About the Book
When Lana Lewis’ best — and most difficult — employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition just days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café’s chances of winning the contest are creamed. In front of a gossipy crowd in the small Florida town of Devil’s Beach, Lana’s normally calm demeanor heats to a boil when she runs into the arrogant java slinger. Of course, Fabrizio “Fab” Bellucci has a slick explanation for jumping ship. But when he’s found dead the next morning under a palm tree in the alley behind Lana’s café, she becomes the prime suspect.
Even the island’s handsome police chief isn’t quite certain of her innocence. But Lana isn’t the only one in town who was angry with Fabrizio. Jilted lovers, a shrimp boat captain, and a surfer with ties to the mob are all suspects as trouble brews on the beach.
With her stoned, hippie dad, a Shih Tzu named Stanley, and a new, curious barista sporting a punk rock aesthetic at her side, Lana’s prepared to turn up the heat to catch the real killer. After all, she is a former award-winning reporter. As scandal hangs over her beachside café, can Lana clear her name and win the championship — or will she come to a bitter end?
My Review
I haven’t read a cozy mystery in some time and Grounds For Murder had me wondering why I’ve strayed from the genre. Set in the sunshine state, we follow Lana as she tries to juggle losing her job, her relationship, and now being involved in a scandal as an employee of her café ends up dead. As she tries to convince the police chief she’s innocent – and get her feelings for him under control while she’s under suspicion – a slew of strange characters keep popping up around the café, including a new employee and Shih Tzu that Lana takes in.
I enjoyed that the suspense aspect was drawn out until the end. I had a few suspicions along the way but it was never blatantly obvious who was behind Fab’s death, and with such a large supporting cast, there were plenty of questions and people to point fingers at while reading. The book read quickly and was plenty of entertaining – Lana’s dad was quite the hoot and even Stanley the pup had some great moments. If cozy mysteries are your thing, give this one a read!
4 stars
