The Coffee Killer

by A.R. Shaw

Welcome to the Crescent Motel, a waypoint in a post-apocalyptic no man's land. At the helm are Darrell, the middle-aged mustachioed manager, and his danger-sniffing dog Bruno. When he and the motel's housekeeper, Nance, discover one of the guests dead, they decide to keep the body under wraps until they root out the killer. But before they have a chance, two mysterious men appear, looking for answers. When the first body disappears and is replaced by another, Darrell and Nance realize they're in over their heads.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2022

About the author

Author of Unfortunate Peril

Reviews

[Asia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the idea and as a coffee lover, I was excited for the coffee. I can't really tell you anything that happened nor anything about the characters. Everything from the plot to the ending was cut and paste from 90 different books. It has nothing that marks it as different. Plus I hate when the main character just suddenly figures out the killer with no clues as to how. A huge disappointment.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened the unabridged audio version of The Coffee Killer by A. J. Shaw and narrated by Jordan Gibbs. This is the first book in the 'Motel at the End of the World' series.

The Coffee Killer by A. R. Shaw is a short listen at 3 hours, 26 minutes.

The Coffee Killer is a dystopian novel and it also falls into the mystery/suspense genre as well. Essentially, you have a group of people living at a motel in the middle of nowhere during the end times. A murder takes place at the motel and the motel owner along with the motel's housekeeper try to find out whodunit. A mysterious duo shows up at the motel looking for someone, which adds another layer to the storyline/plot details.

I found this novella to be bland, boring, and not at all captivating enough for my taste. I only finished it because it is short. I will not be reading the rest of the 'Motel at the End of the World' series.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't believe I actually listened to this whole book. The only reason I did was it was my "walking" book and I did want to see how this post-apocalyptic scenario would play out and also the who done it.
But IMO, I honestly thought this was probably a self published book written by some teenager. When I googled the author and saw that she was a USA Today best selling author I was dumbfounded.
The post-apocalyptic world she described was boring and just the interaction between the characters and their dialogue seemed as if they were all teenagers bickering back and forth.
Sorry I wasted the time. Needless to say I will not be reading any more of them
About the only good thing was the audio. Not great, but it was good.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. it was highly entertaining and I enjoyed the first 2/3 of it a great deal. it would have been perhaps even a four star, however the story went on too long, became too convoluted, and had too many characters. by the end of the story I was ready to be done with it, thus just two stars

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"It's gotta be one of the guests."
If you're thinking this is going to be the usual grim struggle for survival of most post apocalyptic novels think again. Oh yes, there is hardship and difficulty to obtain those items which make life more bearable, like white bread, fresh vegetables and coffee. And there is an element of fear a d violence. But this is much more fun: a closed country house-type murder mystery farce as a storm lashes down on an isolated motel, effectively isolating the guests when a body( or two, or three) is discovered.
Who is the killer?.And where did the coffee come from?

Great fun, peopled with perfectly shallow characters in an extraordinary situation confusedly milling around. A very easy, light hearted read and narrated by Jordan Gibbs who does a good job at keeping everything light hearted in this bizarre murder mystery.

My thanks to the rights holder of The Coffee Killer who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. The first in a new series, I am very much anticipating the second in The Motel At the End of team World.
For a short, fun story with.laugh out loud moments, this book is highly recommended.

[David Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-Apocalyptic who done it tale filled with more questions than answers.
Listening to the audiobook of The Coffee Killer reminded me of watching Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Darrell really reminded me of Arthur Dent in that they are both unassuming /unsuspecting heroes in a great mystery. While the Coffee Killer isn’t space based, it is the same campy type of storytelling that hooks you right off the bat and keeps you entertained throughout the entire story. I certainly enjoyed this introduction to the Motel at the end of the World series enough to follow up with the second installment of the series.

[Sheryl Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post apocalyptic fun! Love the combination of sci fi, humor and cozy murder mystery. The book is one of those you can curl up with on a sleepy afternoon and it will keep company with you while you vicariously adventure to the End of the World.

Good guys, bad guys and in between guys are up to all kinds of things in this motel where cash doesn't cut it and barter is all the rage. Imagine trading toothbrushes for a motel stay! There is a fairly quirky cast of characters as one would expect, but then a couple of strangers get added to the mix which really takes the story in a whole new direction.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Coffee Killer: A Cozy Apocalypse Novel (Motel at the End of the World Book 1), my thirdd read from author A.R. Shaw this month, was a 3-hour 25-minute/152-page read that captured my attention and kept me reading until I finished it in 1 sitting. “I received a free Audible copy of this book & am now voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading more from this author and in particular, Room Service Revenge: A Cozy Apocalypse Novel (Motel at the End of the World Book 2). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Stephanie Coniff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy mystery that takes place at a hotel in a post-apocalyptic society. People are willing to barter, kill, and steal to have even the smallest of creature comforts in this new world. Darryl, the owner of his deceased aunt's hotel, makes ends meet by bartering with travelers who find lodging there. With his trusty sidekick/friend, Nance (friend of his aunt), they work together to solve a murder of one of their hotel guests who had a secret stash of coffee. Fun story and there are 2 more books in the 'Hotel at the end of the world' trilogy.

[Tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to, read and watched many different genres in my day, yet this is the first cozy apocalypse media I've come across. I didn't even KNOW there's cozy apocalypse. I've never stopped to think about it, really. I mean, when you think "apocalypse" you immediately think drama, violence, gore, etc. Right?

I wasn't disappointed though. As a lover of cozy mysteries, I'm happy to add "cozy apocalypse mystery" to my collection. It truly was a cozy mystery and I'm interested in the apocalyptic world that has been created for said mystery.

Well done 👏

[Bill Thibadeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh!

I was hoping this book would.he like the 1950's style set in a post apocalypse world. A.R. Shaw is supposed to be a great writer.. It is too bad I chose this book as my first experience. I will need to so some research and try again. The reputation deserves another try on my part..

[Robin Ginther-Venneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coffee Killer is the first book in this series, and I can’t wait for the next one. It is a freaky and fun read centered around a hotel and its guests in a post-apocalyptic world. It is a well-written and easy-to-read short story with a mystery to solve. It was pretty entertaining and a different type of genre for A.R. Shaw but worth the read. I highly recommend it.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darrell Riley inherited a run-down motel at the end of the world. Plants no longer grow, so the apocalypse has changed life and bartering in necessary goods is the norm. There’s plenty of toothbrushes and shoelaces but certain packaged foods are now luxuries. What do people kill for? Coffee is rare and hard to hide if you have it. But is it worth killing one of the people living at the motel?

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, easy read. The characters were interesting but could have used more background. The story moved well and had a good plot. It definitely made me want to read the next book in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the book which I received as an ARC.

[Sandy Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUN

A quick, fun read. Different in every way from any post apocalyptic books I’ve read-and I’ve read a whole lot.
Lots of unanswered questions, but I will expect them to be fleshed out in future books!

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably give this 3 1/2 stars.

I didn't figure out the killer, but I'm not sure how many clues there really were other than some reasoning ones.

I liked the dystopian feel, that was a little different for a mystery compared to what I normally read.

[Zahra (Bookish_Platypus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

I'm a big fan of the cozy mystery genre but this one was pretty lukewarm. There wasn't that much sleuthing. Where the book did excel was in the worldbuilding. I thought the post-apocalyptic setting was interesting and the characters were fun too, I just wish the actual plot held my interest.

[Arthur Ni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun audiobook.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the Mad Max post-apocalyptic world or villians! intriguing or silly?

[Linda Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an audiobook that took me quite a while to get through as I only listen when I’m walking. It was quirky and strange but overall a decent “cozy” mystery. The narration was good

[Jael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, entertaining.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The audio book format was fine. I was just really disappointed by the story/characters. The world-building felt really sparse and I didn't like any of the characters enough to want to continue with the series. The mystery was meh.