As the manager of the Village Blend coffee shop, Clare Cosi
is always on the lookout for a better way to roast the
shop's premier coffee beans. So, she agrees to accompany
her ex-mother-in-law (and boss) Madame Dubois to Queens to
visit her old friend, Enzo Testa, owner of the Caffe Lucia,
to pick up an antique 1921 coffee roaster for the shop. But
while they are there, an explosion destroys the old
coffeehouse, despite the efforts of the brave New York
firefighters to save it.
Having barely escaped the flames, there is something about
the suspicious fire that has Clare wondering if it was an
accident or set on purpose-- especially when the list of
suspects becomes as long as her arm! Being the
natural sleuth that she is, Clare begins nosing around
trying to find out exactly what happened, much to the
chagrin of her boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn.
Things really begin to heat up when Mike's cousin, NYFD
Captain Michael Quinn, puts the moves on Clare when she
comes to the firehouse to teach his firemen how to use a new
espresso machine. The long-time family rivalry between the
two cousins smolders as Clare continues to look for clues to
the rash of coffeehouse fires that has broken out across the
five boroughs of New York City. She hopes to catch the
arsonist before her own coffeehouse is targeted, and before
any more firefighters are endangered.
ROAST MORTEM is the 9th book in Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse
Mystery Series. In my opinion, this is the best story to
date in this thrilling series. Coyle incorporates a taste
of the real-life bravery of the New York City Fire
Department into her brilliantly fast-paced mystery, giving
readers a glimpse into the lives of some of the hardest
working men and women in America. Dedicating this book to
the fire fighters, paramedics, and police officers who lost
their lives on September 11th, Coyle pays tribute to the
their bravery and selfless acts of courage, the
likes of which this country has rarely seen.
As always, Coyle includes a bevy of delicious mouth-watering
recipes plus an in-depth guide to roasting coffee
beans that will thrill any foodie/cozy mystery fan.
The national bestselling author brews up a hot new
mystery.
Clare Cosi, manager and head barista of the landmark Village
Blend coffeehouse, has perfected the pulling of steaming hot
espressos. But can she keep New York’s Bravest from getting
burned?
After local firefighters pull Clare’s friends out of a
blazing café, she saves them from some seriously bad coffee
by teaching them the finer points of operating their newly
donated espresso machine. But matters really heat up when
somebody begins torching more cafés around the city and
firefighters begin to die in suspicious ways.
Believing the two events are related, Clare investigates,
staking out a five-borough bake sale and sniffing out clues
in the pizza ovens of Brooklyn. Soon she's facing off with a
strapping, hardheaded FDNY fire captain, who insists that
none of his men aided this firebug in his or her crime.
Clare isn't so sure. Then her police detective boyfriend,
Mike Quinn, is pulled into the fire of a false accusation,
and Clare is desperate to put out the flames. But will she
be able to come to Mike’s rescue before someone tries to
extinguish her?