Roast Mortem (Coffeehouse Mystery Series #9)
4.3
61
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780425242728 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 08/02/2011 |
| Series: | Coffeehouse Mystery Series , #9 |
| Pages: | 368 |
| Sales rank: | 102,341 |
| Product dimensions: | 4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.10(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
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Roast Mortem (Coffeehouse Mystery Series #9)
4.3 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
61 reviews.
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an excellent read
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Smokin'! This is the best Coffeehouse/Clare Cosi yet! Most times a series will start to head south with nine on the shelves, but not this one. Each book is better than the last.
The mixture of the coffeehouses being torched brings Clare into the picture with credibility, which not all cozies can do with any sense of veracity. My favorites are the ones that do it in aces, and this one does it nicely roasted spades.
Okay, enough of the playing card euphemisms...
I liked seeing plenty of Clare and Mike's growing relationship as much as I liked seeing how well Clare gets along with Matt, her ex-husband and still business partner..and friend. They help each other out and the tension seems to have dissipated that was always near the surface in past books. Probably helped that Breanna, Matt's current fashionista wife, wasn't in the book except as honorable mention. Don't like her...there..it's said...
Learning more of Mike's past was enlightening. There is a rivalry between Mike Quinn the cop and his cousin Michael Quinn the firefighter, a rivalry in all things, including the attentions of Clare.
Defnitely plenty of twists and turns through the story and the 'Whaaaa..?!' moments were priceless and believable.
I was honored to have an email from Cleo Coyle not long ago asking if I'd like an advanced copy of ROAST MORTEM before it comes out on 3 Aug 2010. I emailed right back with a very composed, "Yes,yes,yes,yes...please!!" Okay, I was a wee bit giddy....sigh...there it is...
Five the girl is giddy and the book is smokin' fab beans and five diamonds to go with....
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Although she is love with NYPD Detective Mike Quinn and long divorced from Matt Allegro, Clare Cosi remains manager and barista of the historic Village Blend Coffeehouse. When the owner, her former mother-in-law, dies, she and Matt will inherit half shares of the cafe. Claire and Madame (her former mother-in-law) visit her friend Enzo Testa at his Queens Caffe Lucia. Claire leaves Madame and Enzo in the basement to let her barrister Dante Silva inro the closed café..
An explosion in front of the café sends the building into an inferno. Clare manages to get Dante out of the blaze. Ladder Company 199 rescues Madame and Enzo who were trapped inside by a fire door. When two more coffeehouses are torched and the Village Blend threatened, Clare investigates with the unofficial approval of the Fire Marshal. She considers several suspects, but while sleuthing meets Fire Captain Mike Quinn, cousin to her Mike Quinn who are bitter enemies. She tries to avoid him because he keeps telling lies about her love and keeps mailing passes at her. In an ironic twist, he is her best source for information.
This high octane amateur sleuth is an explosive whodunit. Clare is a dedicated loyal person whose inquiry places her in deadly scenarios. Besides the strong arsonist investigation, there is also a romantic subplot, but Cleo Coyle serves her latest specialty blend (see Holiday Grind) around the mystery.
Harriet Klausner
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While visiting a friend Queen's coffeehouse, an explosion erupts and luckily Clare and friends survived the ordeal. When Clare learns of another same-day explosion at a Brooklyn coffeehouse, Clare is convinced that both were an act of arson and nothing is going to stop her until she finds the arsonist. Something is amiss between Mike and his firefighter cousin and soon Clare is caught in a familial tug of war. Hearing rumors of murder and defective equipment, Clare wonders if all these incidents are linked. This suspenseful story had me riveted to the pages with my guesses and every time I thought I knew who the culprit was those twists and turns the author spun told me, not just yet. The locale, witty conversation, the baristas, Madame and the relationship between Clare, Mike and Matt creates a place where a cup of mocha is indeed a welcomed sip.
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Book nine of this wonderful little cosy mystery series finds Clare Cosi, manager of NY's `Village Blend' coffee house and amateur sleuth, more personally involved in trying to solve a crime this time after her cop boyfriend is accused of arson. Can Clare save the day once more and nail the real culprit?I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed in the book before this one thinking that the storytelling quality had dropped somewhat, but thankfully `Roast Mortem' finds Clare back to her sleuthing best with all of the regular characters thrown in for good measure- and it was nice to meet a few new characters too, particularly some of her boyfriend Mike Quinn's family (though his obnoxious cousin makes a reappearance, unfortunately) and get to know more about him.The writing flows nicely with a fairly fast-paced plot and you are clearly able to visualise the settings as a reader, though I did find myself distracted by a lot of the dialogue this time if I'm honest- there seemed to be so much of it. I also found myself thinking I'd guessed the suspect fairly quickly, though there were a few twists and turns thrown in which didn't make it as easy as I'd anticipated! I enjoy non too predictable mystery novels, of which this was one. At the back of the book are recipes and coffee making tips which have been featured in the story, should you wish to try making any of them yourself. This is actually standard fare for cosy mystery books, but I do always like having a flick through them.Ultimately, these books make for excellent quick reading to while away a few lazy hours. I would have to say though that given that this is now so far along in the series it does take for granted a bit that the reader immediately knows who is who and how relationships are connected, so I would say that these books are probably best off being read in their intended order, just so you aren't thrown in at the deep end! Start at the beginning and savour the tales of Village Blend right from the very start- you don't have to be a mad coffee lover (like me) to enjoy them either.*This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk*
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What a great mystery. More than one twist and turn in the plot, and more than one mystery.Thoroughly enjoyable!
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This is the first book in the series I have read. It is not necessary to read previous books to enjoy it. I will likely look for others in the series. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot - who is starting fires in coffee houses and killing firefighters, and what really went on too make her lover and his cousin hate each other. There was great detail about how to make a perfect cup of coffee - perhaps the one aspect I could have done with less of. The recipes at the end were a nice touch and although I have received an advanced reading copy from LibrarytThing and the recipes are not finalized, they look worth trying.
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although this is the first coffeehouse mystery i have had the priviledge to read, the story did not leave me feeling like i had missed out by not reading the others. i found roast mortem intreging that it was written in the first person thus allowing me to feel like i was solving the crime right along side clare. roast mortem also had little bits of information regarding the process coffee takes from field to cup that made it not only a mystery but also informational. i was amazed at the different ways of roasting coffee. the story had just the right amount of twists and turns. just as i thought i had it figured out something would happen to blow that theory out of the water. i know that this will be a best seller. i also love the fact that "cleo" signed the cover. thank you cleo. a must read. hard to put down.
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Smokin'! This is the best Coffeehouse/Clare Cosi yet! Most times a series will start to head south with nine on the shelves, but not this one. Each book is better than the last.The mixture of the coffeehouses being torched brings Clare into the picture with credibility, which not all cozies can do with any sense of veracity. My favorites are the ones that do it in aces, and this one does it nicely roasted spades. Okay, enough of the playing card euphemisms...I liked seeing plenty of Clare and Mike's growing relationship as much as I liked seeing how well Clare gets along with Matt, her ex-husband and still business partner..and friend. They help each other out and the tension seems to have dissipated that was always near the surface in past books. Probably helped that Breanna, Matt's current fashionista wife, wasn't in the book except as honorable mention. Don't like her...there..it's said... Learning more of Mike's past was enlightening. There is a rivalry between Mike Quinn the cop and his cousin Michael Quinn the firefighter, a rivalry in all things, including the attentions of Clare. Defnitely plenty of twists and turns through the story and the 'Whaaaa..?!' moments were priceless and believable. I was honored to have an email from Cleo Coyle not long ago asking if I'd like an advanced copy of ROAST MORTEM before it comes out on 3 Aug 2010. I emailed right back with a very composed, "Yes,yes,yes,yes...please!!" Okay, I was a wee bit giddy....sigh...there it is...Five the girl is giddy and the book is smokin' fab beans and five diamonds to go with....
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Claire Cosi is back in the ninth Coffeehouse Mystery. Having promised to take her ex-mother-in-law (affectionately known as "Madame") to visit an old friend. Enzo Testa, himself the proprietor of a cafe, has offered the Village Blend an antique coffee roaster. While in the basement checking out the roaster, Claire gets a call from one of her baristas and runs upstairs to let him in. As she closes the door behind Dante, she inadvertently sets off a bomb.Luckily, there's a fire station just down the street, so firefighters arrive within minutes. But Dante is hurt, and Madame and Enzo are trapped downstairs. The building is lost, but Claire and her friends survive. The next day they find out that another coffeehouse was burned down at almost the same time.Is someone targeting the coffeehouses in New York? And is the Village Blend on the arsonist's list? Claire is determined to solve the puzzle before anything happens to her beloved shop.Many of the Village Blend "gang" appear, including Claire's ex-husband Matt and her currentflame Detective Mike Quinn.Many series lose steam after so many installments, but all the volumes of this one have been consistently good. The plots remain interesting and the characters develop in believable ways.
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"Roast Mortem" is Cleo Coyle's ninth Coffeehouse Mystery featuring Clare Cosi, manager of the Village Blend coffeehouse in Greenwich Village.Clare and Madame, her former mother-in-law and owner of the Village Blend, drive to Queens to meet Enzo Testa, a longtime friend of Madame's who has an old coffee blender and photos he wants to return to Madame. While the two women are at Enzo's cafe, a fire fills the building, and New York's bravest must rescue Madame and Enzo. Clare believes a bomb was set at the cafe and she is determined to find the arsonist with the help of her former husband Matt and current squeeze undercover cop Mike Quinn. In this mystery, Clare learns more about Mike and his family, especially his feud with his cousin, Michael Quinn, a fire captain whose squad responded to the call at Enzo's. More fires at coffeehouses result in the deaths of Clare's new firefighter friends and in Mike's arrest. Will she be able to clear Mike?Although this is Cleo Coyle's ninth book in the series, it is only the second book I've read in the series. I need to catch up! The Coffeehouse Mysteries offer readers a fun cozy with plenty of suspects, not to mention coffee tips and great recipes. Clare Cosi and her family are characters I'd love to read more about. Cozy lovers will love Cleo Coyle's "Roast Mortem." I highly recommend it. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of "Roast Mortem" in a member giveaway drawing at Librarything.com.
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Enjoyed the storyline and didn't see the end coming. Love the characters in this series .
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I love the fast pace and easy reading of this series. I'm always intrigued by the recipes at the end and love coffee. They are fun vacation reading books for me.
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Good boom
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Clare Cosi of the NY Village Blend coffeehouse is back into detecting murder. This time she, her famed mother-in-law, and another of her employees are caught in a fire bomb at another coffeehouse. Their good friend and artist ends up in a coma and the fire investigator is not convinced that a firebomb started the fire. But when one of the firefighters looses his life in a second coffeehouse fire, the search begins for this serial arsonist.
This series is always exciting and informative. This book is dedicated to firefighters and their families everywhere, but especially to all those men and women who fought the blazes after the 9/11 tragedy. The authors do a great job humanizing these firefighters--one of which is the fictional brazen cousin of Clare's policeman boyfriend. These cousins' relationship has been less than friendly in the past. We learn about their history in this mystery.
I highly recommend this series. It's also filled with delicious recepies. I've been listening to the audio version of these books, and have found the reader adds a great deal to my enjoyment.
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This series keeps me up at night! I'm buying them 2 at a time and finish them in a couple of days. If you're a coffee fanatic like I am, the tips and recipes at the end are a real plus. Enjoy!
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Got the first few as a gift, bought the rest myself. Will now buy them again for my nook. Love the recipes in the back.
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