A Death at the Yoga Café

November 28, 2016
An upcoming arts festival in the English village of Belfrey, home to Keeley Carpenter and her vegetarian cafe and yoga studio, is the backdrop for Kelly’s entertaining sequel to 2016’s Downward Facing Death. When Keeley is asked to allow visiting artist Suzy to exhibit her work in the cafe, Keeley agrees, mostly because rival Raquel Philips is doing the same for Suzy’s boyfriend, Christian. When Belfrey’s unpleasant mayor, Gerald Buxby, is found dead soon after a heated argument with Raquel, his former girlfriend, Keeley decides to defend the woman, despite their tense relationship. Keeley’s boyfriend, Det. Constable Ben Taylor, won’t tell her much, and she feels compelled to do a little investigating herself when Raquel asks for her help. Keeley’s pointed snooping leads her to more than one likely suspect but also puts her in danger. Recipes and yoga positions, as well as an uncomfortable visit from Keeley’s mother, Darla Carpenter, lend spice to this agreeable cozy. Agent: Isabel Atherton, Creative Artists (U.K.).

December 1, 2016
The proprietor of a cafe and yoga studio seeks justice when a longtime acquaintance is falsely accused of murder.Yoga instructor and restaurateur Keeley Carpenter has reached a good place in her life. Not only has she managed to open a little vegetarian cafe and yoga studio in Belfrey, her English hometown, but she's also dating Ben Taylor, her former high school crush. Though Keeley and Ben had some tense times when she informally investigated the Terry Smith case (Downward Facing Death, 2016)--Ben is a detective, after all--that's all in the past now, leaving them to settle into a comfortable routine. Naturally, Keeley's mother chooses this moment to come to town for an extended visit. It's not that Darla doesn't have good intentions, or so she says; it's just that she expresses those intentions through constant criticisms of Keeley. Keeley's prayers for some distraction are answered when Belfrey mayor Gerald Buxby is savagely murdered in his home. Gerald's girlfriend, Raquel, fast becomes the prime suspect. Though Keeley was never close with Gerald and is no more than a frenemy to Raquel, she can't resist Raquel's pleas that she investigate because she believes Raquel innocent. Keeley's insistence in getting involved puts her at odds with Ben, who ought to be her closest ally. Even though she worries that her principles will put her relationship at risk, she can't back down. Yoga poses are interspersed with chapters, and a set of vegetarian recipes is added to the epilogue in this simple tale of small-town murder-cum-life cycle events.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 15, 2016
Keeley Carpenter, yoga instructor and owner of a vegetarian restaurant, the Yoga Cafe, investigates when Gerald Buxby, the mayor of the small English village of Belfrey, is murdered after an argument with his girlfriend, Raquel Philips, a rival cafe owner and Keeley's nemesis. Raquel begs Keeley to help her when it becomes apparent she is the chief suspect in the murder. Believing Raquel is innocent, Keeley reluctantly agrees to look into the matter against the wishes of her boyfriend, Detective Constable Ben Taylor. Complicating matters, Keeley's overly critical mother, Darla, is staying with her in her apartment over the cafe and seems to be behaving suspiciously. After Keeley is attacked and another Belfrey resident is murdered, Ben learns that Keeley has continued her investigation, and their relationship is strained to the breaking point. The well-drawn main and secondary characters add to the story, and descriptions of yoga poses are included throughout, which will appeal to fans of Elizabeth J. Duncan's Penny Brannigan series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)