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.
great review, will have to look for this book, has two of my favorite things, food, mystery and of course a little romance (Sharon Salituro 10:18am August 29, 2013)