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When coffee shop employee Annabelle falls down a flight of stairs at work one night and becomes comatose, the police think that it was probably an accident. But shop manager Clare thinks that Annabelle was pushed and begins looking for suspects. Annabelle knew quite a few people who would gain from her death- jealous rivals and a wealthy boyfriend who may not want a poor girlfriend anymore. I expected this to be a fluff mystery, but though the crime takes place on the first pages, it doesn't become the focus of the story until nearly 100 pages in. Instead, so much is about Clare's problems with her ex-husband and her adoration of Madame, owner of the coffee shop. And yes, lots of coffee talk: how to make different coffee drinks, how to mess up coffee, how to store it, etc. Not a surprise in a book that is set in a coffee shop, but it really is non-stop preparation and consumption of coffee. My other problem was why a coffee shop manager would investigate what turns out to be a very serious crime. The police are there and Clare has no experience in law, yet from the very beginning she is interviewing suspects. Someone else may find this book charming, but I found it too out there to continue with this series.

2022-11-14 16:57