Billionaire Blend

October 28, 2013
The repeated visits from a customer dubbed “Quiz Master,” who requests obscure coffee drinks, piques the interest of Claire Cosi, co-owner of Village Blend, a cafe in Manhattan, in Coyle’s appealing 13th coffeehouse mystery (after 2012’s Holiday Buzz). Before Claire can find out who the man is or what he wants, an explosion from a car bomb rocks the shop. The Quiz Master, who’s injured in the blast, turns out to be Internet billionaire Eric Thorner. Thorner has big plans that include enticing Clare and her co-owner, ex-husband Matt Allegro, with a business proposition, as well as wooing Clare. Unfortunately, Thorner may also be a target of a killer, and may be a killer himself, and Clare needs to sort out the truth about her unusual customer in order to survive. Coyle (the husband-and-wife team of Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi) combines fascinating coffee lore, sumptuous culinary events, extravagant lifestyles, and romantic possibilities for a highly satisfying mystery. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency.

Starred review from November 15, 2013
A coffeehouse manager's opportunity to expand her business starts with a bang. A mysterious stranger has been plying Clare Cosi's baristas with questions. Just as she gets to talk to him herself, a car bomb almost kills them and does serious damage to the Village Blend. It turns out that the inquisitive pest is billionaire tech-genius Eric Thorner, who offers Clare and her ex-husband, Matt, a globe-trotting coffee hunter, the chance to create a blend so special that only billionaires can afford it. Eric not only provides the money for quick repairs, but also buys the shop a top-of-the-line espresso maker. Neither Matt nor Clare's boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, is pleased, since Eric, who has a bad reputation with women, obviously has more than coffee in mind. But the business is so short on cash that Clare takes the plunge despite reservations of her own. Eric's chauffeur, who was killed in the blast, had been working undercover for the family of a former girlfriend they suspect Eric of killing. But when the bomb squad talks to Eric, he accuses his business rival, an Aussie billionaire who wants to cash in on the app business that's made Eric rich. Eric, Matt and Clare travel the world looking for that special coffee while the fatalities related to Eric's company pile up back in New York. With Mike working for a special task force in D.C., Clare's on her own against a dangerous adversary. Coyle's long string of coffeehouse mysteries (Holiday Buzz, 2012, etc.) are always good value for the coffee lore and appended recipes. This is one of her best.

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December 1, 2013
Like most amateur sleuths, coffee-shop owner Clare Cosi would seem hard pressed to keep finding murders to solve, but it's a lot easier when car bombs go off in front of your store. This particular bomb was aimed at techno-wunderkind Eric Thorner, whose life is saved by quick-thinking Clare. Thorners' driver, however, isn't so lucky. Thorner thanks Clare for his life with a dream brewing machine and an opportunity to help create the world's most expensive coffee. The project entails jetting about the world in search of the perfect bean, but, while Clare is impressed by life in the fast lane, all she really wants is to be with her cop-boyfriend, Mike. Meanwhile, she tries to determine who planted the bomb, and when further mayhem strikes, it's clear that she's getting closer. Imaginative recipes and fascinating coffee details surround the mystery with an appealing aroma. Foodie mystery fans will savor this one along with titles by Julie Hyzy and Laura Childs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)