Espresso and Evil
by Agatha Frost
Kindle Edition, 260 pages
Published June 20th 2017 by Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Goodreads synopsis:
The 6th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series!
When a coffee shop opens in the village, Julia is surprised when her customers flock to the new business, leaving her café almost empty. A failed protest against the corporate chain store leaves Julia wondering if her café can survive, but she suddenly has bigger fish to fry when the owner of the coffee shop is poisoned, and she is framed for his murder.
As Julia attempts to clear her name, she is stopped in her tracks when an unwanted familiar face arrives in Peridale. Her past and present crash together, threatening to jeopardize her blossoming relationship with Barker. Julia's history is back to haunt her, and she is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions before it is too late. Somebody is trying to frame Julia for her rival's murder, but can she juggle her most challenging case yet with her complicated love life before she loses more than just her café?
***
4.5 Stars
This is the sixth book in the Peridale Cafe mystery series by Agatha Frost.
A new business has opened across the way from Julia’s cafe and it is run by one of her father’s old friends she used to call Uncle Anthony. Apparently, Anthony is just as ruthless as her father had been back in his antiquing days and he goes to extremes to make everyone come to his shop and shun Julia’s cafe. And when he turns up dead, the suspect list is long and lengthy. Anthony made an enemy of everyone.
I felt bad for Julia in this book. A man she had looked up to in her youth had turned out to be a ruthless and uncaring butthead. Then her ex-husband shows up unexpectedly working alongside Anthony in the new coffeehouse venture and informs her that they are still married since he never signed the divorce papers. And then to top it off her detective inspector boyfriend says he needs space when he learns she failed to tell him she had been what she thought was divorced.
This series has really hit its stride in such a short interval. All the characters are already becoming like old friends you are glad to visit again and again. You don’t find that in a lot of stories. When Julia finally decides “eureka!” when figuring out whodunit, I am still clueless. The characters feel very rich and vibrant. I enjoy the relationship Julia has with her young adopted daughter, Jesse. So sweet!
This book has so much more in it than solving a murder. You can see life being lived in this book and feel for all the characters within its pages. Such a nice thing to see in a cozy mystery. I look forward to all the future books in this series with glee.
If you love a good cozy mystery, check this one out and decide for yourself.
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