It's Christmas time in New York, and coffeehouse manager
Clare Cosi is getting in the mood for the season. But her
holly jolly holidays may turn blue when she discovers Santa
has been gunned down in a nearby alley. And Clare may be
spending the holidays in the pokey if she doesn't clear her
own name in the red-suited old elf's murder.
In the eighth edition of Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse
Mysteries, HOLIDAY GRIND, sassy barista Clare Cosi finds
herself once again faced with solving a murder while
brewing up some of the most delicious coffee in New York
City.
Clare was extremely fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time
charity Santa who would stop by the Village Blend to warm
up on cold days. And when she finds him brutally gunned
down, Clare finds more than a few clues that leads her to
believe that Alf's death was more than a mugging.
For a while, Clare herself is considered a suspect, but is
cleared with a little help from her boyfriend, NYPD
Detective Mike Quinn. But Mike is too busy with a case of
his own to help Clare track down Santa's killer, so it's up
to Clare to try and find out who would snuff out Jolly Ol'
St. Nick, but would her curiosity cause her to become the
next holiday tragedy of the season?
Cleo Coyle (which is the pseudonym for the husband/wife
writing team of Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi) once again
offers a lively cup of perfectly brewed mystery that is
sure to delight fans of the Coffeehouse Mysteries. In
addition to the fast-paced action, this well-crafted story
also offers a holiday treat in the form of delicious coffee
and dessert recipes guaranteed to make mouths water!
Coffee, candy canes and a cozy mystery...what a luscious
combo for the holidays!
There’s nothing cozier than a winter evening in
Greenwich Village. Streetlights shimmer through icy flakes.
Cafés glow with welcoming warmth. Boots crunch along
cobblestones, and a layer of snow dusts historic townhouses
like powdered sugar on Christmas confections. Murder has no
place in such a pretty picture, until now...
Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has grown very fond of
Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly
charity Santa who’s been using her Village Blend as a place
to warm his mittens. When she finds him brutally gunned
down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her
that Alfred’s death was something more than the tragic
result of a random mugging—the conclusion of the police.
With Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn,
distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt
investigating this year’s holiday lingerie catalogs (an
annual event), Clare charges ahead solo and discovers Santa
had a list that he was checking twice—and the folks on it
were not very nice. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and
she really gets steamed. Between baking delicious Christmas
goodies and fending off the attentions of a persistent
professional elf, Clare sets out to solve Santa’s slaying.
But she'd better watch out, because if she fails to stop
this stone cold killer, she may just get the biggest chill
of her life.
This very special, holiday entry in Cleo Coyle's nationally
bestselling series includes an extra-large bonus section of
delicious holiday recipes as well as a glossary of
coffeehouse terms, instructions on making espressos and
lattes without an expensive machine, and tips for creating
your own tasty coffeehouse syrups at home.
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