Latte Trouble

It's Fashion Week in New York City -- and Clare's shop, the historic Village Blend, is the location of a prestigious insider's party for loyal customer and iconic designer Lottie Harmon, who is about to launch a collection of coffee-inspired accessories aptly named Java Jewelry. But the event, which is attended by the city's most zealous fashionistas, goes terribly wrong when a customer is poisoned and dies from cyanide in his latte. A barista, who coincidentally was recently dumped by the victim, is arrested and charged with murder. But Clare knows in her heart that her employee is innocent and begins to investigate the people surrounding the enigmatic Lottie Harmon. When Clare uncovers a scheme to blackmail one of Lottie's business partners and then that partner suddenly turns up dead, she knows that there is trouble brewing

Fans of Laura Childs' popular Tea Shop mysteries (Chamomile Mourning, The Jasmine Moon Murder, The English Breakfast Murder, et al.) who are looking for a comparable series should definitely check out Coyle's Coffeehouse mysteries. In Latte Trouble, readers will not only get an in-depth education in the purchasing and preparing of various coffee concoctions (the recipe for caramel-chocolate latte is wonderful!); they will also be kept guessing until the very end as to the identity of the killer -- a mystery that is, indeed, good to the last drop. Paul Goat Allen