Holiday Grind

Claire is starting to get annoying. She talks about her previous experience sleuthing and how she should be allowed to help, but then is totally obtuse when someone is obviously expecting company. She shows up unannounced at a suspect's door, the woman is obviously expecting someone but Claire practically needs to be hit over the head before she realizes the problem. There are lots of little things like this, where we are leadenly walked through something obvious. I guess it's because Coyle doesn't think we're smart enough to catch obvious "subtext"

Holiday Grind is the 8th book in a cosy series featuring Clare Cosi, manager of one of New York’s oldest coffee houses, the Village Blend. At the start of this installment the staff of the Blend are feeling the effects of the financial recession which has hit the city hard and slowed business down. One of their strategies to deal with this problem is to devise a series of flavoured coffees that remind people of the tastes of Christmas. Regulars and friends are invited to a tasting of the new drinks one evening but Alfred Glockner, one of the city’s charity-collecting Santas and regular coffee drinker, does not arrive. When Clare goes looking for him she discovers his body in an alleyway and while police think he has been the victim show more of a routine mugging she believes there is something more sinister afoot. With the help of her policeman boyfriend, her gorgeous ex-husband and his mother and the always-willing Village Blend baristas, Clare and the gang solve the crime long before the cops have a chance.

If you can suspend disbelief enough to accept that the New York police suddenly require the extensive assistance of a coffee shop manager to solve even the simplest of crimes (and I do understand that some people can’t do that) then this is a fun read. Although unrealistic on the subject of amateur sleuthing, the book is surprisingly credible in other areas, including the notion that most people have to work for a living and that often that work, especially if it involves retail, is a hard slog and also involves a lot of luck. Both the victim of the murder that sets Clare off on her latest bout of crime solving and Clare herself are at the mercy of fickle commercial markets and this theme is woven into the well-plotted story.

Clare is a likable enough character though she is a teeny bit serious for me, but some of the other regulars are more fun, including her ex-husband Matteo, who at least has a sense of humour along with his womanising ways, and his mother Madame Dubois who is the owner of the Village Blend and happily gets herself involved in all of Clare’s adventures. There’s always a cast of eccentrics and misfits working in the shop too which adds a bit of fun.

On the Christmas front there is snow (which I understand the other half of the planet associates with Christmas), multiple Santas and the fa-la-la-la-lattes to provide the holiday themes and I was actually quite pleased to see the entire book wasn’t about buying twice as many presents as you could afford which a lot of these themed cosies seem to do. With the last one of these that I read (number 6 in the series, Decaffeinated Corpse) I thought the series had lost its spark but I enjoyed this one as much as the earlier ones in the series. If you’re looking for a light, fun read to get you into the holiday spirit you could do much worse than this one, which can easily be read without having any knowledge of the earlier books in the series. show less

Clare Cosi investigates when she finds the corpse of a Santa Claus she knows near her shop. She doesn't hit it off with the investigating detective, and boyfriend Mike Quinn is busy with his own narcotics investigation. She feels the detective isn't taking her seriously enough so she ends up locked in a dumpster when she revisits the crime scene. She follows leads related to the case with the help of her co-workers, ex-husband, boyfriend, and the investigating officers. While this is not my favorite series, this holiday installment works pretty well at keeping readers second-guessing their thoughts on whodunit. I listened to the audiobook, and the reader definitely gave it a New York sort of feel.

I didn't start reading this one until after Chrismas, since it was a Christmas (2010) gift, but I decided not to wait until next Christmas to read it! I'm glad I didn't wait, since I really enjoyed it. This is my third Coffeehouse Mystery, and it's my favorite so far. I don't feel like I missed anything by skipping from #2 to #8, either. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

It's Christmas time in New York and Clare seems to be the only one with any Christmas spirit. Well, her and her friendly neighborhood traveling santa, Alf. So when Alf is a no-show for her Fa-La-La-La Latte party, Clare goes out looking for him. She finds him dead as the victim of an apparent mugging gone bad. But Clare knows better and starts her own investigation.

Love this series. So much fun. So much Coffee. The mystery in this one is pretty good but who am I kidding. I read cozies for the people and the ambience. This series is just full of fun characters and a great New Yorky feeling. If you like the recipes, you will be thrilled, this book is just packed with coffee and food recipes for Christmas. Enjoy!

I started the Coffeehouse mystery series earlier this year and when I got the chance to read the latest and get a signed copy from the author I had to jump in it. I was not disappointed.
The downturn in the economy has Claire Cosi trying to come up with new ideas that will draw customers into the Village Blend coffeehouse so when a Traveling Santa, a frequent customer, suggests the Fl-la-la-la Lattes, Claire is happy to incorporate the idea into their holiday menu. On the night that the new lattes are to be taste-tested, Claire invites the Santa to join the party and when he is a no show, goes out into a snow storm to find him. What she finds is his body and carafes of trouble.

The police think it is a random mugging, but Claire sets out show more to prove it was murder.
As she follows the clues, Claire's investigation becomes a sleigh ride of mishaps which eventually land her in some cold water as the t rail gets hotter.
The story is entertaining and will hold your interest until the end. Definitely a great addition to this series. show less

Read from November 27 to 28, 2012

Listened for Fun! (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.25

Audio Rating: 4.50 (Not part of the overall rating)

Part of my 25 Holiday Books of the Season for 2012

How Holiday Grind put me in the holiday spirit: This was a great little Christmas who-done-it and the Holiday setting was perfect. It was one of those stories the was enhanced by the Holiday spirit.

What I thought of Holiday Grind's Story/Characters: Characters are what make this story shine. I haven't read a Coffehouse Mystery book before but I will be reading them all now. I really loved all of the characters: Clare's family, coworkers, and friends. I was rooting for them all the way. I kinda love how they all got show more involved. I did think Clare was a little pushy at times (I would have told her to take a long walk off a short pier) but I loved her gumption and stubbornness. Overall this is making my cozy mysteries to read shelf (I will catch up)!

Audio Thoughts: Rebecca Gibel did an excellent job with narration, pacing, and characterization. This is going on my series to listen to on audio :) show less