Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery)
Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery) book cover

Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery)

Hardcover – November 3, 2009

by
Price
$9.82
Format
Hardcover
Pages
367
Publisher
Berkley Prime Crime
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0425230053
Dimensions
5.66 x 1.26 x 8.32 inches
Weight
1 pounds

Description

From Publishers Weekly In the charming eighth coffeehouse mystery from the pseudonymous Coyle (the husband-wife writing team of Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi), Clare Cosi, owner of the Village Blend, is preoccupied with creating flavorful and memorable drinks for the upcoming holiday season. Then one snowy December day, Clare discovers a beloved customer, Alf Glockner, shot to death in a nearby alley. Doubtful of the police conclusion that Alf, a part-time comedian who was working as a charity Santa, was the victim of a random murder, Clare sets out to find out what really happened. To her peril, she must do so on her own because her boyfriend, NYPD Det. Mike Quinn, is busy with his own homicide investigation. This light cozy will keep readers guessing until the end, while the drink and accompanying treat recipes will send anyone to the kitchen in search of a candy cane brownie and a caffe mocha latte. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Starred review. "Coyle's Coffeehouse books are superb examples of the cozy genre because of their intelligent cast of characters, their subtle wit, and their knowledge of the coffee industry used to add depth and flavor to the stories...Highly recommended for all mystery collections." --Library Journal, Starred Review --Library Journal CLEO COYLE grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After earning scholarships to study writing at Carnegie Mellon and American Universities, she began her career as a cub reporter for The New York Times . Now an author of popular fiction and N ew York Times bestselling media tie-in writer, Cleo lives and works in New York City, where she collaborates with her husband (also a bestselling author) to pen the Coffeehouse Mysteries for Penguin. Together Cleo and her husband also write the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries under the name Alice Kimberly. When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or rescuing stray cats, Cleo and Marc are bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for NBC, Lucasfilm, Disney, Fox, Imagine, and MGM. In their spare time they cook like crazy and drink a lot of java. You can learn more about Cleo, her husband, and the books they write by visiting CoffeehouseMystery.com . Scroll down the left column of the site's Home Page and you will see links to a number of online interviews that Cleo has given. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • There's nothing cozier than a winter evening in Greenwich Village. Streetlights shimmer through icy flakes, cafés glow with welcoming warmth, and a layer of snow dusts historic townhouses like powdered sugar on holiday confections. Murder has no place in such a pretty picture, until now...
  • Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has grown very fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa who's been using her Village Blend as a place to warm his mittens. When she finds him brutally gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her that Alfred's death was something more than the tragic result of a random mugging--the conclusion of the police. With Clare's boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn, distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt investigating this year's holiday lingerie catalogs (an annual event), Clare charges ahead solo to solve her beloved Santa's slaying. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and she really gets steamed. But she'd better watch out, because if she fails to stop this stone cold killer, she may just get the biggest chill of her life.
  • This very special holiday entry in
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author Cleo Coyle's culinary mystery series includes a bonus section of delicious holiday recipes as well as a glossary of coffeehouse terms, instructions on making espressos and lattes without an expensive machine, and tips for creating tasty coffeehouse syrups at home.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(193)
★★★★
25%
(80)
★★★
15%
(48)
★★
7%
(22)
★
-7%
(-22)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

The Coffee Lady is back

I've been a reader of this series from the beginning, as well as a frequent visitor to the virtual Village Blend coffeehouse, [...]. This latest installment is a winner. She really brings the feel of Christmas in the city, in particular, the Village, alive. I won't recap the bones of the story, as that's been handled by the other reviewers. Suffice it to say, the mystery is a particularly good one, and I didn't see all the aspects of the end, coming. Clare gets in some comical situations, as well as some dangerous ones, which gives the book a good balance. I enjoy the way her relationship with her ex-husband is handled,: "We'd run our wagon wheels over this road so often, the grooves reached the earth's mantle", as well as her current relationship with Detective Mike Quinn, who comes with an ex as well as two children. It gives a realistic look at a mature relationship that comes with baggage. I'm not a huge fan of similes, and she uses a few, but contains herself, unlike some other authors I could name HA! A special bonus is the last section of the book meant to serve as a primer of all things coffee related: history, terms, drink recipes. She includes recipes for holiday baking as well, and infuses those with things related to characters in the story. Her directions are very specific as well and easy to follow. Well done! I'm waiting (impatiently) for the next book!
13 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

HO-HO-HUM---

I would suggest this book for the extensive coffee-making tips and recipes, but not the lackluster story. The later additions to this series do not contain the "magic" of the earlier works. This story in particular spent most of its time dealing with the mundane lows of relationships and little time on the actual mystery. It revealed bits and pieces of the characters, yet never spent enough time to really flesh them out. The ending was also rushed as the unrelated clues were lumped together when Clare miraculously finds the missing evidence and solves the case single-handedly... Bah! Humbug!
6 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

What fun!

As my previous reviews of her books surely demonstrate, I've enjoyed every one the Clare Cosi mystery series, set in a Greenwich Village coffee shop. So when the author offered me an advanced reading copy of this latest book, I said YES with the enthusiasm I might ordinarily reserve for answering, "Would you like a free chocolate-hazelnut biscotti?" I'm so very glad I did.

This installment is set soon after Thanksgiving, when Clare is trying to invest her staff with a little holiday spirit. She's adding new items to the coffeehouse menu, flavored lattes that capture "what Christmas tastes like" to different people -- a suggestion made by a "traveling Santa," one of the charity-money-raising Santas whom she's befriended. When Al is found dead -- by Clare -- she's certain that it was murder, NOT a mugging gone wrong. And after Al's daughter pleads with her to help... Well, you know what happens. Clare has to investigate!

The result is, easily, as enjoyable as the rest of the series: good storytelling, believable situations (with the nit-picking exception that I don't buy that the holiday-loving Clare wouldn't have read the original Dickens Christmas Carol), and regular characters who each have their own story arcs. I'm glad to see more of barista Esther Best, for instance, and even Java the cat gets a few walk-on parts. The mystery is fun to puzzle over, certainly. And you'll continue to learn more about coffee, along with enjoying a large section of recipes for holiday treats (from latkes to Italian cookies) which could probably supply most office parties for the entire season.

While most cozy mysteries do really demand that you start with the first in the series, I think this one could be read standalone more than most. If the premise appeals to you (I know some people really love Christmas-time mysteries) don't be dissuaded by the fact that you don't know What Has Gone Before. It'll be fine.

All in all: a good book to curl up with in front of a roaring fire.
6 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Bring On the Mistletoe!

"Holiday Grind" is full of holiday spirit and festive treats. The recipes look terrific, I agree that the red and green biscotti are a "must-bake". Reading this book did make me want to run out and buy a holiday latte! I especially liked the different holiday treats from various cultures and faiths.
The mystery itself was was solid and left me guessing until the end. Yes, Clare solves the mystery single-handedly, but she is the heroine! That is kind of how these things work :) Clare's rescue from the river made for some especially humorous moments.
There are a couple little things that prevented me from giving this book five stars....unfortunately, they are ongoing annoyances. Frankly, I think Matt is slimy and I find it really distasteful and creepy the way he is constantly copping a feel of Clare. Even with a shared history, I don't think it is very realistic or entertaining that Clare allows Matt to put his hands all over her and make suggestive comments. Ew! Not to mention that Matt and Bree's "honeymoon phase" didn't even last half a book! The other thing that "grinds" my gears (pun intended!) is how bratty Joy acts. She is not very nice to her mom, but her absentee dad can do no wrong. I hope Coyle has Joy outgrow this skewed view of her parents soon. Her snotty attitude takes away from the warm feeling of the books at times.
Overall, I enjoyed this entry in the series and can't wait to use some of the recipes and ideas this holiday season!
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Holiday Grind-great read and great recipes

I have just completed the eighth book in the "Coffeehouse Mystery" series by Cleo Coyle, Holiday Grind. While I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series, this eighth installment has been one of my favorites of the series thus far. And while I by no means recommend doing this to anyone, this is one book where I scanned through the end of the book first before reading the mystery. For also in the rear of this installment, Ms. Coyle had included recipes for various coffee drinks, as well as desserts and pertinent coffee facts. What a great holiday gift for us all!! I would recommend to her readers that they use these recipes to enjoy one of the "Fa-La-La-La-Lattes" and perhaps one of "Clare's Mini Red and Green Holiday Biscotti" while enjoying the eighth installment of her mystery series. It would certainly add to their enjoyment of this particular mystery.

The mystery begins with the murder of one of Clare's friends, who plays a traveling Santa during the Christmas season. His daughter requests that Clare investigate the death, as the policeman in charge of investigating the crime is all too eager to write it off as just another burglary gone wrong. The following pages of the mystery are so engaging, and the plot developments so engrossing, I found it impossible to put Holiday Grind down until I was completely finished.

The characters with whom we are all familiar are present and accounted for, Clare's current flame, Mike, her ex-husband, Matt, as well as all of our favorite "Village Blend" regulars. Of course, there are personal revelations with many of these favorites as well.

You must certainly place Holiday Grind at the top of your holiday season "not-to-miss" reads. For those of you familiar with the Coffeehouse Mysteries, as well as those of you who are just becoming fans, I can assure all of you that you will definitely not be disappointed with this latest installment of the series. Also, should you wish to investigate this series and all things coffee-related further, you may peruse the author's website, [...]
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Fun Holiday Cozy Mystery

In Coffee House Mystery #8, Clare Cosi is back along with some of the characters from her earlier series mysteries. Clare is a single mom, girlfriend to a NYPD detective, and coffee house manager of the Village Blend in New York City. When Clare's friend Alf, a traveling, charity Santa is missing at the Holiday Latte tasting party, Clare becomes concerned and decides to go and look for him. She finds him dead in an alley. Murder or mugging gone wrong? Clare is convinced it is murder, but the police are not so sure. When the victim's daughter asks Clare to help investigate what really happened, she can't resist.

My Thoughts - If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then I think you will enjoy this book. It was an entertaining holiday read. One of my favorite things about this book (and others in the series) is the wonderful coffee recipes, and other goody recipes included in the back of these books. By the way, it is NOT necessary to have read the previous books in order to enjoy Holiday Grind. Personally, I have read books 1, 2, 3 and now 8. (I was glad to see some of my favorite characters were still around, and I look forward to reading more by this author. RECOMMENDED

(I was pleased to see book 9 is scheduled to be released in August of 2010: Roast Mortem )...(LOL)
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Truly for coffee lovers

It is good book to read before bed or in the winter in front of a roaring fire. A nice cozy mystery novel. It ties in nicely with the rest of the series. It even contain recipes for coffee treats. Enjoy
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Great Holiday Book!

I really enjoyed this book as I have all the coffee house mysteries! The holiday time, the coffee, the food, and the mystery were a delight to read during downtime from the Thanksgiving holiday. I recommend to anyone who wants a quick, entertaining, and relaxing read.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Enjoy This Great Holiday Blend

With the winter holidays fast approaching, the Village Blend coffeehouse owner and head barista, Clare Cosi, asked her employees what does Christmas taste like. They held an informal session as everyone shared their ideas for new holiday-flavored lattes.

That evening the blend hosted a private latte tasting party so guests could vote on their favorite flavors to highlight during the upcoming season. The Fa-la-la-la latte tag was created by charity Santa Alfred Glockner who had a habit of stopping by the Blend for his own specialty latte every afternoon during his shift.

When Santa didn't show up at the latte party he had inspired, Clare dressed for the elements and plunged into the snowy night. She soon found Santa shot dead in a nearby alley. When police decided his shooting was nothing more than a random mugging, Clare decided to go into action. Unfortunately, it seemed Santa was the naughty one and that was why he ended up on someone's hit list.

Although the usual characters such as ex-husband Matt Allegro and current special friend, detective Mike Quinn, are on the scene, the author also introduces a number of others such as a mysterious redhead and the especially interesting detective Franco.

Holiday Grind is the eighth novel in the Coffeehouse Mystery series by husband and wife team, Cleo Coyle. This edition provides an entertaining whodunit with a side of delicious baked goods and tantilizing flavored lattes.

There is the usual sexual tension between Matt and Clare, especially as he and his new wife are not getting along. The tension between Matt and Mike also seems realistic.

An added bonus to this book is the expanded recipes and tips section in the back, written especially as a holiday gift for readers. A mini-book on coffeehouse terms and drinks, including recipes for making your own coffee syrups and lattes will delight fans. There are also additional holiday recipes provided by the Holiday Grind cast.

[[ASIN:0425230058 Holiday Grind (Coffee House Mystery)]]
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Five Stars

I love the characters in these fast paced mysteries.

Related Books