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Coffeehouse Mystery #5
Decaffeinated Corpse
When an old friend of her ex-husband develops the world's first botanically decaffeinated coffee bean and smuggles it into the country, Clare Cosi, manager of Village Blend, believes it's a business opportunity she needs to investigate...at least until the first dead body shows up.
262 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
241 people are currently reading
2733 people want to read
About the author
Cleo Coyle
49 books3,538 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 396 reviews
May 21, 2023
This cozy mystery series centered around a much loved NYC coffee shop has been one of my favorites for years! In fact, the first book in this series was one of the first cozy mysteries I ever read. I have read many more since then by so many different authors...but I always return to this series! As part of my ongoing quest to revisit favorite books and ones that have been languising on my TBR for years, I'm re-reading this series. Loving it!
Decaffeinated Corpse is the 5th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. An old friend of Coffeehouse Manager Clare Cozi's ex-husband has discovered a naturally decaffeinated coffee bean. What seems to be a wonderful opportunity for Village Blend turns into a nightmare as dead bodies start stacking up. When someone close to Clare seems to be the number one suspect, she's on the case to find a killer.
I had to laugh at the references to decaf espresso as a "Why bother?'' Ha ha! :) Made me smile every time.
I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio, narrated by Rebecca Gibel, is just under 7.5 hours long. Gibel reads at a nice pace and gives a great acting performance as usual. The mystery progressed at a nice pace and there was a good bit of character development. Clare's almost-relationship could move just a bit faster. Each time I think they are finally going to figure it out....they don't. Not that I was surprised....I've read these books before, even though it's been several years. I still found myself thinking "Oh will you just kiss her already and figure your S out, for God's sake!'' :) But....despite the slowwwwwwww road to "taking it slow,'' I still loved the story!
Decaffeinated Corpse is the 5th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. An old friend of Coffeehouse Manager Clare Cozi's ex-husband has discovered a naturally decaffeinated coffee bean. What seems to be a wonderful opportunity for Village Blend turns into a nightmare as dead bodies start stacking up. When someone close to Clare seems to be the number one suspect, she's on the case to find a killer.
I had to laugh at the references to decaf espresso as a "Why bother?'' Ha ha! :) Made me smile every time.
I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio, narrated by Rebecca Gibel, is just under 7.5 hours long. Gibel reads at a nice pace and gives a great acting performance as usual. The mystery progressed at a nice pace and there was a good bit of character development. Clare's almost-relationship could move just a bit faster. Each time I think they are finally going to figure it out....they don't. Not that I was surprised....I've read these books before, even though it's been several years. I still found myself thinking "Oh will you just kiss her already and figure your S out, for God's sake!'' :) But....despite the slowwwwwwww road to "taking it slow,'' I still loved the story!
January 23, 2014
Everything you every wanted to know about decaffeinated coffee told in a most exciting way, plus more and more information about New York, makes up this fifth Village Blend Coffee House cozy mystery. Sometimes lots of extraneous information overwhelms, but these mysteries seem to blossom with every piece of information. In this mystery, the development of a coffee plant that actually produces coffee beans with less caffeine than processed decaffeinated regular beans, becomes a boon that brings out the money developers, and those who will kill for this product.
Clare and her octogenarian mother-in-law parole the streets of New York while seeking stalkers and murderers. Clare and her co-coffee shop owner and ex husband remain friends and loving parents to their 20 something daughter. Everyone is developing other love lives of their own, which cause intriguing conflicts and problems within this book. I loved the car chase scenes, even the left turn on red that nearly put a couple of them in jail.
If you're a coffee lover, New York lover, cozy lover, or just a plain book lover, you will definitely enjoy this decaffeinated joy ride of a mystery!
Clare and her octogenarian mother-in-law parole the streets of New York while seeking stalkers and murderers. Clare and her co-coffee shop owner and ex husband remain friends and loving parents to their 20 something daughter. Everyone is developing other love lives of their own, which cause intriguing conflicts and problems within this book. I loved the car chase scenes, even the left turn on red that nearly put a couple of them in jail.
If you're a coffee lover, New York lover, cozy lover, or just a plain book lover, you will definitely enjoy this decaffeinated joy ride of a mystery!
June 6, 2019
I liked this installment in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, but I think I did it injustice. The only other installment I read was #1 in the series, and this is #5. I think I missed a bunch of action in books #2-#4 which made #5 not as much fun for me. I still like all the main characters, and Madame is hilarious, but I didn't like it as much as book #1. I think I'll go back and read books 2-4 to catch up on some things.
May 4, 2019
Digital audio read by Rebecca Gibel.
Book five in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, featuring Clare Cosi, the co-owner / manager of a Greenwich Village coffee shop, and an amateur sleuth. This time the plot focuses on a new discovery in the realm of decaffeinated coffee – a plant that is naturally decaffeinated.
Of course, try as she might to steer clear of trouble, Clare finds that she cannot help but investigate on her own. With the help of Madame (her mother-in-law), and Matteo (her ex-husband), along with the baristas at The Village Blend, Clare is bound to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, there is the added tension with her daughter Joy, and with local detective Mike to further complicate the plot.
I really like this series. I read this one out of order because it arrived before book 4 from the library; but I recommend reading the series in order to keep the relationships straight. I enjoy learning more about the coffee business, though Coyle can be a little too detailed at times. Still, it’s a fast, enjoyable read and satisfies my yearning for a comforting cozy mystery.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has sufficient skill to give each character a unique voice.
Book five in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, featuring Clare Cosi, the co-owner / manager of a Greenwich Village coffee shop, and an amateur sleuth. This time the plot focuses on a new discovery in the realm of decaffeinated coffee – a plant that is naturally decaffeinated.
Of course, try as she might to steer clear of trouble, Clare finds that she cannot help but investigate on her own. With the help of Madame (her mother-in-law), and Matteo (her ex-husband), along with the baristas at The Village Blend, Clare is bound to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, there is the added tension with her daughter Joy, and with local detective Mike to further complicate the plot.
I really like this series. I read this one out of order because it arrived before book 4 from the library; but I recommend reading the series in order to keep the relationships straight. I enjoy learning more about the coffee business, though Coyle can be a little too detailed at times. Still, it’s a fast, enjoyable read and satisfies my yearning for a comforting cozy mystery.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has sufficient skill to give each character a unique voice.
April 17, 2019
4 stars! I always love listening to this coffeehouse mystery series for a lighthearted and fun read! It always brings a smile to my face and I really love the main characters and the setting of the coffeehouse in New York. I LOVE my coffee so any series centered around a coffeehouse is a winner for me but there is something about this cast of characters that is so amazing! The narrator for this book Rebecca Gibel does such a fantastic job at all of the different voices. I highly recommend this cozy series!
June 26, 2020
Botanical pedants be warned.
Yes, there is murder back in town and once again Cleo Coyle is investigating. You can read the blurb for more about this. However, be prepared for some misinformation. I tend to get a bit glassy eyed at the long descriptions of coffee beans and blends since I don't drink coffee, but I have assumed that Coyle has done her research, and she has, but I am no longer sure how accurate this information is. Lo and behold, as I was whipping through a section on the coffee shrub (not a tree and this is correct) I came across 1. a misspelling and 2. wrong information on very, very basic botanical information that you learn at the very lowest level in university biology and, I think it is also included in high school biology. Granted, this is not an every day term (hey, Pete, did you see that dicotyledon over there?). But of course, you wouldn't. You'd refer to it as a dicot for short, but even then that would be silly and you'll see that shortly in the next paragraphy after I point out one other thing first. First of all, there was a g inserted--when I did a search online and could only find the real spelling I did a minus sign in front of it to see if this is an obscure word but the one thing that showed up was this book.
So, fine, one type, big deal. But wait, there's more. She then gives a wrong definition about what it means--I'll let you read it to find out. What she doesn't tell you is that it is very common--all it means is that the little seed sprouts with two leaves (no need for the technical term those are called). The other kind with only one seed leaf are Monocotyledons. I have no idea which is more common, but in my yard all of the monocots are grasses and everything I plant that isn't grass is a dicot, including the weeds. I studied animal biology so am not an expert in botany. How do you pronounce this word? That all depends on which country you attended university. My husband and I laughed like crazy at the silly way the other one said it--I studied biology in a Canadian university and he studied forestry at an American one--both respected schools with erudite professors.
This led me to research another premise. In this book some man has developed the first caffeine free coffee plant (correctly called a shrub in the book, so Coyle didn't get it all wrong), but IRL there really are a few caffeine free varieties of coffee shrubs that occure naturally, but evidently not enough to avoid taking caffeine laden beans and treating them to get rid of the caffeine.
Yes, I gave it 3 stars despite this shocking discovery (will I ever be the same again ;)? ), because had I not known this, I'd have liked this installment at a full three stars. After all, I read scifi and there is plenty of imagination thrown into much of those books, and TV is rife with less-than-factual facts to make riveting or funny shows.
Yes, there is murder back in town and once again Cleo Coyle is investigating. You can read the blurb for more about this. However, be prepared for some misinformation. I tend to get a bit glassy eyed at the long descriptions of coffee beans and blends since I don't drink coffee, but I have assumed that Coyle has done her research, and she has, but I am no longer sure how accurate this information is. Lo and behold, as I was whipping through a section on the coffee shrub (not a tree and this is correct) I came across 1. a misspelling and 2. wrong information on very, very basic botanical information that you learn at the very lowest level in university biology and, I think it is also included in high school biology. Granted, this is not an every day term (hey, Pete, did you see that dicotyledon over there?). But of course, you wouldn't. You'd refer to it as a dicot for short, but even then that would be silly and you'll see that shortly in the next paragraphy after I point out one other thing first. First of all, there was a g inserted--when I did a search online and could only find the real spelling I did a minus sign in front of it to see if this is an obscure word but the one thing that showed up was this book.
So, fine, one type, big deal. But wait, there's more. She then gives a wrong definition about what it means--I'll let you read it to find out. What she doesn't tell you is that it is very common--all it means is that the little seed sprouts with two leaves (no need for the technical term those are called). The other kind with only one seed leaf are Monocotyledons. I have no idea which is more common, but in my yard all of the monocots are grasses and everything I plant that isn't grass is a dicot, including the weeds. I studied animal biology so am not an expert in botany. How do you pronounce this word? That all depends on which country you attended university. My husband and I laughed like crazy at the silly way the other one said it--I studied biology in a Canadian university and he studied forestry at an American one--both respected schools with erudite professors.
This led me to research another premise. In this book some man has developed the first caffeine free coffee plant (correctly called a shrub in the book, so Coyle didn't get it all wrong), but IRL there really are a few caffeine free varieties of coffee shrubs that occure naturally, but evidently not enough to avoid taking caffeine laden beans and treating them to get rid of the caffeine.
Yes, I gave it 3 stars despite this shocking discovery (will I ever be the same again ;)? ), because had I not known this, I'd have liked this installment at a full three stars. After all, I read scifi and there is plenty of imagination thrown into much of those books, and TV is rife with less-than-factual facts to make riveting or funny shows.
March 19, 2018
I have about a dozen favorite cozy mystery authors and Cleo Coyle is one of them. I love how the writing flows. I enjoy the very real cast of characters. I like the scrumptious descriptions of coffee and the settings that come to life. I enjoy carving out 20 minutes a day in my reading nook with a nice cup of tea or Swiss Water Processed Decaf coffee and a captivating and relaxing read by Cleo Coyle. Having said all that, I will say that this one dragged a bit for the first quarter of the book. It took me a while to get into it. I wanted more suspense and less coffee talk. Eventually, the book got back around to an engaging mystery and I became hooked. I thought the premise was clever. The world's first botanically decaffeinated coffee bean is being unveiled at the International Federation of Coffee Growers meeting in New York by one of Matt’s long-time pals. Mugging, mayhem, and murder ensue. I would give it 3.5 stars, but since I can’t, I’ll round up to 4.
September 14, 2023
Claire has to try to help solve two murders and her outcome is needed to save The Village Blend.
August 12, 2008
Enjoyed this book as much as I do any of them. Traditional cozy mystery in a modern coffee shop setting. Hunky guys, smart female lead, interesting cast of characters and worthwhile mysteries. Cool coffee recipes at the end. Some are FABulous, others not to my taste. Too much school prep going on right now, I found myself a little bored while reading this one. I don't think it was the book (or writer's!) fault, I think that I have too much on my mind and couldn't give it the attention it deserved. Maybe I am also getting a little done with Matteo's "possible" womanizing. Either get back with him or kick him to the curb, honey! =)
March 6, 2009
This is one of the best in the Village Blend series--murder, coffee, and sleuthing...fabulous! Clare can't resist snooping and detecting when her ex husband becomes a person of interest in a murder case. And, for the reader and for Claire--this book contains more of Detective Mike Quinn, a definite plus.
December 26, 2018
This one involves a naturally decaffeinated coffee plant and murder. I liked the coffee parts the best, which was true for the previous books too. The crimes and mystery were interesting, but I preferred reading about the different relationships. The characters are typically more interesting.
January 3, 2018
Clare was a little annoying in this one. And so was Joy.
January 16, 2022
Really enjoyable read and I didn’t even notice how long it took to get to the murder. I really like the characters in this series. Looking forward to more Village Blend adventures.
September 10, 2019
This definitely was one of my least liked books so far in the series. Matt's friend shows up and with him he has a new plant. This is something that will make him rich. Things start to happen and of course Clare is out figure out what is happening. These books would be better if Joy wasn't in them. I really can't stand her and I think she is a terrible daughter. However, I do enjoy the mystery and like always I don't seem to know who did it.
April 24, 2016
The mystery is fine and the supporting characters have their charm, but the heroine is officially insufferable. I think I am about done with this series.
April 7, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Matt (Clare's ex) has made a deal with an old friend to buy all his beans from a new decaffeinated plant when the friend is mugged and Matt and his friend are blowing Clare off and not telling her everything Clare decides to find out what is going on.
I really like Clare as a main character though I do agree with Matt she needs to stop being such a helicopter mother just be there to pick up the pieces when or if she gets her heart broken. I do like Matt as a character but wish he would just stop trying to get back with Clare especially when there is hot Quinn around.
I loved the story line and with the usual red herrings tossed in plus a lot of relationships changing this was a quick moving and great book. I really was excited about the ending.
A good book in a great series.
I really like Clare as a main character though I do agree with Matt she needs to stop being such a helicopter mother just be there to pick up the pieces when or if she gets her heart broken. I do like Matt as a character but wish he would just stop trying to get back with Clare especially when there is hot Quinn around.
I loved the story line and with the usual red herrings tossed in plus a lot of relationships changing this was a quick moving and great book. I really was excited about the ending.
A good book in a great series.
June 6, 2022
For now this is one of my favourite cozy mystery series. Indeed so cozy and tasty! The coffee theme is perfect and I actually leaned some things about coffee (there are real plants with small amount of caffeine and nice taste, seems like a great alternative for people like me who love coffee but feel too anxious drinking it).
The other interesting thing is the writing style. Sometimes in cozy mysteries it's even annoying and far from good but here it's great and very easy to follow and taste.
And my favourite thing is the relations between the main character and her ex-mother-in-law, very warn and so funny.
Don't read if you've already drank your cup of coffee, the book will definitely make you crave for more! :D
The other interesting thing is the writing style. Sometimes in cozy mysteries it's even annoying and far from good but here it's great and very easy to follow and taste.
And my favourite thing is the relations between the main character and her ex-mother-in-law, very warn and so funny.
Don't read if you've already drank your cup of coffee, the book will definitely make you crave for more! :D
January 21, 2019
Claire and her husband are going to be among the first to use a new coffee bean...a decaffeinated coffee bean, grown that way. So that it tastes better. But when Rick is attacked outside the cafe and then Claire is attacked, she wants answers. Then when an old friend is found dead in a room her husband lets, so that they can hide Rick, she really feels that she has to get involved and find out answers.
The story was interesting and is an earlier part of the series. It is good that the books can be read out of order.
The story was interesting and is an earlier part of the series. It is good that the books can be read out of order.
June 10, 2024
Clare has a complicated life, running a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, for one thing. Being partners with her ex-husband for another.
When her ex's best friend creates a coffee bean that is naturally decaffeinated, but retains the taste of natural coffee. Naturally, there are greedy folks after it, and the friend is acting very mysteriously.
Then, the murder.
I enjoyed it for the most part, but at least half of the characters needed a smack upside the head.
When her ex's best friend creates a coffee bean that is naturally decaffeinated, but retains the taste of natural coffee. Naturally, there are greedy folks after it, and the friend is acting very mysteriously.
Then, the murder.
I enjoyed it for the most part, but at least half of the characters needed a smack upside the head.
March 15, 2020
Good but not really a mystery. There was intrigue and suspense, but it wasn't your typical cozy mystery. The first body doesn't show up until 3/4 of the way through the book and no investigation was really done into that death or the next, all the investigation being done on an attack that the victim didn't believe was anything to be worried about.
February 20, 2023
I'm afraid this is only a two. I enjoyed the story, and I like Clare, but both her ex husband Matt and the other male character in this one, Matt's friend Ric - were insufferable misogynists who made my skin crawl whenever they were on the page. I don't remember Matt being quite as bad in previous books, but in this one, he just came over as nasty. Pity neither of them were murdered.
May 29, 2018
best so far but i still have a lot to go LOL. Maybe a tad too much on the coffee facts but the character development and mystery plotting are top notch. Can I be Cleo Coyle when i grow up?
June 2, 2023
Mateo and Joy are not Cozy worthy 😂😂😂 I just don’t like them. The grandmother is annoying and Claire is dumb.
December 10, 2024
The recipe in the back wasn’t all it was cracked out to be
April 13, 2025
3.75/5 | hybrid | omg Clare and [redacted] are FINALLY getting together the author better not kill him off like she does with almost every love interest but he’s dif like this is THE slow burn yk | Ric pmo but he went to [redacted] basically in the end so total karma
April 30, 2020
[2.5 stars]
February 13, 2020
I read a few of these a several years ago and now I remember why I stopped reading them. The sections about coffee read like encyclopedia entries. Not horrible but not great. Meh. Fast read.
November 21, 2024
I read this back in June, but I forgot to add it.
November 28, 2019
Fun easy books
July 14, 2017
Part owner and manager of New York’s The Village Blend coffee house in Greenwich Village, Clare Cosi has called a special meeting of her best baristas. Her ex-husband Matt Allegro and his friend Rick have a new coffee they want them to taste. When she tells them that demand for decaffeinated coffee has risen to 20 percent of their customers, they can’t believe so many want the “neutered” blend. After all, there are only a couple ways to decaffeinate coffee, and they both strip away some of the essence of the bean, leaving it flat. Now Rick is making the Village Blend the exclusive distributor of his new naturally decaffeinated coffee. His coffee hybrids grow decaffeinated beans, so no further processing is required, leaving the flavor fully intact. This premier group of baristas and Clare can’t believe it when they actually taste how good the coffee really is.
Clare puts clues together to determine that Rick has smuggled a cutting from his hybrid coffee plant into the US from Brazil to make it available for inspection during a press conference announcing the bean’s existence and celebrating its distribution exclusively through The Village Blend and its free standing kiosks worldwide. When the time for the reception is upon them, Matt spends the night with his ear attached to his cell phone, which worries Clare; what is Matt paying such close attention to while his buddy Rick is picking fights with a foreign diplomat in town for a special meeting of the United Nations? Clare steps outside the building to talk to Matt when a body falls from their reception 20 stories up and lands right in front of her. Things have gotten much worse.
It wouldn’t be a coffee house mystery unless Madame duBois is involved at some point. Matt’s octogenarian mother is the owner of The Village Blend. She is quite lively and will do almost anything to protect The Blend, often with hilarity following. In this book, Madame gets the three of them – Madame, Matt, and Clare – into a diplomat’s smash Halloween Party with terrific costumes. Circumstances are not intentionally funny but turn out that way. Matt and Rick and a third man all have the same costume! More clues are uncovered under all those masks.
The inevitable coffee “lesson” was much better suited for the novel in this fourth book in the series. Cleo Coyle gives information and a sort of history lesson about coffee along with the mystery, but it is all pertinent and interesting, too. These mini-lessons are some of the funniest points of the books as well, since she often makes the coffee making process quite sensual and full of double entendres.
Narrator Rebecca Gibel had quite a character list for DECAFFEINATED CORPSE. We had New York accents for Clare, Matt, and their daughter Joy as well as octogenarian Madame, a few foreign diplomats, a pawnbroker, a Caribbean born man, and so on. All the voices were distinct. Stars go to Rebecca Gibel for her hard work.
Even though I found this entry in the Coffeehouse mystery series a tiny bit bland and predictable, I still enjoyed it very much. This is a great mystery for coffee lovers and drinkers, decaf or leaded!
Clare puts clues together to determine that Rick has smuggled a cutting from his hybrid coffee plant into the US from Brazil to make it available for inspection during a press conference announcing the bean’s existence and celebrating its distribution exclusively through The Village Blend and its free standing kiosks worldwide. When the time for the reception is upon them, Matt spends the night with his ear attached to his cell phone, which worries Clare; what is Matt paying such close attention to while his buddy Rick is picking fights with a foreign diplomat in town for a special meeting of the United Nations? Clare steps outside the building to talk to Matt when a body falls from their reception 20 stories up and lands right in front of her. Things have gotten much worse.
It wouldn’t be a coffee house mystery unless Madame duBois is involved at some point. Matt’s octogenarian mother is the owner of The Village Blend. She is quite lively and will do almost anything to protect The Blend, often with hilarity following. In this book, Madame gets the three of them – Madame, Matt, and Clare – into a diplomat’s smash Halloween Party with terrific costumes. Circumstances are not intentionally funny but turn out that way. Matt and Rick and a third man all have the same costume! More clues are uncovered under all those masks.
The inevitable coffee “lesson” was much better suited for the novel in this fourth book in the series. Cleo Coyle gives information and a sort of history lesson about coffee along with the mystery, but it is all pertinent and interesting, too. These mini-lessons are some of the funniest points of the books as well, since she often makes the coffee making process quite sensual and full of double entendres.
Narrator Rebecca Gibel had quite a character list for DECAFFEINATED CORPSE. We had New York accents for Clare, Matt, and their daughter Joy as well as octogenarian Madame, a few foreign diplomats, a pawnbroker, a Caribbean born man, and so on. All the voices were distinct. Stars go to Rebecca Gibel for her hard work.
Even though I found this entry in the Coffeehouse mystery series a tiny bit bland and predictable, I still enjoyed it very much. This is a great mystery for coffee lovers and drinkers, decaf or leaded!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 396 reviews