Another Review at MyShelf.Com

French Pressed
A Coffeehouse Mystery, # 6

by Cleo Coyle



      Another delightful entry in Ms. Coyle’s coffeehouse series, French Pressed follows the continuing saga of Claire Cosi, Manager and future part-owner of the Village Blend, located in New York City. This time, Claire’s daughter is the one brewing the problems as she works out her internship with the married Chef Tommy, at his elegant French restaurant.

Claire really feels that she has enough in her cup running the Village Blend under the eagle eye of her ex-mother-in-law, the owner of the venerable institution. In addition, she has to deal with a recalcitrant ex-husband, Matteo, who is also the coffee buyer for Village Blend. Now Joy, with the irritating naiveté and bone-headed stubbornness of the young, has decided that an affair with her married boss is just her cup of java! As any determined mother would do, Claire decides to meddle, making a deal with Chef Tommy to micro-roast and French press her exclusive and excellent coffee blends. Soon, Claire is not only tangled up with, and snooping in, Joy’s life, but in the cutthroat business of New York restaurants, up to and including murder! Reading the book is like sitting in the Village Blend yourself, watching the give and take of the baristas, and the dynamics of this mixed-up but functional family.

Each of the wonderful titles in this series offers cover-to-cover information and entertainment about baristas, coffee, and beans, including terrific recipes and tips at the back of the book. However, even if you are not a coffee drinker, you will enjoy the often-amusing interplay between the characters in Ms. Coyle’s books, and want to keep up with the on-going drama of Claire’s love life, which is as tangled up as her amateur sleuthing!

For those who like to know the lesser-known tidbits about authors’ lives, Cleo Coyle is the nom de plume for Alice Alfonsi and her husband, Marc Cerasini. This trendy, married writing team has co-written a number of bestselling books. As Cleo Coyle, they write The Coffeehouse Mysteries and as Alice Kimberly, they write The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. The Coffeehouse Mysteries books are eminently readable individually, but it is so appealing to start at the beginning and just go on reading! Enjoy!

The Book

Berkley Prime Crime
April 1, 2008
Mass Market Paperback
978-0-425-22049-8
Cozy Mystery
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Laura Strathman Hulka
Reviewed 2008
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© 2008 MyShelf.com