Saturday, May 16, 2009

Snip It Saturday


The worst kind of welcome back gift? A murder. That is exactly what Clare Cosi gets in this Berkley Mystery, On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle. Clare is returning to her career as manager of the Village Blend historic coffeehouse in New York's Greenwhich Village. Clare is now in her forties, and her daughter is grown and in culinary school. Coming back to her previous job is kind of nostalgic and exciting, until, DUN-DUN-DUN . . . her ex arrives. Yup, the old ex husband, who is charming, good-looking and oh, so Italian! Yummy, :). Of course, he's still a macho, self-involved kinda guy, which Clare can't stand, neither can she keep away from him! There is your romantic background, just a little, and it does not take over the storyline.

The real kicker is the "accident" that takes place the night before Clare's arrival. Of course, she refuses to believe it was an accident, she is determined to find the murderer. I love the flow of the story, the feel of the "typical" mystery setting, the clues given, the familiarity of the characters. The snip-it I give to you today, is an example of one of my favorite features of the book, the coffee talk! Or, talk about coffee: where to buy it, how to store it and the best way to brew it! The author throws in these nice bits throughout the story, but it is not forced, it is a natural extension of the main character. Her life is coffee! So here it is, a scene portraying how busy the Village Blend can be and the expertise of it's manager and coffee connoisseur, Clare:

A quality espresso should consist entirely of rich, reddish-brown crema as it flows easily out of the portafilter spout. Crema, or coffee foam, is the single most important thing to look for in a well-made espresso. It tells you the oils in ground coffee have been extracted and suspended in the liquid - the thing that makes espresso, espresso.
"Got that mocha?"
"Got it!"
"XXX!"
Triple espresso.
"Skinny hazelnut cap with wings!"
Cappuccino with skim mild, hazelnut syrup, and extra foam.
"Caffe Caramella!"
Latte with caramel syrup, topped with sweetened whipped cream and a drizzle of warm caramel topping.
"Caffe Kiss-Kiss!"
Otherwise known on our menu as Rasberry-Mocha Bocci. One of my favorite dessert drinks. "Got it!"

And on it goes, the orders, the lightning speed of the well-trained barrista -- now sleuth! A nice treat are the recipes included in the back of the book. AND, if you really love A Village Blend there is even a virtual world to visit! I was just browsing over there and found some pretty tasty sounding recipes. Plus, there are giveaways! What blog-loving lady can ignore a good giveaway?? LOL! Buy the book, borrow the book, just read the book! Enjoy! :)

On What Ground by Cleo Coyle
c2003 by The Berkley Publishing Group

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations, you won my giveaway of the 16"x20" poster print. Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize. If you fail to contact me within the 48 hours I will use choose another winner.

Cheryl @ a pretty cool life. said...

Great blog!

Anonymous said...

The days of me getting to read for pleasure and not just necessity (aka foodnetwork.com recipes) feel so far behind me and so far off in the future due to my now toddlers that finding your site that gives me a synopsis of what I could and SHOULD be reading in the moment is just delicious to me. Consider yourself followed!

My best, Lynn
Thanks for stopping by...
www.safebeauty.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Oh I apologize for my run-on sentences. Like I said, I haven't done proper reading in awhile... ;o)

Cleo Coyle said...

Cheers to you BookLady! Just dropped by to feel the refreshing SoCal beach breeze on my face and say you are Java Goddess. Thanks for the fun review of my caffeine-laced murder mysteries and for letting your fans and friends know about my *virtual* coffeehouse web site. Drop in anytime for a cuppa virtual joe. Also thrilled to hear that you run an indie bookshop - just like my OTHER heroine/sleuth, Penelope Thornton-McClure!

Cheers and thanks again,
Cleo Coyle
author of The Coffeehouse Mysteries
& The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries (under the pen name Alice Kimberly)

www.CoffeehouseMystery.com
Where coffee and crime are always brewing...

Cleo Coyle

MaryRC said...

we all long for the simple life of the cafe with a shot of drama, sounds like a fun one...

Ronnica said...

It always makes me feel good when the author stops by my posts, too! The wonder that is Google.