As the story opens, Clare's biggest problem is convincing
her business partner and former husband Matteo (Matt)
Allegro of the wisdom of Village Blend's newest investment;
a food and coffee truck called Muffin Muse. All that shifts
when a speeding van fells her friend and colleague Lilly
Beth Tanga before her eyes.
When Detective 'Mad Max' Buckman of the NYC Accident
Investigation Squad deems the incident foul play, Clare is
not surprised.
Lilly had been an extremely vocal opponent to the abominable
nutrition found aboard most food trucks, especially when the
companies running them brought their poison to the
schoolyard. One of the worst offenders, Kaylie Crimini and
her obnoxious Kupcake Kart has declared war on the Village
Blend. Could Lilly have been a casualty of culinary
conflict?
Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery series is among the
best of the
foodie/cozy mystery genre and A BREW TO A KILL is no
exception. For those familiar with the series it provides a
contented visit with old friends. If this is your first
foray into the Coffeehouse Mystery series that's just
fine and
dandy too. As always it can be a richer, deeper experience
if you have read much of the back story before picking up
the latest but Coyle manages to pull off the difficult
balance of pleasing faithful fans while bringing those new
to her work up to speed in an entertaining fashion. Each
book can and does stand on its own.
I think what I enjoyed most was the glimpse of New York City
from an insiders point of view. Coyle's vivid use of place
made the city almost another character. Book eleven in the
series, A BREW TO A KILL provides a very pleasant,
undemanding read threaded with a fascinating mystery, plus
more than twenty mouth-watering recipes to keep the
enjoyment going for some time to come.
Coffee. It can get a girl killed.
A shocking hit-and-run in front of her Village Blend
coffeehouse spurs Clare Cosi into action. A divorced, single
mom in her forties, Clare is also a dedicated sleuth, and
she's determined to track down this ruthless driver who ran
down an innocent friend and customer. In the meantime, her
ex-husband Matt, the shop's globetrotting coffee buyer,
sources some amazing new beans from Brazil. But he soon
discovers that he's importing more than coffee, and Clare
may have been the real target of that deadly driver. Can
ex-husband and wife work together to solve this mystery--or
will their newest brew lead to murder? Includes recipes.