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I am delighted to feature and share my thoughts about
Bulletproof Barista (A Coffeehouse Mystery)
by Cleo Coyle
About Bulletproof Barista
Bulletproof Barista (A Coffeehouse Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
20th in Series
Setting – New York
Berkley (November 14, 2023)
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593197593
ISBN-13 : 978-0593197592
Digital ASIN : B0BV6GDX2W
When a film crew’s location shoot delivers an actual shooting, Clare Cosi finds herself at the scene of a true crime in this showstopping entry in the beloved Coffeehouse Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they’ve chosen to spotlight the century-old Village Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Shop manager and master roaster Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.
Madame, the eccentric octogenarian owner of the landmark shop, reveals an old kinship with the star of the show, comedian Jerry Sullivan. Now a Hollywood legend, Jerry frequented the Blend during his early years performing in Greenwich Village comedy clubs. But the past may hold more than nostalgia for Jerry. Suspicious accidents begin plaguing his shoot. Then a real bullet is fired from a stage gun, and Clare becomes convinced something sinister is afoot.
While Jerry’s production moves to exciting new locations, Clare keeps the coffee flowing—and her investigation going—even as a murderer lurks in the wings. But can she root out the rotten player in this Big Apple production before the lights go out on her?
Includes a stellar menu of surefire recipes!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Clare Cosi was smiling ear to ear when she learned that a hit streaming show Only Murders in Gotham would be filming at, in front of, and around the Village Blend. She is a huge fan of one of the show’s stars, comedian Jerry Sullivan and she has been absolutely gushing about him and his career. She didn’t know he had quite a history at the Village Blend and with Madame, her ex-mother-in-law and owner of the coffeehouse though. He did do his best to help everyone feel at ease around himself, his crew, and other members of the cast. He couldn’t wait to try Clare’s bulletproof coffee and he liked it so much that he gave her the craft services contract.
Shortly after the production started rehearsing and filming strange “accidents” began to happen. One man was severely injured on a stage, another appeared to be poisoned right in front of the coffeehouse, and then a live bullet was fired from a prop gun. Thankfully the victim was wearing a bulletproof vest. Clare knows these are not harmless pranks or accidents, someone is trying to sabotage the show.
With the cast and crew spending so much time at Village Blend Clare has the opportunity to start her own investigation but if she’s not careful she could be the killer’s next victim and a cup of bulletproof coffee won’t be able to save her.
I love the theme of this story. A show shooting at Village Blend is so New York. It is clear that the author drew inspiration from Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. A show I sadly have fallen behind watching but have seen enough of to see the parallels between the two shows.
The production does bring all kinds of new characters into the story. Each it seems has their own agenda and secrets. Clare comes in contact with all of them so it should be easy for her to figure out what is going on. Mike would like Clare to leave any investigating to the police but he is busy with his own cases, so much so he even asks her for some help. I like that Matt is around for Clare and that she even gets some one-on-one time with Madame where she learns some pertinent information. All the employees at Village Blend really got involved in this storyline too. There were a lot of characters to keep straight but Ms. Coyle does an excellent job at creating characters that are unique and memorable.
Ms. Coyle gives readers a look at all the drama that happens behind the scenes of a successful show. The fan club president, the grips, the gaffer, the costumes, the prop master, the director, the actors, and the craft services. It takes a lot of people to bring a show to our television screens. In this story, there is also “The Player” would has a mission all their own. Clare really had her eyes opened as she saw how cut-throat show business really is.
There is a lot going on within these pages. Injuries, death, drugs, stalking, secrets, lies, a snake, a bulletproof barista, and more are all twisted together to make a heck of a story. Twists and turns galore make this a very hard book to put down which is something I have come to expect from this author so I plan accordingly. I enjoyed the way all the way all the clues came together for Clare but what I loved was that she had a plan to expose the killer and she got all the right people on board. That showdown was fabulous.
I can’t believe this is the 20th book in the series and how far the core characters have come. Honey Roasted
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About Cleo Coyle
CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times-bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries
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The Rest of the Series
Also by Cleo Coyle
Click on covers for more book information or to order from Amazon.
Great Escapes Praise for Bulletproof Barista (A Coffeehouse Mystery)
by Cleo Coyle
The Coffeehouse Mystery series continues to be a favorite for me. Cleo Coyle is one of my must-read authors, and Bulletproof Barista does not disappoint!
~The Plain Spoken Pen
I recommend Bulletproof Barista – and this series – for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, NYC settings, foodie books, or fiction about TV production. It was a really fun read!
~View from the Birdhouse
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The Ghost Goes to the Dogs (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)
is so dog-gone great. Each new book in this series tops the last and becomes my new favorite. Another title that will be added to My Best Reads of 2023. I loved every minute!
and the 
are excellent too! You can’t go wrong with a book by 
