Holiday Buzz
Coffeehouse Mystery, Book #12
By Cleo Coyle
ISBN #: 9780425255353
Author’s Website: http://www.coffeehousemystery.Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie
Synopsis:
Holiday time is party time in New York City, but after a sparkling winter bash ends with a murder, Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi vows to put the killer on ice…
At the Great New York Cookie Swap, pastry chefs bake up their very best for charity. Clare is in charge of the beverage service, and her famous Fa-la-la-la Lattes make the gathering even merrier. But her high spirits come crashing down to earth, when she discovers the battered body of a hard-working baker’s assistant.
Police suspect a serial attacker whose escalating crimes have become known as “The Christmas Stalkings.” Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, finds reason to believe even more sinister forces are involved. Clare isn’t so sure—and when she finds a second bludgeoned baker, she becomes a target. Now Clare is spending the holiday season pouring over clues, and she’s not going to rest until justice is served.
Review:
It took me a week to pick Holiday Buzz up. I’m normally not what you’d call a reluctant reader; it’s just that I’m really picky with mysteries. I avoid mysteries out of habit. I actually have no idea how I actually decided to start reading Holiday Buzz. It just sort of happened. However, once I picked it up, I so did not regret it.
It’s quite a great set-up. The Christmas season and holiday time poses a great way to sneak in a ton of food and of course, a mystery. I like how I figured out the criminal a split second before he or she was revealed. I normally figure out the plot way before, so this was a huge surprise for me. It’s a really clever plot, to tell you the truth. It’s also really complicated, but that’s what makes it so much fun to read about!
As for the food, let’s just say I was drooling over it. There’s cookies, lattes, meats, and a lot of authentic Latin food. I love how there are recipes in the back. Now I can just put my taste buds to action and go follow the recipe. Here goes nothing…
The writing style is pretty nice too. It’s really funny and concise as well. You can get right into it. Plus it’s first-person, which is a pretty nice narrative style. I like it a lot, and that’s saying something. I will admit I was surprised that I could get into the mystery this much. I was proved wrong with mysteries again!
However, do note that Clare is in her 40s. She is not appropriate for all ages. Just keep that in mind before picking this book up.
