On What Grounds

If coffee drinks are your idea of rapture on Earth, Coyle's long-running mystery series featuring barista-cum-sleuth Clare Cosi is for you. In this, the series opener (2003), when Clare arrives at the Village Blend and discovers her assistant manager at the bottom of the stairs, she knows it wasn't an accident. The cops dismiss her, so she investigates on her own. Narrator Rebecca Gibel treats the making of an espresso as a religious experience. Thankfully, those lengthy descriptions become professorial rather than continued revival meeting. Gibel's vocal range is limited but effective for creating secondary characters. Despite its Manhattan setting, this is still a cozy mystery. Public libraries will want to purchase. The series is on its tenth title (2011), and this series launch sounds a little dated.—Jodi L. Israel, MLS, Birmingham, AL