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book_concierge's review against another edition
2.0
Clare Cosi manages The Village Blend, a century-old coffeehouse in New York’s Greenwich Village, owned by her ex-mother-in-law. She is happily settling into this new life in the City. But one of her regular customers meets her death on the subway tracks shortly after stopping at the coffeehouse. The transit authority rules the death a suicide, but Detective Mike Quinn isn’t so sure. Then another Blend customer “jumps” from her roof and Quinn begins to suspect the new man in Clare’s life.
I thought the plotting was poor, and the clues (and red herrings), heavy-handed. Clare has the makings of a likeable heroine, but her behavior is reckless and immature when she decides to investigate on her own. Detective Quinn has virtually nothing to do but appear occasionally to confirm that he doesn’t think the dead women committed suicide, and to warn Clare that her new boyfriend is the chief suspect. Including the thoughts of the killer is jarring in a cozy mystery. I was beginning to wonder if Coyle wouldn’t rather be writing a more hard-core crime novel. I didn’t like the ending at all.
So why give it two stars? It’s was a fast read and I like the back story for this cozy. Maybe I’m just feeling generous, but I also liked the recipe for coffee marinated steaks – seriously. Still, I doubt I’ll read another.
I thought the plotting was poor, and the clues (and red herrings), heavy-handed. Clare has the makings of a likeable heroine, but her behavior is reckless and immature when she decides to investigate on her own. Detective Quinn has virtually nothing to do but appear occasionally to confirm that he doesn’t think the dead women committed suicide, and to warn Clare that her new boyfriend is the chief suspect. Including the thoughts of the killer is jarring in a cozy mystery. I was beginning to wonder if Coyle wouldn’t rather be writing a more hard-core crime novel. I didn’t like the ending at all.
Spoiler
Coyle killed off a potential romantic rival for Quinn too soon; this might have been a nice side plot in future books. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn’t want this to descend into a Ranger-Morelli-Stephanie never-ending triangle, so perhaps she was wise to bump off the competition early.So why give it two stars? It’s was a fast read and I like the back story for this cozy. Maybe I’m just feeling generous, but I also liked the recipe for coffee marinated steaks – seriously. Still, I doubt I’ll read another.
kberry513's review
4.0
I think the second book in the series had much more going for it; some of the things that annoyed me in the first installment (such as the endless repetition of things that had been mentioned before) had been fixed. I don't love the portions that are from the killers perspective, but that's a personal pet peeve - I normally don't like those in any book. In this case in particular, since I was listening to it rather than reading, it was doubly annoying because the narrator was extra dramatic during those parts.
That being said, I enjoyed this one. I don't love that Claire is a crazy mom, signing up for Cappuccino Connection just to screen guys for her daughter. But I have to say, that while it's a bit harsh for Claire,
That being said, I enjoyed this one. I don't love that Claire is a crazy mom, signing up for Cappuccino Connection just to screen guys for her daughter. But I have to say, that while it's a bit harsh for Claire,
Spoiler
I was pleasantly surprised the author ended with Bruce's death. A lot of times, the love interest will miraculously be okay in these kinds of stories and I was glad they didn't pull away from it, although poor Claire!holly_keimig's review against another edition
4.0
I really really like this series. If I wasn't upset about what happened toward the end of this book, I would give it 5 stars, but it made me sad, so 4 is what I will stick with. This series combines my love of coffee (it actually gives facts about coffee and ideas for making it better) and a cozy mystery (that isn't too fluffy). I was kept guessing the entire time about who the murderer was and it was super enjoyable to read. In this book, Clare starts losing female customers and a dating site seems to be to blame. She meets a new love interest and her husband is back in town as well. Things heat up as the bodies pile up. Can Clare find the murderer before they get too close for comfort? Read to find out! I can't wait to pick up the next in the series.
I really like the "To the Coffee House" poem in the first couple pages of the book. It resonated with me and also worked really well as an intro to this story. :)
I really like the "To the Coffee House" poem in the first couple pages of the book. It resonated with me and also worked really well as an intro to this story. :)
vixenvertigo's review against another edition
1.0
This one is worse than the first. If youre wondering why I read the second one its actually because I want to torture myself a little and this is an easy way
emily_kayser's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vert_bean_casserole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Plot is suicide driven.