Cleo Coyle

I enjoyed reading this. Surprisingly so because I don't like chick lit or romance and this is 98% chick lit/romance and only 2% mystery but it was written in such a warm, engaging and fun way with just enough of zany that I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. I didn't find it to drag (like most cozy mysteries do if over 200 pages) and loved how all the various sub-plots all connected and sorted out in the end like a neatly wrapped package with a big, great, lovely bow on top.

Okay. I like coffee. I like mysteries, and I don't expect them to be great works of literature except in exceptional circumstances. I like the main character of this series, and the plot was okay. BUT.

I DO expect someone to have edited these books before they're published. Even the mass-market paperbacks. Even the cozy mysteries. ESPECIALLY the books of a "national bestselling author" being published by a division of Penguin Publishing. PLEASE, please put 0.00001% of your profits toward show more hiring someone like me to read your books before you publish them.

Why? Well... I've gathered a few examples.

Page 4 (which is the FIRST PAGE of CHAPTER ONE): "sterling-sliver serving trays overflowed with flutes of obscenely expensive champagne"

Page 9: "Out here, sterling sliver serving trays . . . overflowed with seemingly endless rounds of seafood canapes"

Gotta love how the "sliver" is consistent but the hyphenation is not. Also, apparently trays overflow. That's just what they do. Every time.

But seriously, Cleo, put "sliver" on your list of Ctrl-F's to check before publication. I do it with "pubic" and "trail" when I write legal briefs, because hey, spellcheck doesn't know that I meant "public" and "trial," but I do. And, importantly, I WOULD BE EMBARRASSED if I accidentally argued that a trail for my client would be against pubic interest. YOU ALSO SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED to have sliver serving trays in your book -- twice!

Page 17: "I believe he's been shirking work every since!"

I shirk work every since I get, too.

Page 68: "Millions of dollars and thousands of employees livelihoods are at stake."

I know it's just a missing apostrophe, but still. There's also a reference to some "ex-Masaad" agents on the same page... I think she meant "ex-Mossad," since that's how it was spelled earlier in the book. Even spellcheck should have caught that one, no?

Page 140: "I invited David here tonight . . . to wheedle an invitation to sample his dessert parings for myself."

No, David does not serve apple peels and potato skins for dessert.

Page 241 (during the big "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" speech): "Jim snorted. 'You give me undo credit, pal.'"

Gah. I actually snorted myself, in disbelief. Pal. show less

Clare Cosi runs the Village Blend, a coffeeshop where she takes pride in the details. When Clare's customers start dying, and Detective Quinn starts suspecting the new man in her life, things take an uncomfortable turn as the barista has urgent need to solve this whodunnit. All while whipping up a perfectly crafted coffee, of course.

'Through the Grinder' was even more amusing than' Uncommon Grounds.' The humor works and comes across natural - most of it is through the unfortunate characters show more circumstances of having to share space with her ex-husband, the joys of parenting a young adult daughter, contending with a mother in law she loves (but who is determined to reunite her son and daughter-in-law again).

While the author goes into detail about proper coffee know-how and creative adventures between lattes and cappucinos, she doesn't overdo it as much as she did in the first book. In other words, it comes across as an enjoyable mystery and not halfway technical manual.

I love the author's quaint style, the characters are hilariously different BUT normal at the same time, the coffee environment shows fun barista mentality. The mysteries are awesome too, clever leads and misleads. It's not impossible to solve but you'll have a fun time trying to.

The surprise isn't the villain so much as it is the shocking sad slap in the ending. My God, how depressing. I had to take away a star for heartbreak alone. Mayday, Mayday, you have been warned! show less

The Village Blend has gone into business with an old friend of Madame's to create a chocolate, coffee, herbal aphrodisiac. It is a tame enough idea but when they launch the product sparks fly, and not just the romantic kind. What could be so important that people are ending up dead?

I love this series. I can smell the coffee and taste the chocolate. Reading them makes me feel all New Yorky. You know, like I am there. This is the 10th book in the series so I have grown to love the regular show more characters but Coyle keeps adding new folks to keep it interesting and we keep learning more about the regulars as well. Unlike most cozies, we always get a glimpse into the killer's thoughts. That is an interesting twist. show less