Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780425204450
Berkley Prime Crime
236 Pages
$7.51; $4.99 Amazon
August 2, 2005
⭐⭐⭐
To Clare Cosi's surprise, this fall's hottest fashion trend is anything caffeinated -- because designer Lottie Harmon, a loyal coffeehouse customer, has just created an ingenious collection of coffee-inspired fashion accessories. So naturally Lottie chooses the Village Blend as the perfect backdrop for fall Fashion Week insiders to view her new line of "Java Jewelry."
When barista Tucker unwittingly serves a poisonous latte to a prominent figure on the fashion scene, Clare suspects that the real target may have been Lottie. Now she must protect her thriving business from negative publicity, Lottie from any further danger, and Tucker from murder charges -- even if it means jolting the fashion world with some shocking secrets...
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Clare Cosi is the manager of the Village Blend, an upscale coffee house in Manhattan. She's hosting a party for Lottie Harmon, who's a loyal customer and also a fashion designer who has recently come out of retirement to launch a new line of jewelry - "Java Jewelry." On the evening of the party, the place is packed, and Clare and her employees are rushing to keep up. Unfortunately, her employee Tucker's ex-boyfriend Ricky shows up, and when Tucker is bringing a drink to Lottie, Ricky grabs it off the tray and drinks it, along with his new boyfriend. When both men fall to the floor, Clare calls 911. But it's too late for Ricky, who's already dead. When the police investigate, they arrest Tucker for murder, figuring the breakup gives him a good motive.
Clare refuses to believe Tucker is capable of murder, and decides to investigate on her own. With her friend Detective Mike Quinn out of town, she needs to enlist the reluctant help of her ex-husband, Matteo, who sometimes shares the apartment above the blend with her (long story), and also the help of her ex-mother-in-law, Madame, who treats it like a grand adventure. Clare's determined to find out who's framing Tucker, even if it puts her own life in danger...
This is the third book in the series, and it's not a bad one. What disappointed me is that more attention is given to the surrounding landmarks (if you're really interested in how Riker's Island got its name, you can probably find it on Google or Wikipedia); and not enough attention is given to fleshing out characters. Instead of Clare thinking about her or Matt's libidos (which we get, anyway), I'd rather see a little background - how and where Clare grew up, etc. From previous books we know how she met Matt, but very little about her upbringing, which makes people who they are. We do get plenty on why the two broke up, but we've known that from previous books. I also don't like the fact that Matt takes advantage of her (yes, he does), and she's worried about hurting his feelings? He cheated on you, woman. More than once. Get a grip.
I also find it sad that Clare's entire life is the coffee shop. She never goes anywhere, never even goes shopping or out to lunch with friends (if she has any), just takes care of the shop. It's very sad there's no outside life for her (unless she's investigating, and that's hardly relaxing).
Saying that, I enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover the identity of the killer. There were a few red herrings thrown about, which led in a couple of different directions. I did like the twist to the ending, and discovered who the murderer was a little bit before Clare did, but that's fine with me. I would have liked to have rated this higher, but Clare needs to completely (physically, emotionally) push Matt out of her life unless it's necessary to see him. I honestly enjoyed the ending of the book, and will continue to read this series.
https://www.amazon.com/Latte-Trouble-Coffeehouse-Mysteries-No/dp/0425204456/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3328854559
More on Cleo Coyle's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/
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