Synopses & Reviews
When coffeehouse manager turned amateur sleuth Clare Cosi roasts magic” beans for Fairy Tale Week, she brews up a vision that leads to a sleeping beauty in Central Park; a big, bad wolf of Wall Street; and an East Side enclave with storybook secrets... Fairy tale fever has descended on New York City. Broadway fans are flocking to Red Riding Hood: The Musical; museums are exhibiting art inspired by the Brothers Grimm; and Clare Cosi gives her coffee truck a Jack and the Beanstalk” makeover for a Central Park festival.
Clares coffee hunter ex-husband contributes a bag of African beans with alleged magical properties. His octogenarian mother entertains customers with readings of the grinds, but Clare remains skepticaluntil she receives a vision that helps her find a young models body in the parks woods.
The police dismiss sleeping beauty” as the victim of a drug overdose. Then Clare uncovers evidence that points to a roster of suspects, from a wolf of Wall Street to a New York Giant and a wicked witch of the West Side.
Now Clare is really in the woodswith a dangerous predator on her heels and an investigation that leads from a secret Prince Charming club right back to her own NYPD detective boyfriend. If she doesnt solve this mystery, those magic beans predict an unhappy ending.
Includes wicked good recipes!
Review
Praise for Once Upon a Grind: "There's magic in the Ethiopian coffee beans that Matt Allegro, Clare Cosi's ex-husband, brings to her New York coffeehouse at the start of Coyle's 14th amusing combination of caffeine and chaos." --Publishers Weekly
"This series continues to mix clever and intricate plots with a regular cast of characters who become more enjoyable with every episode. Many recipes finish off another successful coffee hour (or two) with Clare." --Booklist
Praise for the Coffeehouse Mysteries
“Coyles long string of coffeehouse mysteries are always good value for the coffee lore and appended recipes. This is one of her best.”—Kirkus Reviews on Billionaire Blend (Starred Review)
“Highly recommended for all mystery collections.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Sprightly…and engaging.”—Publishers Weekly
“Some of the most vibrant characters Ive ever read.”—Mystery Scene Magazine
“What a pleasure to read a book by this author.”—Portland Book Review
“A delicious mystery!”—Womans World
“Clare Cosi is one of my favorite amateur sleuths…An excellent series…If you are not reading the Coffeehouse Mysteries yet, you are seriously missing out.”—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
Review
and#8220;[An] amusing combination of caffeine and chaos.and#8221;and#8212;
Publishers Weekly and#8220;This series continues to mix clever and intricate plots with a regular cast of characters who become more enjoyable with every episode.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author of Billionaire Blendand#151;a mystery with a sleeping beauty that is and#147;so much fun to read.and#8221;* Itand#8217;s Fairy Tale Week in New York City, and Clare Cosi has given her coffee truck a and#147;Jack and the Beanstalkand#8221; makeover for the Central Park festival. Her ex-husband has contributed a bag of African coffee beans with alleged magical properties, and his octogenarian mother is giving out readings of the grinds. But Clare remains skepticaland#151;until she receives a vision that helps her find a young modeland#8217;s body in the parkand#8217;s woods.
The police dismiss and#147;sleeping beautyand#8221; as the victim of a drug overdose. But when Clare uncovers evidence that points to murder, she winds up with a dangerous predator on her heels and an investigation that leads right back to her own NYPD detective boyfriend. If she doesnand#8217;t solve this mystery fast, those magic beans predict an unhappy ending.
*Once Upon a Romance
About the Author
Cleo Coyle is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. In addition to their New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse Mysteries, their Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, published under the name Alice Kimberly, are national bestselling works of amateur-sleuth fiction for Berkley Prime Crime. Alice and Marc were born and raised in small towns near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They met in New York City, where both began their postcollege careers, and married in Nevadas Little Church of the West. Now they live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together. When not haunting coffeehouses or hunting ghosts, Alice writes young adult and childrens books; Marc writes thrillers and nonfictionand both are New York Times bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, and MGM.