Billionaire Blend by Cleo Coyle, a Mysterious Review.

Review: When one of her regular customers is injured after his car explodes outside her Greenwich Village coffee shop, Clare Cosi comes to his aid, giving him CPR, a life-saving act that changes her own life … though for how long remains to be seen, in Billionaire Blend, the thirteenth mystery in this series by Cleo Coyle.

The injured man is Eric Thorner, a billionaire tech expert. He had been in the habit of visiting the Village Blend because he appreciated the expertise of the staff, particularly in the area of special or specific blends of coffee. On the morning of the incident, he was in the shop when his car blew up, killing his driver. The police arrest the alleged attacker, which should be the end of the case. When Thorner is released from the hospital, he thanks Clare for saving his life with a "Slayer", an extra special, very expensive espresso machine … and then makes her an offer she can hardly refuse: create the most exclusive blend of coffee using the finest beans from around the world. He flies Clare and her store co-owner, her ex-husband Matteo Allegro, around the world in search of just the right coffee beans to make the perfect blend. Meanwhile, Clare's detective boyfriend Mike Quinn is on assignment with the FBI in Washington DC, and believes that Thorner wasn't the target of the blast, but possibly the culprit behind it. Why remains a mystery. When Clare returns home from her trip, she is attacked by a competitor of Thorner. Again, why? What would Clare know that someone would risk killing her?

Billionaire Blend moves along briskly, with an intriguing plot and a diverse cast of engaging characters. The combination of modern high-tech wizardry with decidedly low-tech coffee beans makes for a nice contrast in the story as does a change of scenery with locations outside New York City. The "whys" in the plot will keep the reader's interest and like many a good mystery, this one has a surprise twist at the end that most will likely not see coming. Most certainly one of the better entries in this long-running series.

Typical of the books in this series, a collection of recipes and tips from the Village Blend are presented at the end.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Billionaire Blend.

Acknowledgment: Penguin Group provided a copy of Billionaire Blend for this review.

Holiday Buzz
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), December 2012
ISBN-13: 9780425255353; ISBN-10: 0425255352

Billionaire Blend

A Clare Cosi Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle