Great Escapes Review: Dead to the Last Drop by Cleo Coyle

Dead to the Last Drop

Coffeehouse Mystery, #15
Cleo Coyle

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Date of Publication: December 1, 2015
Number of pages: 414
Cover Artist: Cathy Gendron

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     OmniLit

Book Tour Review & Guest Post: Once Upon a Grind by Cleo Coyle

Once Upon a Grind

Coffeehouse Mystery, #14
Cleo Coyle

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date of Publication: December 2, 2014
Number of pages: 416
Cover Artist: Cathy Gendron

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     OmniLit    eBooks

Audiobook Review: Billionaire Blend by Cleo Coyle

Billionaire Blend

Coffeehouse Mystery, Book 13
Cleo Coyle


Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Narrator: Rebecca Gibel
Date of Publication: May 30, 2014
Abridged or Unabridged: Unabridged
Length of Production: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN    Audible   Downpour

Landmark coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has served her share of New York’s rich and famous, but even she is surprised by her explosive introduction to a mysterious Internet billionaire….

When a car bomb nearly kills tech whiz Eric Thorner, Clare comes to his aid and receives a priceless thank you. Not only does the billionaire buy her a barista’s dream espresso machine, he hires her for an extraordinary project: creating the world’s most expensive coffee blend.

The police quickly arrest Eric’s alleged attacker, yet death continues to surround the unlucky mogul, leading Clare to question whether a fatal fall and another lethal mishap are premeditated murders or merely freak accidents. Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has a theory of his own—one Clare refuses to believe.

Meanwhile, Eric jets Clare around the world on a head-spinning search for the very best coffee, and Clare gets to know his world—a mesmerizing circle of money with rivalries that could easily have turned deadly. But is this charming young CEO truly marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing?

I have been a big fan of the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle for several years now, but this was the first time for the audiobook version. I chose this book from the Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewers Program because I have just haven't had the time to read the next book in the series but really wanted to.

Clare Cosi is the manager of the Village Blend, a landmark coffee house located in historic Greenwich Village.  Her baristas have been telling her about a man who has been coming in every day about the same time and quizing them on exotic and rare coffee drinks, and yet never ordering any of them. They have taken to calling him the Quizmaster. On this particular day, the Quizmaster arrives a bit early, while Clare is going off duty.  Clare thinks that he is headhunter for one of the big name coffee houses on the West Coast, coming in to poach her baristas and decides to give him just enough rope to allow her to throw him out, once and for all.  However, it turns out that the Quizmaster is actually the Eric Thorner, aka the Baby Billionaire, a young man who has made his money in technology and apps. After he is impressed by Clare's knowledge of coffee and it's history, Eric is in the process of offering Clare a business opportunity when an explosion racks the Village Blend due to a car bomb in Eric's limo, double parked out front.

Rebecca Gibel did an excellent job with narrating the book. She totally nailed Clare, Mike, Matt, Joy, and Tucker's voices from my head. Madame's and Ester's voices weren't quite what I had been expecting, but they grew on me. I think I will be switching over to audiobook for the next books in the series as well. Rebecca just made the world come alive for me.

This was the first story in a the entire series that I was slightly disappointed in. Everything was so far over the top, whether is was luxuries or schemes. I missed Clare's more down to earth sensibilities, even as she has been on the fringe of high society in other books.  This book placed her smack dab in the middle of the highest and most rarefied echelons. Though I was pleased to see that Clare didn't let any of it go to her head and eventually managed to free herself from the worst of the 1% shenanigans. I gave this book 3 stars.

Waiting on Wednesday: October 23rd

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine showcasing upcoming books that we are waiting, often impatiently, to be released.


Billionaire Blend by Cleo Coyle

Landmark coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has served her share of New York’s rich and famous, but even she is surprised by her explosive introduction to a mysterious Internet billionaire…

When a car bomb nearly kills tech whiz Eric Thorner, Clare comes to his aid and receives a priceless thank you. Not only does the billionaire buy her a barista’s dream espresso machine, he hires her for an extraordinary project: creating the world’s most expensive coffee blend.

The police quickly arrest Eric’s alleged attacker, yet death continues to surround the unlucky mogul, leading Clare to question whether a fatal fall and another lethal mishap are premeditated murders or merely freak accidents. Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has a theory of his own—one Clare refuses to believe.

Meanwhile, Eric jets Clare around the world on a head-spinning search for the very best coffee, and Clare gets to know his world—a mesmerizing circle of money with rivalries that could easily have turned deadly. But is this charming young CEO truly marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing?

Release Date: December 3, 2013

Why This book?

I am waiting on this book because it is hard for me to believe that this is the 13th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series.  The books have each remained fresh, new and engaging. Throw in all the information that I have learned about coffee and the recipes involving coffee or to be served with coffee and it just an all around 'yummy' read.

Waiting on Wednesday July 31st

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine showcasing upcoming books that we are waiting, often impatiently, to be released.


Brew to a Kill by Cleo Coyle

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.

Release Date: August 6,2013

Why This book?

I am waiting on this book because though its the 11th book in the series, I am still enjoying it like it was the 2nd or 3rd.  There is just something about the characters and the way they interact that works.  It's kind of like a Friends episode, you know all the characters and their idiosyncrasies, but the chemistry works so well you just never get tired of it.  

Review: Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

This is the 12th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery Series by Cleo Coyle.  I discovered this series a little over 3 years ago and have really enjoyed how all the characters have grown and evolved.  All the stories in the series are set in New York City, specifically the West Village area at the Village Blend Coffeehouse.  

Clare Cosi manages the coffeehouse, with her ex-husband, Matteo as their world wide coffee buyer and owned by his mother, Madame.  Clare and Matteo have a grown daughter, Joy who is at culinary arts school in France and having a long distance relationship with a NYPD police detective, Emmanuel Franco.  There is a great cast and crew at the Village Blend that brings art, drama and youth to the old building.  Throughout the series we have seen Clare form first a friendship and then a relationship with NYPD Detective Lieutenant Mike Quinn.  Mike is currently working for the US Attorney's anti-drug task force in DC.  The entire series feels very much like great episodes from a long running tv drama.  A great cast of characters, some romance, some drama, and enough mystery to keep you coming back for more.

The series involves Clare finding dead bodies and becoming drawn into the investigations to solve them.  But there is so much information on coffee and the wonderful recipes that surround coffee and coffee drinks, that you can't help but want a try them out.  Thankfully the author includes recipes for many of the wonderful creations that show up in the books.  

This has been a wonderful series, and the characters keep me coming back for more.  I love how the romance between Clare and Mike has spanned the entire series, how they went from acquaintances to friends to lovers, slowly and with great thought and care.  This is a series where the relationships between the characters are as much a part of the storytelling as the actual plot itself.  

This book gets 4 stars on Goodreads, because it is another solid book in the series that furthers the characters and continues to bring a fresh take on coffee, food & murder.  I can't wait for the next one and to find out what is happening with the Village Blend gang.  Tune in for the next episode!

Goodreads:

Holiday time is party time in New York City, but after a sparkling winter bash ends with a murder, Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi vows to put the killer on ice…

At the Great New York Cookie Swap, pastry chefs bake up their very best for charity. Clare is in charge of the beverage service, and her famous Fa-la-la-la Lattes make the gathering even merrier. But her high spirits come crashing down to earth, when she discovers the battered body of a hard-working baker’s assistant.

Police suspect a serial attacker whose escalating crimes have become known as “The Christmas Stalkings.” Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, finds reason to believe even more sinister forces are involved. Clare isn’t so sure—and when she finds a second bludgeoned baker, she becomes a target. Now Clare is spending the holiday season pouring over clues, and she’s not going to rest until justice is served.