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Clare's daughter, Joy, is immersing herself in the foodie culture with an internship at Solange, one of New York's hottest French restaurants—and she's getting pretty intimate with the older, married Chef Tommy Keitel as well. Clare's not buzzed about the relationship, but what twenty-something takes romantic advice from her mother? Resolved to keep a closer eye on Joy, Clare makes a deal to micro-roast and French press exclusive coffee blends for Tommy, a man she wouldn't mind seeing show more roasted and pressed. Then the competitive kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy's a suspect. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare knows she must catch the real killer...even if it lands her in the hottest water of her life.. show less
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Sixth in the Coffeehouse Mystery series.
Clare’s 21 year old daughter Joy is serving her internship year in culinary school at the upscale French restaurant, Solange. To her mother’s intense distress, Joy is also having an affair with the 50-something executive chef of the restaurant, Tommy Keitel. But when Joy discovers the body of her best friend in culinary school, clearly murdered, and then becomes the chief suspect in another murder, Clare and Matt step in to catch the real murderer and get their beloved daughter cleared of charges.
Besides being a coffee fanatic, Coyle is a foodie and this installment allows her to showcase her knowledge of the high-end restaurant business in New York. The behind-the-scenes of food prep and show more management in such establishments are fascinating; the necessity of always presenting something new and fresh to attract jaded New Yorkers is a survival skill.
The plot is good but the people are better. The irrepressible Madame Dubois (may I be half as adventurous at 79 as she is), Joy, Matt, and the Blend’s baristas are by now well-established with distinct voices and characters of their own. Esther comes out of the pack with her new boyfriend, Russian slam poet and rapper, BB Gun (more prosaically, Boris), a Russian emigré who lives in Brighton Beach. As usual, Coyle uses not just Manhattan and the Village as her background, but other boroughs and neighborhoods as well; Brighton Beach, as the home of Russian (and other) emigrés, is featured, along with a rather sugar-coated version of the Russian Mafia. Many of the one-off characters are extremely well-done, such as the various chefs in Solange; one, the pastry chef Janelle, will return in further books.
As usual, there are great recipes--Clare’s Corn Bread looks really good--and tips for coffee and coffee drinks in a lengthy appendix.
Highly recommended. show less
Clare’s 21 year old daughter Joy is serving her internship year in culinary school at the upscale French restaurant, Solange. To her mother’s intense distress, Joy is also having an affair with the 50-something executive chef of the restaurant, Tommy Keitel. But when Joy discovers the body of her best friend in culinary school, clearly murdered, and then becomes the chief suspect in another murder, Clare and Matt step in to catch the real murderer and get their beloved daughter cleared of charges.
Besides being a coffee fanatic, Coyle is a foodie and this installment allows her to showcase her knowledge of the high-end restaurant business in New York. The behind-the-scenes of food prep and show more management in such establishments are fascinating; the necessity of always presenting something new and fresh to attract jaded New Yorkers is a survival skill.
The plot is good but the people are better. The irrepressible Madame Dubois (may I be half as adventurous at 79 as she is), Joy, Matt, and the Blend’s baristas are by now well-established with distinct voices and characters of their own. Esther comes out of the pack with her new boyfriend, Russian slam poet and rapper, BB Gun (more prosaically, Boris), a Russian emigré who lives in Brighton Beach. As usual, Coyle uses not just Manhattan and the Village as her background, but other boroughs and neighborhoods as well; Brighton Beach, as the home of Russian (and other) emigrés, is featured, along with a rather sugar-coated version of the Russian Mafia. Many of the one-off characters are extremely well-done, such as the various chefs in Solange; one, the pastry chef Janelle, will return in further books.
As usual, there are great recipes--Clare’s Corn Bread looks really good--and tips for coffee and coffee drinks in a lengthy appendix.
Highly recommended. show less
Digital audiobook performed by Rebecca Gibel.
From the book jacket: Clare’s daughter, Joy, is immersing herself in an internship at Solange, one of New York’s hottest French restaurants – and she’s getting pretty intimate with the older, married Chef Tommy Keitel as well. Resolved to keep an closer eye on Joy, Clarre makes a deal to provide exclusive coffee blends for Tommy, a man she wouldn’t mind seeing roasted and pressed. Then the competitive kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy’s a suspect. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare knows she must catch the real killer.
My reactions
This is book six in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, and I’m really enjoying them. I do think that Clare’s insistence on investigating on her show more own is a bit over-the-top, but it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without an intrusive amateur sleuth. I do enjoy the information on coffees (even though I stick with grocery-store blends myself), and this book really delves into foodie culture which had me salivating in places.
I also like that the romance with detective Mike Quinn is heating up, despite Madame’s (Clare’s mother-in-law and co-owner of the shop) efforts to get Clare back with her son Matteo.
Not a fan of the cliff-hanger ending, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. Still, I found it deliciously entertaining – a perfect “escape” during these unsettled times.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job performing the audiobook. I really love the voice she uses for Madame. show less
From the book jacket: Clare’s daughter, Joy, is immersing herself in an internship at Solange, one of New York’s hottest French restaurants – and she’s getting pretty intimate with the older, married Chef Tommy Keitel as well. Resolved to keep an closer eye on Joy, Clarre makes a deal to provide exclusive coffee blends for Tommy, a man she wouldn’t mind seeing roasted and pressed. Then the competitive kitchen turns cutthroat, and Joy’s a suspect. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare knows she must catch the real killer.
My reactions
This is book six in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, and I’m really enjoying them. I do think that Clare’s insistence on investigating on her show more own is a bit over-the-top, but it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without an intrusive amateur sleuth. I do enjoy the information on coffees (even though I stick with grocery-store blends myself), and this book really delves into foodie culture which had me salivating in places.
I also like that the romance with detective Mike Quinn is heating up, despite Madame’s (Clare’s mother-in-law and co-owner of the shop) efforts to get Clare back with her son Matteo.
Not a fan of the cliff-hanger ending, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. Still, I found it deliciously entertaining – a perfect “escape” during these unsettled times.
Rebecca Gibel does a fine job performing the audiobook. I really love the voice she uses for Madame. show less
When reading a cozy mystery, you have to let a few things go. Especially the fact that the layperson thinks they are smarter than the police/professionals. Claire jumped WAY over the line this time. She was very annoying in her sleuthing/deductions/etc. Then, for someone who thinks she's so smart, very easy phrases and connections had to be explained to her. Either she's smart or she's not - shouldn't be so many contradictions inside one book.
There were also too many coffee explanations in this book. There have been in the previous books as well, but this time it really got on my nerves - maybe because I was already annoyed with Claire? I will give this series one more try because I have enjoyed the prior stories.
There were also too many coffee explanations in this book. There have been in the previous books as well, but this time it really got on my nerves - maybe because I was already annoyed with Claire? I will give this series one more try because I have enjoyed the prior stories.
Stabbing flesh was no big deal. That was they way to think about it. The boy was just another piece of meat... From across the dark avenue, the killer stood, expression grim. There were three stories in the redbrick building, six apartments, a roofless porch. The boy was alone on the highest floor. Through the bright windows, the killer watched him pacing. He looked like an animal, like panicked game.
Cleo Coyle's books always start out with so much more promise than they deliver.
Clare Cosi runs the Village Blend, a trendy coffee house in Greenwich Village. She is divorced but partners with her ex-husband, Matt. Their daughter Joy is interning as a chef and becomes a chief suspect in the murders of another intern, Vinny, and Tommy, the show more married executive chef that Joy has been having an affair with.
I like the NYC locale for this series and they are more gruesome than your usual cozy. Sometimes the mystery is even pretty good. But I have finally figured out why I do not really like this series. I can't stand Clare. She is this supposed together woman that gets involved in all these murders and manages to solve them before the police do. But yet, she can not handle her personal life for anything. She has been divorced from Matt for years, he was a lying, cheating coke user who has gotten clean and works with Clare as the coffee buyer at the Blend. Now she has finally hooked up with the detective from previous books but lets Matt cause friction in her life. He interrupts her with said boyfriend who leaves, declares his love for her, though he is drunk. She stamps her feet and throws her shoes at him (bad,bad writing) to get him to leave the duplex that he is partial owner of, then lets him kiss her because she thinks he will then leave. Please! Total crap. Then murder happens and this will pick up again in the next book. And she goes on to cleverly solve each mystery.
This particular mystery wasn't that great. I'm a bit sick of Clare's family all being the victims of each mystery. Then too many characters and suspects were introduced to make for a convoluted plot. I read that Cleo Coyle is the pen name for the married couple that write these books. Maybe there is one too many writers in the mix. I don't know, but I do know I am just done with this series. It had promise but basically it just gets on my nerves now. I have to be able to like the heroine! That is a must for a cozy mystery at least.
Months ago, I bought Latte Trouble, mystery #3 and thought I would read it now and see if it was just the one bad book. I made it 3/4 of the way through and finally DNF'd it. Life is too short. There are better cozies out there for when I am in that kind of a reading mood.
my rating for both- 2.5/5 show less
Cleo Coyle's books always start out with so much more promise than they deliver.
Clare Cosi runs the Village Blend, a trendy coffee house in Greenwich Village. She is divorced but partners with her ex-husband, Matt. Their daughter Joy is interning as a chef and becomes a chief suspect in the murders of another intern, Vinny, and Tommy, the show more married executive chef that Joy has been having an affair with.
I like the NYC locale for this series and they are more gruesome than your usual cozy. Sometimes the mystery is even pretty good. But I have finally figured out why I do not really like this series. I can't stand Clare. She is this supposed together woman that gets involved in all these murders and manages to solve them before the police do. But yet, she can not handle her personal life for anything. She has been divorced from Matt for years, he was a lying, cheating coke user who has gotten clean and works with Clare as the coffee buyer at the Blend. Now she has finally hooked up with the detective from previous books but lets Matt cause friction in her life. He interrupts her with said boyfriend who leaves, declares his love for her, though he is drunk. She stamps her feet and throws her shoes at him (bad,bad writing) to get him to leave the duplex that he is partial owner of, then lets him kiss her because she thinks he will then leave. Please! Total crap. Then murder happens and this will pick up again in the next book. And she goes on to cleverly solve each mystery.
This particular mystery wasn't that great. I'm a bit sick of Clare's family all being the victims of each mystery. Then too many characters and suspects were introduced to make for a convoluted plot. I read that Cleo Coyle is the pen name for the married couple that write these books. Maybe there is one too many writers in the mix. I don't know, but I do know I am just done with this series. It had promise but basically it just gets on my nerves now. I have to be able to like the heroine! That is a must for a cozy mystery at least.
Months ago, I bought Latte Trouble, mystery #3 and thought I would read it now and see if it was just the one bad book. I made it 3/4 of the way through and finally DNF'd it. Life is too short. There are better cozies out there for when I am in that kind of a reading mood.
my rating for both- 2.5/5 show less
Clare's daughter Joy is working under a well-regarded chef at Solange. Clare doesn't like it that Joy seems to be falling for the married chef. When he turns up dead with Clare's knife plunged into his body, she becomes the chief suspect. Clare has to work hard to free her daughter. While this isn't my favorite series, this one had a little more going for it in terms of plot than some of the earlier installments. I listened to the audiobook.
This is the 6th book in the coffeehouse mystery set and so far my favorite. It had more of a plot which I couldn't figure out until closer to the end. It does end as a partial cliff hanger with Matt saying he is going to remarry and his mother saying "over her dead body". I love Matt's Mom. What a strong character she represents. I was glad to see this book end. Now let me explain. I love all of the coffee facts thrown into these books. This one had more than usual and it just made me want to get up and make a pot of coffee!
Even though I am rereading this series, I am enjoying it so much as I have forgotten a lot of the plots.
Even though I am rereading this series, I am enjoying it so much as I have forgotten a lot of the plots.
Clare is a little too perfect; her daughter, refreshingly, is not. Once again, I like the portrayals of different corners of New York City. One scene made me want to study a map of NYC. Not much Madame, which is okay with me.
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Books - Coyle, Cleo: Coffeehouse Mysteries
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Author Information
34+ Works 10,934 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 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
- French Pressed
- Original publication date
- 2008-04-01
- People/Characters
- Clare Cosi; Joy Allegro; Matteo Allegro; Mike Quinn; Tommy Keitel
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA
- Epigraph
- You can tell when you have crossed the frontier...because of the badness of the coffee.
--Edward VII (1841-1910)
Food and sex...what else is there?
--Wolfgang Puck - Dedication
- This book is dedicated to
Roy Snyder
For his encouragement, thoughtfulness, unfailing good humor, and most of all for his sage financial advice - a fundamental asset for any writer who's crazy enough to believe that... (show all) "a room of one's own" is achievable in one of the most expensive cities on the planet.
Cheers to you, Roy, for keeping the dream in play. - First words
- Prologue: Stabbing flesh was no big deal.
"Ugh," I murmured. "This coffee's absolute poison..." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Over my dead body," she vowed.
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- Reviews
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- Rating
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- Languages
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
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