Death by Espresso is the sixth book in the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series by Alex Erickson. If you have not read any of the others, you can still enjoy this book as it can be read as a stand alone. Krissy Hancock, a smart, savy sleuth who is not afraid to laugh at herself and her mistakes is back trying to solve another murder in their small town.

Vicki, Krissy's best friend and partner in the Cafe, and Mason are getting married. Everything is planned and ready to go. Krissy heads off to the airport to pickup her dad as well greet Vicki's parents. What she does not expect is the entourage that arrive with Vicki's parents, one of them being a famous wedding planner, who pops chocolate covered espresso beans like candy. Vicki and Mason are not happy about her parent's interference. The murder happens fairly quickly in the story and of course, Krissy discovers the body. There are many suspects, some twists, a lot of clues and of course, Krissy's sometimes bumbling discoveries.

I found that there was not a lot of action in this book, and at times it was a bit slow. It is surprising that Krissy handles, her job (not mentioned of it or the cafe in this book), the sleuthing as well as her duties as maid of honour for Vicki’s wedding which required her to keep the peace with Vicki and her fiancée and both sets of parents. This caused much of the drama in the story. When the reveal happened, I thought "Oh, really" as it was not climactic at all. One other thing that I liked is that the relationship between Krissy and Will seems to be over and maybe, she might try again with Paul, one can only hope.

If you enjoy a cozy mystery with a colourful cast of characters, a pet or two, and a coffee shop/bookstore setting, then give this series a try. The publisher, Kensington Publishing, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions/ideas stated are my own. ( )