Uncommon Grounds

Maggy Thorsen spells her name unusually. But that's not the only unusual thing about her. Although a bit bitter about her impending divorce, she doesn’t let that cloud her judgment — or her curiosity and sense of fair play — and sense of humor. How could you not love a woman who calls the choice between two witnesses shocked by a terrible death “[t]the lesser of two feebles”? Ya gotta love her!

Forty-two-year-old Maggy was living the suburban dream in the fictional small town of Brookhills, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee, when her dentist husband leaves her for his 24-year-old dental hygienist. Maggy, a public-relations and event management guru for Brookhill's First National Bank chucks the corporate life and persuades her show more longtime friend Caron Egan and one of Caron’s friends, Patricia Harper, to open a coffee shop in a strip mall, the eponymous Uncommon Grounds. On opening day, Maggy and Caron discover their partner dead on the floor of the coffee shop; the police immediately realize that Patricia’s death was no heart attack or accident, but murder.

Kindly Police Chief Gary Donovan, a longtime friend of Maggy’s, soon gets shoved aside by newly elected county Sheriff Pavlik, a newcomer from Chicago eager to make a name for himself. The brusque and surly Pavlik sees Maggy and Caron as natural suspects, and Maggy decides that, with the pair of them such easy targets, she had better start investigating the murder herself if she’s going to clear them — and discover the truth of what happened to Patricia and why. Luckily, Maggy has brains, useful skills from her corporate days, and plenty of pluck.

Like Maggy, author Sandra Balzo is herself a Wisconsin native who spent 20 years in public relations, events management and publicity. She’s has penned a breezy, funny cozy in the vein of Anne George or Carolyn Hart. The novel was so good that I bought the sequel, Grounds for Murder, as soon as I finished Uncommon Grounds. There’s no higher praise than that! show less

Maggy Thorsen is eager to open her new coffee shop Uncommon Grounds with her two friends, but none of them predicted murder to be on the menu for their opening day. The small town of Brookhills, Wisconsin produces a surprisingly long list of suspects and when Maggy and her business partner Caron are both on it, Maggy decides to take on the task of investigating the murder herself.

Sandra Balzo constructs a clever and intricate mystery in this novel. There were multiple suspects with motive and opportunity and new clues were revealed slowly throughout the story to keep the reader guessing to the very end. Maggy was a smart and witty heroine, likable and believable, and I look forward to reading more of Balzo's mysteries centered around show more Thorsen's coffee shop adventures. show less

Maggie Thorsen, former PR exec and current partner in Uncommon Grounds, walks into her new coffee shop on opening day only to discover her partner Patricia dead, death by espresso machine. Who could have killed Patricia, and what does this mean for the future of the shop?

Signs point to their third partner and friend, Caron, as the possible killer but Maggie won’t believe it and sets out to save her friend and their business. During her mission to find the murderer and save Uncommon Grounds, Maggie discovers more than she bargained for, including marital affairs, objectionable politic maneuvers, and an unexpected attraction to the most bothersome character in town.

Will Maggie’s meddling go too far? Was Patricia really the intended show more victim? And, does Uncommon Grounds have a future or will it take the espress route to bittersville?

I originally read this book because I’d discovered there was another coffeehouse series published besides Cleo Coyle’s Coffee House Mystery series and I wanted to see how they’d differ. As you can see from my current banner, I love coffee, and the coffee house setting feels like home to me.

Let’s just say right now that Sandra Balzo is a hoot! I love the series’ heroine, Maggie, because we see her faults and love her anyway. She’s got a good heart, the desire for justice, and the cajones to do the dirty work required to ferret out the truth. I especially enjoyed her relationship with Frank, her dog, and the way she knocked Sheriff Pavlik down a peg or two when she’d had enough of his bullying.

Plenty of red herrings keep the reader from guessing who the killer is, which I appreciated since all too often I figure it out early and am then left with deciding whether or not to finish the book. As Maggie uncovers clue after possible clue, she discovers her Brookhill community and the people she cares for are not all they seem. I liked that she was willing to risk danger to get to the truth but at times she seemed reckless and a bit naive. Gotta love her, though, and the humor throughout this book is reason enough to read it.

You won’t be disappointed in Sandra Balzo’s Uncommon Grounds. It’s a fun read that keeps you guessing. I know I look forward to the next book in the series, Grounds for Murder (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries). show less

2.5**

Maggy Thorsen has left her career as a PR executive, and, following a traumatic divorce, has decided to open a gourmet coffee shop in her suburban Wisconsin village, along with two of her best friends. But on opening day, Patricia Harper, is found dead – electrocuted by a hot-wired espresso machine. Maggy is a suspect, as she seems to have been the last person in the shop with an opportunity to sabotage the machine. So, she’s determined to find out who killed her friend and partner.

This has all the tropes of a successful cozy mystery series: an amateur detective with a food-related business, dueling law enforcement agencies (police chief vs sheriff), a cadre of good friends who will help Maggy investigate, a charming village show more setting, and enough suspects to keep even a dedicated mystery reader guessing. Unfortunately, I found the lead character a total ditz. This woman is just too stupid to live. She runs around like a chicken with her head cut off. And goes into dangerous situations without much thought to possible consequences, requiring that she be rescued (one of my pet peeves).

Well, it was a fast read, and it IS set in my home state, so I may read another in the series. But I’m in no hurry to do so. show less

There's something fun about coffee shop and tea house cozy mysteries. This first book in a new-to-me series didn't disappoint. It was cute, funny, intriguing enough to work - will check out more of the series when I get a chance.

Maggy Thorsen and two associates open a new coffee shop business, but the day of the opening is delayed with one of them is found dead next to the latte machine. The three aren't close friends, but they had set plans that are compromised by one of them being knocked off. Maggie must solve the crime not only to drum up business, but to clear our the suspicions of the pesky (but interesting) detective that keeps sniffing around.

Although I guessed the villain through logic of deduction, the mystery was still a good show more one, especially since it involved a side mystery of a machine. There's plenty of tension setting a steady risk at stake and pacing, but the book shines the strongest through characterization. That and the humor earned it a four star rating. show less

On the day Uncommon Grounds coffee shop is to open, one of the 3 partners is discovered by the other 2 dead by espresso machine electrocution. As Maggy Thorsen starts to ask questions she finds that both of her partners have been keeping secrets. When another death occurs she digs deeper. New county sheriff, Jake Pavlik is also investigating and enjoys challenging Maggy. This was a good start to a series and I look forward to seeing Jake and Maggy working together again.

On the day their coffee shop is set to open, Caron and then Maggy come in to discover that their partner Patricia is dead. When it turns out to be murder, the sheriff rather than the newly elected police chief takes charge of the investigation.Maggy is not certain that the sheriff is completely competent and sets out to do a little investigating of her own. Interesting plot with enough red herrings to baffle most readers. I had a feeling all along that the person that ended up being responsible for it was the villain, but I never really knew what the motive was until the end. This was not only a quick and easy read, but also one that held my attention.