“Coffee makes a sad man cheerful, a languorous man active, a cold man warm, a warm man glowing. It awakens mental powers thought to be dead, and when left in a sick room, it fills the room with a fragrance…. The very smell of coffee terrorizes death.”
― Cleo Coyle, On What Grounds
Book Details:
- Written by Cleo Coyle
- Published: September 2, 2003
- Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime / Penguin Random House
- Genres: Cozy Mystery /Amateur Sleuths
Back Cover Synopsis (via Barnes & Noble)
The first charming mystery in the New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series—where caffeine and crime are always brewing…
Clare Cosi used to manage New York City’s historic Village Blend coffeehouse, until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years away she’s back in action and back to the grind, serving up steaming hot caffeine one cup at a time.
With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the coffeehouse, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work—until she discovers the assistant manager dead in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.
NYPD Detective Mike Quinn finds no sign of forced entry or foul play and deems the whole thing an accident. But despite the attractive investigator’s certainty, Clare isn’t convinced. Now, if she wants to get to the bottom of things she’ll have to do some sleuthing of her own—before anyone else ends up in hot water…
Includes recipes and coffee-making tips!
Books I want to read because of this book:
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
My Story Behind the Story:
I came across this book several years ago when I was working as a bookseller. A customer came to me with a ratty copy of this book in hand asking if we had it in store. Said he had purchased it second hand from a thrift store but hadn’t realized a large part of it was missing. He was well into the book before he came upon the missing section and now said he needed to know how the story finished. I helped him locate a copy of the book in our store and was left wanting to read the book for myself since it sounded like a potentially good story. I ordered a copy in for myself and it wasn’t until this year that I finally got around to reading it 🙂
WARNING:
If you have not read this book and don’t wish to have the story spoiled please turn away now
Successful Storytelling Elements:
• Capturing the Spirit of New York:
Cleo Coyle manages to capture the spirit of New York pretty well especially the Italian American side by having different types of characters weaved into the story and simply by focusing on the love and importance of coffee in their lives.
• Including Coffee Statistics:
It was a lot of fun to read through the passages that included coffee stats and information. Things like recipes or details and facts about coffee types and beverages. It was clear that the writers love coffee and I really enjoyed these added details since it makes this coffee mystery true to its coffee theme.
• European Immigrant Representation:
The authors manage to reflect the immigrant roots of their European (Italian) characters well. It is very interesting to see their characters reflecting on their family roots and traditions. They also face off hand remarks and discrimination which makes them relatable to other types of immigrants. I personally enjoyed experiencing this side of the story since I think it is easy to forget that it wasn’t too long ago when Irish and Italians faced pretty harsh discrimination in America.
Conclusion:
Alright well that is all for now. I hope that if you haven’t read this book that you do one day soon. If you have read I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time!
xoxo,
Angelica Sophia
Angelica Sophia 
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