Honey Roasted (Coffeehouse Mystery, #19)

by Cleo Coyle

Clare Cosi is busy as a bee planning her honeymoon when murder buzzes into the Village Blend in this all-new mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse series by Cleo Coyle.

While struggling to find a romantic (and affordable) destination for her upcoming honeymoon, coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi whips up a sweet new drink made from honey-processed coffee. Clare plans to serve her outstanding new Honey-Cinnamon Latte at her spring wedding to her longtime honey, NYPD detective Mike Quinn. The culinary world is also abuzz about the amazing honey that Clare was lucky enough to source for her shop's new latte. Produced by Madame's old friend "Queen" Bea Hastings, the rare, prize-winning nectar from Bea's rooftop hives commands a premium price, and top chefs compete for a chance to use it in their signature seasonal dishes.

One night, a swarm of escaped bees blanket the Village Blend's chimney, and Clare discovers Bea's unconscious body after she seemingly fell from her high-rise rooftop-hive setup. The police want to rule it as a tragic accident or possible attempted suicide, but Clare does not believe either theory. Like Madame, she knows this Queen would never abandon her hive. To sort out this mystery, Clare investigates a world of cutthroat chefs, culinary start-ups, and competitive urban beekeepers. But can she uncover the truth without getting stung?

• ISBN10: 0593197569
• ISBN13: 9780593197561
• Publish Date: 1 February 2022
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 19 September 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593197561

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Honey Roasted is the 19th book in the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle. Released 1st Feb 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a fun very light shopfront cozy with an ensemble cast: Clare's a barista and coffee shop co-owner with Matt, her ex-husband, along with a crew of employees, friends, and acquaintances including a mobile beekeeper unit of the NYPD (which really exists). The story is engagingly told with lots of side plot threads which are wound together into a satisfying denouement and resolution.

Despite being the 19th book in the series, it's a self-contained mystery and works well as a standalone. There will be some character related spoilers to earlier books in the series if read out of order. The writing is very light and absolutely full of puns on bees and honey. There is a strong romance/drama subplot thread. The language is PG rated (a few damns, nothing worse). There is some consensual implied sexual content between Clare and her fiancè, but nothing explicit. I do confess to some eye-rolling over the unrelenting punny humor; but overall it's a fun read.

The authors have also included a short primer on varietal honeys along with links to some honey themed recipes at the back of the book.

Four stars. It's a very light enjoyable cozy and will delight fans of this long running series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.