Lana Lewis wanted to be a journalist for as long as she could remember, so after high school graduation, she left her hometown behind and went to college, eventually landing as a reporter for a prominent Miami paper. She met her husband, Miles, an older man pursuing a career as a television news anchor there, married, and had ten great years until she discovered him cheating on her with a girl half his age. Soon after her high-profile divorce, the newspaper downsized, with Lana one of the casualties.

When her life in Miami imploded, Lana returned to Devil’s Beach and took over management of Perkatory, her mother’s quaint island coffee emporium. Her mother had passed away a couple of years earlier, and her father, a realtor by profession, had kept her coffee shop dream alive with the help of the charismatic and talented barista Fabrizio Bellucci. Fab had developed quite a following in the beach community and as a popular Internet influencer. Women, tourists and islanders alike, flocked to the café for Fab’s creations and continental-style attention. Fab had his pick of the ladies and took full advantage. But not everyone was happy about that.

Lana was not one of Fab’s conquests, and they got on well. After all, Fab was her employee and rented an apartment over the café from her father. When the competition for The Sunshine State Barista Championship is announced, she and Fab enter the competition to represent Perkatory and, hopefully, gain some good publicity, if not the trophy. But only a few weeks before the contest, Fab abruptly takes a new job at Perkatory’s main competitor, The Island Brewnette, leaving Lana in a real bind. Harsh words are exchanged in public, and the next day when Fab’s body is discovered in the alley behind Perkatory, Lana becomes Suspect Number One.

GROUNDS FOR MURDER is the first book in author Tara Lush’s A Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, and it is a warm and frothy debut. It is a perfect addition to the cozy mystery genre with a charming coastal setting and a host of quirky and engaging characters.

Lana Lewis, almost a year after the painful divorce from her cheating spouse, is still hurting from his betrayal. I was glad she could delve into her feelings and reach a resolution. I loved her dedication to her new career and her sentimentality over her mother’s business. Her mom loved the coffee business, and Lana wanted to preserve her mother’s legacy.

Police Chief Noah Garcia, AKA Sheriff Hottie, is a kind and sexy older man who makes Lana’s heart speed up whenever he’s around. A transplant from Tampa, he’s got a past that hasn’t been fully revealed. From the very start, I rooted for these two to get together.

Lana’s father is a hoot with his interest in all things “New Age” and GOSSIP. I loved how the author conveyed his mastery of the island grapevine by having everyone she runs in to tell her that they’d heard about her divorce from her father.

However, my favorite character is probably the mysterious and quirky barista, Erica. Lana’s new best friend is one-of-a-kind and a true ride-or-die gal pal.

The story revolves around coffee and the description of the drinks and the aromas. The discussions of latte art are enough to send you to your nearest purveyor of fine grinds or to YouTube to learn how to do it yourself. The plot unfolds through Lana’s questioning of the people involved in Fab’s life, ostensibly so she can write an in-memoriam feature about Fab for the local paper. I was glad that Lana followed on satisfying her abiding need to write and report. I sympathized with her over what happened to her at the newspaper.

With the author’s easy-to-read and humorous voice, an engaging collection of warm and wonderful characters, an irresistible beach setting, and a plausible array of suspects, I recommend GROUNDS FOR MURDER to mystery readers who enjoy a cozy story with a culinary theme, strong female characters, and a reporter-style amateur detective.