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sharic's review against another edition
5.0
If you're looking for a quick, fun murder mystery, this series is perfect. I always enjoy catching up with Krissy and her sleuth skills
cinderrunner's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ive read all the books in this series leading up to this and this is one of the weakest. The reveal was super boring motive wise. The author had a set up that could have been a lot more juicy if they had leaned into the age gap/predator thing. I don't love that a male author decided to write about large age gap relationships in this way when grooming (espcially in the time period the murder was committed) was largely men preying on young girls. And yes, the story does line up with grooming since Rita acknowledged they were "friends" before they dated (making her underage and him still a full grown man who has no business socializing with a child). I am big on the idea that, if an author is going to speak on something that disproportionately impacts a community they dont belong to, that author better have a damn good reason for it and truly add something to the conversation. Otherwise youre exploiting the pain that doesn't belong to you. I felt like this narrative defended concerning and predatory age gaps more than it either remained neutral or condemned them. So big red flag. And the plot resolution suffered as a result. I also didn't realize til now that our main character was in her 40s. It made me loose any respect I had for her. Her insecurity, childishness, and overall behavior is ridiculous at that age. She reads like she's at the MOST a very immature early 30s. Honestly, this series isn't phenomenal literature. I read it for easy, guilty pleasure type reading. I never expect much from this series but this addition still managed to disappoint. I have the next two books in the series so I will at least read those. But this novel made me contemplate quitting the series.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free ebook version of Death by French Roast from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is book 8 in the series and I have not read all the others before it, but that did not hinder my enjoyment of this one. The death of Krissy's neighbor, although not a murder itself, does draw Krissy into the investigation of unsolved cold case. As she learns of the mystery surrounding "Uncle Wade" and his connection to Rita, a friend of hers, Krissy decides to look into it. Uncovering old secrets and rivalries that have long been brewing. Fun, fast cozy read.
mreadsbooksnfics's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I have picked up by this author, I could not resist when I saw the cat on the cover. I recently have started to read more cozy mysteries. and I am finding a really enjoy them. This one is no exception, even though it was part of a series, I could follow along just fine and had no problems fully immersing myself in the story.
Krissy seems to be resident sleuth of the town. When she is not running a cafe, she solves mysteries. This book she wants to find out who killed the brother of her nosy neighbor. She learns the death of the brother had a profound impact on the neighbor, and she wants to do this to help her rest in peace. Krissy begins to look around the town, bringing up topics from thirty years before. The main issue people had with the man who was murdered was he was dating a 19 year old when he was 30 something. People saw this as shameful and looked down on him. They said he was boastful and called his girlfriend at the time terrible names. His girlfriend still lives in town and she would also like the mystery of who killed her first love solved, she feels this will help her move on.
Krissy talks to many people in town, and she is told to be careful. She seems to be someone who gets in trouble and ends up in funny situations when she is trying to find out the truth. She also seems to have a budding romance with one of the local officers, Paul, I thought was so cute. She even seems to stay out of more trouble because he helps her avoid harsher penalities. I look forward to seeing their romance grow because it is just the most adorable thing.
I had a lot of fun with this book, and I would pick up more from this author. The mystery was interesting, and I was surprised during the reveal, meaning it kept me on my toes. I like the town and the people, this book is great. I look forward to more from this author in the future,
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts amd opinions are my own.
Krissy seems to be resident sleuth of the town. When she is not running a cafe, she solves mysteries. This book she wants to find out who killed the brother of her nosy neighbor. She learns the death of the brother had a profound impact on the neighbor, and she wants to do this to help her rest in peace. Krissy begins to look around the town, bringing up topics from thirty years before. The main issue people had with the man who was murdered was he was dating a 19 year old when he was 30 something. People saw this as shameful and looked down on him. They said he was boastful and called his girlfriend at the time terrible names. His girlfriend still lives in town and she would also like the mystery of who killed her first love solved, she feels this will help her move on.
Krissy talks to many people in town, and she is told to be careful. She seems to be someone who gets in trouble and ends up in funny situations when she is trying to find out the truth. She also seems to have a budding romance with one of the local officers, Paul, I thought was so cute. She even seems to stay out of more trouble because he helps her avoid harsher penalities. I look forward to seeing their romance grow because it is just the most adorable thing.
I had a lot of fun with this book, and I would pick up more from this author. The mystery was interesting, and I was surprised during the reveal, meaning it kept me on my toes. I like the town and the people, this book is great. I look forward to more from this author in the future,
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts amd opinions are my own.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
I was frankly surprised to see the book start with the funeral for a recurring, comedic foil character. Usually characters like this are there for the long haul — even when they are officially too old to still be alive. Or they are removed from the series by being written as the murderer after books and books of being a laughing stock. But this series is one of those rare ones where time between books seems to match the time between murders on a one to one basis. It's refreshing when so many novels have a narrative gap of a few months between murders.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comments_04/death_by_french_roast.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comments_04/death_by_french_roast.html
readwithaimee's review
3.0
I am really enjoying the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series! Anytime I find a cozy mystery set in Ohio, i'm immediately interested. Krissy owns Death by Coffee, the only coffee shop (and bookstore) in the small town of Pine Hills. She's still relatively new to town, but quickly learns of a decades-old cold case. When asked to look into it, she unwittingly stirs up some long-festering conflicts that result in a fresh murder.
This was a really interesting case to try to solve alongside Krissy, and (of course) I will always be on board with the idea of a bookstore cafe.
Thank you Kensington Books for providing me with a NetGalley ARC!
This was a really interesting case to try to solve alongside Krissy, and (of course) I will always be on board with the idea of a bookstore cafe.
Thank you Kensington Books for providing me with a NetGalley ARC!
libraryofalexandria's review
3.0
Solid cozy with a great narrator! I was disappointed that the reader wasn’t given the *only* clues that identified the culprit until the last chapter because then the reader couldn’t be an armchair sleuth.
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