Maggy Thorsen, co-owner of Uncommon Grounds coffee house,
reluctantly agrees to participate in a specialty coffee
tradeshow in Milwaukee. The publicity will help as the
small independents struggle against the chain coffee shops.
Competition is fierce to retain customers against the
chains' seemingly endless coupons for half-price coffee.
Maggy doesn't blink at trying to steal their employees. She
does, however, draw the line at murder.
When Maggy is found holding the murder weapon over the dead
body of Marvin LaRoche, an obnoxious competitor, she
becomes a prime suspect. Maggy probes into his death
finding an odd assortment of characters who aren't broken
up at LaRoche's death. Maggy receives help from Pavlik, her
police chief boyfriend, as they uncover plots to sabotage
the tradeshow. Pavlik uses Maggy's inside knowledge as they
try to decipher the motivations of the other contestants
and find the real killer.
GROUNDS FOR MURDER is the second installment in the prickly
Maggy Thorsen mystery series. The quirky personalities,
along with the clever plot and details of the coffee house
trade, make this a tantalizing read. Ms. Balzo's sense of
humor shines as Maggy and Pavlik's attempt at romance is
interrupted by murder and an overly friendly dog.
At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the
coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such
burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and
employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse
owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the
conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -
- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer,
save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth
into her love life...
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