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A review by book_concierge
On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
2.0
This is a cozy mystery which takes place in and around a Greenwich Village Coffee Shop. Clare Cosi is convinced to return to managing The Village Blend by the owner, who is also her former mother-in-law. The recently fired manager had stolen an antique (and historically important) plaque from the business, but her new assistant manager is doing a great job. Or she was until the morning Clare finds Anabelle at the bottom of the basement stairs, barely breathing. Did she fall? Or was she pushed? Clare and the police don’t agree but she’s determined to find the truth.
I have to admit that I nearly quit in the first two pages. I had just finished reading a classic of literary fiction (To Kill a Mockingbird); Coyle’s writing just couldn’t compare, and I found myself groaning. But I decided to give her a fair shot, and I think I did. It’s an adequate cozy with a likeable lead character, some romantic tension (though I find this irritating in the extreme), and a decent background story (the coffee shop). I’d be willing to try another of Coyle’s coffeehouse mysteries, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
I have to admit that I nearly quit in the first two pages. I had just finished reading a classic of literary fiction (To Kill a Mockingbird); Coyle’s writing just couldn’t compare, and I found myself groaning. But I decided to give her a fair shot, and I think I did. It’s an adequate cozy with a likeable lead character, some romantic tension (though I find this irritating in the extreme), and a decent background story (the coffee shop). I’d be willing to try another of Coyle’s coffeehouse mysteries, but I’m in no hurry to do so.