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Clare Cosi's new friend, millionaire David Mintzer, has an offer no New York barista could turn down: an all-expenses-paid summer away from the sticky city. At his Hamptons mansion, she will relax, soak up the sun, and, oh yes, train the staff of his new restaurant. So Clare packs up her daughter, her former mother-in-law, and her special recipe for iced coffee for what she hopes will be one de-latte-ful summer. Soon, Clare tends the coffee bar at her first Hamptons gala. But the festivities show more come to a bitter end when an employee turns up dead in David's bathroom-a botched attempt on the millionaire's life. Thanks to the Fourth of July fireworks, no one heard any gunshots, and the police are stuck in holiday traffic. Concerned for everyone's safety, Clare begins to investigate. What she finds will keep her up at night-and it's not the java jitters. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
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 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: show more "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
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 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: show more "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
In this 4th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, Clare has escaped the summer heat of Manhattan and is working the summer at a restaurant in the Hamptons. She is also staying at the luxurious home of the restaurant owner and personal friend, David Mintzer. Things are going great until one of the servers, a co-worker of Clare's, is killed at David's 4th of July party. Convinced that David was the real target of the killer, she investigates.
As always this books was tons of fun and made me drink too much coffee. I must say that Clare made me a bit annoyed because she takes so many chances. But she admits that she is a bit of an adrenalin junkie so I could not stay too mad at her. I liked the change of scene and the information about the show more Hamptons was interesting. The mystery is pretty good. I also like the continuing family drama. show less
As always this books was tons of fun and made me drink too much coffee. I must say that Clare made me a bit annoyed because she takes so many chances. But she admits that she is a bit of an adrenalin junkie so I could not stay too mad at her. I liked the change of scene and the information about the show more Hamptons was interesting. The mystery is pretty good. I also like the continuing family drama. show less
I love the descriptive detail in these mysteries. I love how each book features one or more different New York neighborhoods or institutions. I have to admit, I loved the descriptions of fancy homes and restaurants, and fancy parties in this book (though she covers some of the more mundane aspects of the Hamptons too). I'm not really into coffee, so could do without the detailed descriptions of coffee-making. I find Claire a little arrogant and self-absorbed. She appoints herself a detective, though she's not a private investigator or a cop, and doesn't understand understand why cops and other investigators don't welcome her help, or treat her like a fellow professional. Well, she's not! She finds herself in very odd situations, but show more acts surprised when other people remark on this. Sometimes she also acts as if she's the only one that is looking out for others. I like Madame, but I think she's too good to be true. Actually, I think that of Claire's life, too, sometimes! show less
“There comes an age in life when you realize that blaming and regretting are a waste of precious time.”
Clare and daughter are taken out of their infamous coffeeshop so they can stay in a luxurious Hamptons mansion for work purposes. David Mintzer, who was introduced in Latte Trouble, has hired them to make his new baristas the best when it comes to his newly opened restaurant. Of course Clare runs into a murder, right in the mansion she's staying in, and has to solve the crime for peace of mind.
This isn't a series that keeps Clare faithful and hooked to just one interest, but it worked for this particular story since I liked the newcomer. There's some inner side drama with Clare suspecting an employee of sabotaging David, and also show more her daughter's struggles with staying pure and avoiding getting into trouble again. The ex Matteo makes a few appearances, which are mainly amusing, and of course Madama mother-in-law is around the help cater the business. She's good company since she's decided she has a nose for crimesolving.
Light and entertaining, these books serve up ample fun while delivering a few coffee-making tips. The end of each book is filled with creative, generous recipes all coffee themed. I'm going to eventually try most of them out. The espresso brownies I dared for fourth of July turned out excellent. show less
Clare and daughter are taken out of their infamous coffeeshop so they can stay in a luxurious Hamptons mansion for work purposes. David Mintzer, who was introduced in Latte Trouble, has hired them to make his new baristas the best when it comes to his newly opened restaurant. Of course Clare runs into a murder, right in the mansion she's staying in, and has to solve the crime for peace of mind.
This isn't a series that keeps Clare faithful and hooked to just one interest, but it worked for this particular story since I liked the newcomer. There's some inner side drama with Clare suspecting an employee of sabotaging David, and also show more her daughter's struggles with staying pure and avoiding getting into trouble again. The ex Matteo makes a few appearances, which are mainly amusing, and of course Madama mother-in-law is around the help cater the business. She's good company since she's decided she has a nose for crimesolving.
Light and entertaining, these books serve up ample fun while delivering a few coffee-making tips. The end of each book is filled with creative, generous recipes all coffee themed. I'm going to eventually try most of them out. The espresso brownies I dared for fourth of July turned out excellent. show less
Written by married co-authors, the Coffeehouse Mysteries are some of my favorite cozies. Set in a popular coffee house in NYC, the stories always have a sweet mix of coffee, life in New York and murder. I've read most of the books in this series before, but decided it was time to start all over at the beginning and read them again. :)
Murder Most Frothy is the 4th book in the series. Clare Cosi is spending some time away from Village Blend in the city. She's staying at a posh Hamptons mansion to help her friend, David Mintzer serve coffee at his summer galas. The July 4th party ends with a bang when Clare discovers a barista dead in Mintzer's private bathroom. Nobody heard the gunshots over the fireworks. Clare thinks someone is gunning show more for Mintzer and shot the wrong person. She's determined to protect her friend and discover the killer.
I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrator Rebecca Gibel did a great job reading and providing voices to all the characters. At about 7.5 hours, the audio book from Blackstone Audio was an enjoyable listen. I have partial hearing loss and sometimes female voices are hard for me to hear properly. But I was easily able to hear and enjoy this entire book. :)
I love Clare as a main character. She's intelligent, feisty and a great business manager. Her situation is really unique....Village Blend is owned by her former mother in law and she will someday co-own the business with her ex-husband. She lives above the coffee shop in a posh furnished apartment, which she often shares with her ex when he's in town. They get along....with only a few moments of snark here and there. It all works out....Village Blend is a thriving business....even with a murder here and there thrown in to distract Clare.
The Coffeehouse Mystery series has 17 books, with an 18th book -- Brewed Awakenings -- coming out in 2019. Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini, using the pen name Cleo Coyle, also write the Haunted Bookshop series, another of my favorites. show less
Murder Most Frothy is the 4th book in the series. Clare Cosi is spending some time away from Village Blend in the city. She's staying at a posh Hamptons mansion to help her friend, David Mintzer serve coffee at his summer galas. The July 4th party ends with a bang when Clare discovers a barista dead in Mintzer's private bathroom. Nobody heard the gunshots over the fireworks. Clare thinks someone is gunning show more for Mintzer and shot the wrong person. She's determined to protect her friend and discover the killer.
I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrator Rebecca Gibel did a great job reading and providing voices to all the characters. At about 7.5 hours, the audio book from Blackstone Audio was an enjoyable listen. I have partial hearing loss and sometimes female voices are hard for me to hear properly. But I was easily able to hear and enjoy this entire book. :)
I love Clare as a main character. She's intelligent, feisty and a great business manager. Her situation is really unique....Village Blend is owned by her former mother in law and she will someday co-own the business with her ex-husband. She lives above the coffee shop in a posh furnished apartment, which she often shares with her ex when he's in town. They get along....with only a few moments of snark here and there. It all works out....Village Blend is a thriving business....even with a murder here and there thrown in to distract Clare.
The Coffeehouse Mystery series has 17 books, with an 18th book -- Brewed Awakenings -- coming out in 2019. Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini, using the pen name Cleo Coyle, also write the Haunted Bookshop series, another of my favorites. show less
Another delightful coffeehouse mystery by Coyle and her cast of three generations of women. The characters are fun and the story lighthearted despite the thrills, twists and turns. Perfect weekend reading!
I don't usually read this kind of book. An adult "cozy" mystery where the character is older than me and sort of investigates a murder by accident. I did end up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. The main character Clare runs a coffeehouse and is constantly making these blends that sound amazing. I wish I knew all about coffee and how to make it completely from scratch like that. She is pretty smart and sensible and is on somewhat good terms with her ex husband even after how terribly he treated her, which is some pretty good self restraint. The plot was kind of fun to follow, although who was behind the killings was pretty apparent I thought. I liked the friends Clare made and there was a dash of romance at the end.
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Author Information
34+ Works 10,980 Members
Cleo Coyle is the pen name for Alice Alfonsi, who writes with her husband, Marc Cerasini. This popular married writing team was born and raised in Pittsburgh, met in New York City, and married in Las Vegas. Together they've authored a number of bestselling books. As Cleo Coyle, they write The Coffeehouse Mysteries. As Alice Kimberly, they write show more The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Cleo Coyle is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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Series
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Is contained in
Coffeehouse Mystery Series: On What Grounds, Through the Grinder, Latte Trouble, Murder Most Frothy, Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
COFFEEHOUSE MYSTERIES: On What Grounds; Through the Grinder; Latte Trouble; Murder Most Frothy; Decaffeinated Corpse; French Pressed; Espresso Shot; Holiday Grind; Roast Mortem; Murder By Mocha; A Brew to a Kill; Holiday Buzz; Billionaire Blend; Once Upon a Grind; Dead To the Last Drop; Dead Cold Brew by Cleo Coyle
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Murder Most Frothy
- Original title
- Murder Most Frothy
- Original publication date
- 2006-08-01
- People/Characters
- Clare Cosi; Joy Allegro; Matteo Allegro; Marjorie Bright; Born Felloes; David Mintzer (show all 9); Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois; Jim Rand; Breanne Summour
- Important places
- East Hampton, New York, USA; New York, New York, USA; Suffolk County, New York, USA; New York, USA
- Epigraph
- People can't buy a new car every orning, but they can buy a premium cup of coffee that puts a smile on their face...It's the democratization of luxury.
--"$35 a Pound and Going Fast,"
Baltimore Sun. 2004
Coffee is the common man's gold, and like gold it brings to every man the feeling of luxury and nobility.
--Sheik Abd-al-Kadir,
In Praise of Coffee, 1587 - Dedication
- This book is dedicated with love to Evelyn Cerasini and Nana
- First words
- Prologue: Amid the scrub grass of the high beach dune, gloved hands gripped seven pounds of bolt-action.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I do, Clare," he said, turning me in his arms. "I do."
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- Popularity
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- Reviews
- 21
- Rating
- (3.58)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 4
