Lisa Dawn Martinez

The paint is barely dry on the walls and the company doesn't even have a name yet, but they already have their first client. I love this private detective agency that is run by Sean and Sara McKinley, former police officers, now retired and turned detectives. Sean has come into some serious wealth and the payments he takes are all given over to charities. None of the monies are taken for his or his wife's profit.

Sean and Sara McKinley are approached by a young woman who feels her mother was poisoned with cyanide-laced coffee. However there are no suspects and no motives. All the woman has is the remains of the bag of coffee beans her mother was making her coffee from. This sets the newly formed investigative firm into action to first of all discover if the deceased woman was poisoned and then to determine who did it. I enjoyed this fun cozy mystery with this loving married couple and their group of sidekicks.

It was fun to see them go undercover, working at jobs they weren't used to - particularly Sean who finds the smells from this job a little nauseating. Poor Sara has to admit to herself that she is somewhat addicted to caffeine as she can't give up her daily brew even though most places around town are likely selling the poisoned variety.

There were lots of twists and turns in this fast-paced who-dun-it mystery, but don't count your chickens before their hatched. You'd better make sure you've got all your facts straight before you arrest someone or you'll be letting the killer get away. Coffee is Murder will have you guessing who the real killer is right up until the very end.

I love the characters of Sean and Sara. It is obvious that they love each other a lot but the novel is a clean romance with clean language, making it a pleasurable relaxing read for those who would rather read books free of that kind of thing. They work well together and seem fairly realistic. I like the way they make use of their resources - unselfishly, for the good of others and enjoy working with their staff - Jimmy, Helen and Adam. I also appreciate the interaction between the staff and look forward to seeing their character development in other novels in this series.

And, oh yes, what should they name the new P.I. firm?

This cozy mystery was a fun read that those who enjoy this genre will enjoy. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

To see my complete review, visit Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2015/05/book-review-coffee-is-murde...… (meer)