what she’s doing (she even admits this), she just doesn’t care! And of course the man is at fault as well, abusing his power over her since she is so much younger than him but the way their relationship was written just didn’t sit right with me it felt as if all the blame was being put more on her than on the man.
Last point which will be a bit of a spoiler, but I was shocked that Clare was so okay with Tommy telling her that he was going to publicly dump Joy in front of her colleagues with the intention of embarrassing so she’d never return!? Like what?! If that was my daughter oh hell no I’m sorry but there would be hell to pay!
July 8, 2025
The sleuth's daughter is in a relationship with a much older, married celebrity chef. Said sleuth is not very happy about it. Of course, there's a murder, a split up, and a lot of soap opera, really.
Celebrity chefs would be an endangered species if we lived in a cozy universe, for sure. Apparently, nobody actually likes them.
Celebrity chefs would be an endangered species if we lived in a cozy universe, for sure. Apparently, nobody actually likes them.
October 11, 2009
Clare does some of the boroughs, a fancy-schmancy restaurant and ventures into Bumma territory of Brighton Beach and borscht. Plus some relationships get defined. And my favorite East Coast coffee roaster (outside of javaczuk), Counter Culture Coffee of Chapel Hill, NC, gets a mention in the thank you's and in the story itself.
Yes, I'll keep my eye out for book 7, Espresso Shot, though I don't think it'll make me drink more espresso. One of the books got me to take out my mocha pot, but this one didn't drag the French press off the shelf.
Oh, before I forget, javaczuk calls these books the Sookie Stackhouse of coffee. :)
Yes, I'll keep my eye out for book 7, Espresso Shot, though I don't think it'll make me drink more espresso. One of the books got me to take out my mocha pot, but this one didn't drag the French press off the shelf.
Oh, before I forget, javaczuk calls these books the Sookie Stackhouse of coffee. :)
November 28, 2019
4 Stars!!!
I absolutely LOVE this cozy coffee house series! This is book 6 and I am enjoying them more and more with each one. Cleo Coyle has created such an amazing set of characters! I cannot recommend the audio version enough. The narrator is FANTASTIC! Don't pass this series up.
I absolutely LOVE this cozy coffee house series! This is book 6 and I am enjoying them more and more with each one. Cleo Coyle has created such an amazing set of characters! I cannot recommend the audio version enough. The narrator is FANTASTIC! Don't pass this series up.
June 29, 2019
3.5, but I rounded up. I'm still on the fence about this series. I like a few books and then I read one that isn't that great. I'll read the next one since this one ended in a cliff hanger!
August 5, 2020
Clare Cosi, manager of a popular New York City coffee house, is not particularly happy with her daughter Joy. Although she is now an adult, Clare can't seem to see Joy as anything but her little girl. Seeing Joy with her new boyfriend, the head chef of a fancy restaurant and a man who is more than likely twice Joy's age, doesn't sit well with Mom. Her problems are just beginning because the chef is soon a corpse with a fancy French knife in his neck. Learning that the chef had just ended his affair with Joy, the police immediately arrest her for murder. Clare must now try to find the real killer, placing herself in dangerous situations that just may end her own life.
This is another good cozy mystery with a fairly good plot. I like the characters in these books and the audios are particularly well done.
This is another good cozy mystery with a fairly good plot. I like the characters in these books and the audios are particularly well done.
November 24, 2012
Wow! This was the Magic Mike episode in the series!
June 4, 2020
I really liked this installment in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. In this one, the Clare Cosi's daughter is accused of murdering a famous chef. Clare must use her wits to try and figure out who really did the deed and why. And her relationship with the hunky police detective Mike heats up!
July 2, 2024
Another good entry in this series.
October 10, 2022
This was my favorite in the series so far. It was so much fun seeing the main characters make bad decisions, and learn from them throughout the story. The daughter being involved with the married chef and watching Claire deal with it was so entertaining to me.
I also learned so much about coffee and food pairings because of this book. So fun!
I also learned so much about coffee and food pairings because of this book. So fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2023
I thought this one was a bit boring compared to some of the previous plotlines. Clare is usually really relatable, but when it comes to her daughter, she seems to regress to the mother of a younger kid which is kind of off-putting.
August 31, 2023
Enjoyed this one.
January 30, 2014
The sixth Village Coffeehouse mystery has Clare delving into the world of high class restaurants in Manhatten. She's been engrossed in running the Village Blend Coffeehouse but, Joy, her "20 something" daughter's relationship with an executive chef thirty years her senior, sends Clare out to check on this relationship. Clare's able to use her marketing skills of paring particular excellent coffees with exquisite deserts to talk with the chef. But soon there after one of his line cooks is found dead---then the executive chef himself is murdered. When Joy becomes the chief suspect, Clare goes on the search for the real killer.
Clare's relationship with her sexy detective friend is also warming up. He knows about Clare's skill in finding previous murderers, so he has her volunteer herself as bait for the killers. Perhaps this is the only way to save her daughter, so Clare is up for this trickery.
This series is always top notch excitement mixed with lots of thrilling information about coffee, and in this book, inside information about the restaurant business. Romantic relationships cause a bit of confusion between the characters, but some of these pairings are heating up nicely. This series never fails to be enjoyable!
Clare's relationship with her sexy detective friend is also warming up. He knows about Clare's skill in finding previous murderers, so he has her volunteer herself as bait for the killers. Perhaps this is the only way to save her daughter, so Clare is up for this trickery.
This series is always top notch excitement mixed with lots of thrilling information about coffee, and in this book, inside information about the restaurant business. Romantic relationships cause a bit of confusion between the characters, but some of these pairings are heating up nicely. This series never fails to be enjoyable!
July 5, 2018
Every time I listen to this series, I wish there is this coffee house near my house so that I can taste a fresh cup of coffee made with freshly roasted beans!! I enjoyed the details Coyle put into the descriptions of the different flavors of coffee and in this book she also was very descriptive of the different cheeses Claire sampled in the cheese cave. I deeply appreciated the research Coyle did in what went on in the kitchen and behind the scenes of running a high end gourmet restaurant. I felt the energy and the motions in the kitchen in her narrative which made her story came alive.
On the character development side, I'm so happy to see that Claire is moving forward with her relationship with Quinn. I loved the scene where Matt expressed his desire to have a second chance with Claire. Even though Claire still had feelings for her ex-husband, she knew it wouldn't be healthy for her to be with Matt and she realized that she also had changed.
I look forward to the next book where Matt is taking his relationship with Breanne to the next level and seeing how all the characters developed.
On the character development side, I'm so happy to see that Claire is moving forward with her relationship with Quinn. I loved the scene where Matt expressed his desire to have a second chance with Claire. Even though Claire still had feelings for her ex-husband, she knew it wouldn't be healthy for her to be with Matt and she realized that she also had changed.
I look forward to the next book where Matt is taking his relationship with Breanne to the next level and seeing how all the characters developed.
December 16, 2018
I really want to love this series but I'm ready to give up. Clare is alternately funny, independent, smart, then insecure, silly, weak, and condescending. The ex-husband character is inconsistent too - creepy, liar, then best father/ex of the year. Mike even got weird in this series - cold cop, then hot, slightly goofy lover. The series tends to explain the mystery via lengthy narratives towards the end of the book, rather than by action.
November 28, 2022
Why do I continue reading these when I dislike the protagonist so much? Possibly because I enjoy the coffee snobbery. Possibly because the library's selection of audio cozies is small. Possibly because I'm an idiot. These aren't old books, but they seem like they were written in the early 90s and Claire is insufferably dense at odd points. I do love Madame though, so maybe she's why I keep coming back.
May 4, 2015
This installment was so much more of a "foodie" book than previous novels. I'm ok with that. The descriptions of food were so vivid and mouthwatering it made me crave it. And I really just like Claire. A very relatable heroine.
May 6, 2015
Several times I had to put the book down because Clair was just too annoying! Up until this book I've thought she was a fun character. :( I am hoping the next in the series is better, if not guess I'll be done.
August 26, 2024
There is a lot that happened in this one. Overall, I think this is one that a lot of different readers will enjoy. I had a couple of personal annoyances that are more of a "me" issue than a book issue. First, I think it is not super plausible that in every installment, someone Claire knows is arrested for the murder. Second, Coyle uses the word "youths" to describe young adults and it was just kind of cringe for me. lol
September 29, 2019
This was a good read. Normally I would feel bad that someone is being framed. However, I've never cared much for Joy. I did know she wouldn't actually be guilty so I didn't feel too bad for her going through that. Luckily she had her mom Clare to help find out what really happened. This series is still enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how this will continue.
November 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this story. The mystery was good and even with the high body count, I wasn't able to pinpoint the murderer until Claire did.
December 20, 2024
There’s some good red herrings in this one! And I loved to see the romance between Clare and Mike grow.
April 6, 2017
I will not be continuing with this series.
December 19, 2021
The ex husband stuff is really really annoying
June 16, 2021
It’s a good thing Village Blend manager Clare Cosi and her ex-mother-in-law Madame visit Solange, a hot New York French restaurant. Clare’s daughter Joy is interning there. But on this particular night when Clare goes back to the kitchen to see Joy, she stops one of the chefs wielding a knife at her co-workers. Joy had been loving her job as well as loving executive chef Tommy Keitel, a married man whose restaurant just might be owned by the Russian mob. Clare and her ex, Joy’s father Matteo Allegro, disapprove of the romance but do their best to let Joy make her own choices.
Clare returns to the Village Blend where her current beau, New York City detective Mike Quinn is waiting. Things are heating up when Matt turns up on her doorstep. Initially angry, Clare is glad Matt is with her when Joy calls from a friend’s place where she has found his dead body killed by a chef’s knife. The NYPD considers Joy a prime suspect, so Clare is determined to clear her name. First she finds a way into Solange by convincing Chef Keitel to try her coffee services. As always, Clare impresses with her knowledge of fine coffees and the growing and brewing processes. While at Solange, Joy catches a glimpse of her mother and Tommy Keitel and misunderstands, fleeing from the restaurant mid-service. Joy must return later to clean up her station, but there is more of a mess than she imagined. Chef Tommy Keitel is dead with one of her knives in his neck!
The police arrive at Solange along with Clare, briefly questioning them both. Their decision is quick and decisive: Joy is their prime suspect, and she is arrested and charged with both murders. It is now up to Clare to investigate with some help from Detective Mike Quinn. Clare journeys around New York from the drug-ridden slum lived in by the knife-wielding chef to a Russian restaurant with her barista and her rapping Russian boyfriend. She plays decoy for Mike when she catches his perp’s eye at a fancy new club. She follows the blackmail trail. She attend’s Tommy’s wake and a dinner in his honor, gathering crucial clues.
This was a delightful sixth entry in the Coffeehouse mystery series. As usual with a book by Cleo Coyle (husband and wife team Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini), we are given a trip around New York you’ll never find in a tourist guide. They challenged the notion of the person finding a dead body is the killer. The ubiquitous talk of coffee had me brewing my own, just to keep up.
Special mention must be given to the narrator, Rebecca Gibel. Her various voices were fabulous. The Russian rapper, rapping in both English and Russian, detectives from various boroughs of New York, and especially the elderly Madame were among the fantastic voices of the many characters she brought to life.
Clare returns to the Village Blend where her current beau, New York City detective Mike Quinn is waiting. Things are heating up when Matt turns up on her doorstep. Initially angry, Clare is glad Matt is with her when Joy calls from a friend’s place where she has found his dead body killed by a chef’s knife. The NYPD considers Joy a prime suspect, so Clare is determined to clear her name. First she finds a way into Solange by convincing Chef Keitel to try her coffee services. As always, Clare impresses with her knowledge of fine coffees and the growing and brewing processes. While at Solange, Joy catches a glimpse of her mother and Tommy Keitel and misunderstands, fleeing from the restaurant mid-service. Joy must return later to clean up her station, but there is more of a mess than she imagined. Chef Tommy Keitel is dead with one of her knives in his neck!
The police arrive at Solange along with Clare, briefly questioning them both. Their decision is quick and decisive: Joy is their prime suspect, and she is arrested and charged with both murders. It is now up to Clare to investigate with some help from Detective Mike Quinn. Clare journeys around New York from the drug-ridden slum lived in by the knife-wielding chef to a Russian restaurant with her barista and her rapping Russian boyfriend. She plays decoy for Mike when she catches his perp’s eye at a fancy new club. She follows the blackmail trail. She attend’s Tommy’s wake and a dinner in his honor, gathering crucial clues.
This was a delightful sixth entry in the Coffeehouse mystery series. As usual with a book by Cleo Coyle (husband and wife team Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini), we are given a trip around New York you’ll never find in a tourist guide. They challenged the notion of the person finding a dead body is the killer. The ubiquitous talk of coffee had me brewing my own, just to keep up.
Special mention must be given to the narrator, Rebecca Gibel. Her various voices were fabulous. The Russian rapper, rapping in both English and Russian, detectives from various boroughs of New York, and especially the elderly Madame were among the fantastic voices of the many characters she brought to life.
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