Mocha and Murder

by Dave Glide, Quiana Glide

It’s a lot of work running a café, but Cammy Reed loves being back in her small hometown of Manitou River, Michigan. With quirky regulars, witty young employees, and even an interesting newcomer visiting every day, Cammy settles into her new role as coffee shop owner. Right up to the moment death shatters her nostalgia for small town life.

The neighboring librarian’s death leaves Cammy rattled, but nothing really points to murder. Except for his erratic behavior. And the cast of colorful characters that were going in and out of his library at all hours. And the high level of interest that influential townspeople have in insisting that there was no murder. Her suspicions are given a voice by her ‘interesting newcomer,’ a (cute!) research writer named William Sims who insists that something sinister has been afoot!

The pair navigates a cast of strange and possibly deadly characters including a local new age circle, the tightly wound Boosters Club, a melodramatic murder theater troupe, and an infamous local murderer. Cammy and William enjoy their time together but by playing amateur sleuths, are they blind to the fact the killer might already have Cammy in their sights?!

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2022

Reviews

[Disgusted Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is slept on. But I loved every bit of this story.

[Shelly Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cammy Reed loves coming home to her small town of Manitou River, Michigan. With regulars, sassy employees, and a newcomer visiting every day. Cammy is content in her new role as coffee shop owner. Then the shocking death shakes up her safe feelings for small town life.The neighboring librarian’s death leaves Cammy unsure, but there’s nothing that really points to a murder. Except for his odd behavior. There is a huge amount of interest from important townspeople that keep insisting that there was no murder. William Sims joins her in insisting that something sinister has happened. The pair search throughout a cast of odd characters to try and find answers to their questions concerning to Librarians mysterious death.

Overall I thought that the characters were very detailed and I identified well with Cammy in particular. I identified with her wanting to come back to her roots, connect back with her childhood, be content working daily with her own business. I thought it was genuine concern when she was involving herself in investigating the suspiciousness of the situation. I thought it was well thought out the the author brought out a broad variety of characters into the book. It made it very entertaining and interesting to see what would play out next. I recommend this as a good cozy mystery read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ljay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The elements for story/mystery was there, but the execution didn't quite come through. The pacing was slow, parts were too repetitive and the town of characters weren't fleshed out enough. I never felt a strong connection between the main characters, Cammy and Will; even though they were likable enough. The best dialogue came with the secondary characters, Moira and Kris; and all interactions with them. I felt all the teenage snark they had to offer with their massive eye rolls of boredom. But they cared about Cammy, which was cute.

Overall, it was a slow-moving story that needed to be a bit crisper with dialogue and pacing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joyce M. H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading anything by this author. I must that I did enjoy reading “Mocha And Murder”. This is a slow-moving mystery that once I got started reading and kept reading it turned out to be a very good read. Cammy is coming home to Manitou River, Michigan. Cammy soon finds out that running her own coffee café shop is a lot of work. The local librarian turns up dead and there seems to be nothing to indicates that there was actually a murder. With the help William the two join forces to find out what really happened.

I received an ARC via Booksprout and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing is slow and doesn't catch up until far into the story, but the chapters are short so they push the narrative forward. The interaction between Cammy and William reads like they're in a school setting; this makes the book feel young and definitely suitable as a cosy read. I personally like the Columbo reference, and really like the narrative style. The dialogue isn't so strong. The story focuses on the characters and not so much the plot.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sukaina Majeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the buildup and the small town girl hidden inside her that would be shown inspite of her working in Atlanta. The characters of Cammy and Beth were more rounded and I felt there could have been more work done on William. This is a fun murder read and definitely a small town mystery that comes with its spooks that scared me too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy Mystery

First this could use some line editing. Second the romance is like just barely in there. But what takes the cake the humor. The banter between everyone is so cute and funny. This was very much like a tv mystery where the detectives aren’t smart they just get lucky. Either way overall I like this. It was really enjoyable. And that’s all I can really say without spoiling it. The one thing this was missing was someone telling off Delores

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a really well done cozy mystery, it had what I was looking for from the description. I enjoyed the way Quiana Glide wrote this and thought it was engaging and I was trying to solve what was going on. The characters were well done and I was glad I was able to read this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pria Alston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mocha and murder!
Cammy moves to her small hometown to open up a coffee shop. This story was interesting but way too repetitive. As others have mentioned the book was slow-moving. It took awhile to build into the mystery. I wish the authors would have spent that time character building. The mystery I don’t think we ever got a descriptions of Will or anyone besides Cammy and Thor. I wanted more descriptions and world building.

I think this book could benefit from a strong editor. This was a cute book. I hope it becomes a series.

[Manisha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a page turner and a good read. The characters are likeable and the storyline is great. I will definitely read from this author again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨