No Roast for the Weary Review

 

It's been a while since I read a Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mystery. I've enjoyed this series in the past, but somewhere along the way I lost track of it. Then I saw a blurb for No Roast for the Weary, number 21 of the series. The novel features not only the beloved Village Blend coffee house, but a writer's lounge as well. What scribe could resist that combo!

The mystery didn't disappoint. Here's the gist: Business at the coffee shop has been slow...so slow that co-owner and master roaster Clare Cosi worries about its future. Then her group of baristas comes up with the idea of opening the Writer's Block Lounge on the second floor. Turns out that in the shop's past, a group of writers met in the same space until the unsolved murder of one member caused them to disband.

The re-opening of the writers' lounge is a hit, but it also wakes up a lot of ghosts from the past. When a secret leads to a new murder, Clare needs to find the truth about what happened decades ago before someone else becomes the latest victim.

I loved this book! The plot was detailed and intriguing, with an intense and surprising ending. I also like how Coyle (who, in real life, is the wife-and-husband writing team of Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini) made sure Clare grew and developed throughout the series while staying true to her personality. Often in a series as long as this one, characters can become stagnant, or the author turns them into someone longtime readers don't recognize. That's not the case here.

The book also inspired me as a writer, and I learned a couple of new tips to make my writing time more productive. Plus, there are a lot of great recipes for Village Blend's goodies to test out in my kitchen. I also visited coffeehousemystery.com and clicked on the link for the free recipe guide that goes with the book. 

I found this Vanilla-Cinnamon Iced Coffee creation. I even mixed up the milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to use as a creamer in my hot coffee. Delish!

Book number 22, Eat, Drink, and Get Buried, will be released on September 22nd. Yes, you can preorder it!