Death of a Bean Counter

by Sandra Balzo

Overview

Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her barista's wealthy beau is murdered.

Maggy Thorsen's head is spinning thanks to partner Sarah Kingston's latest idea – selling luxe espresso machines in their Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But Maggy soon faces a far bigger problem when her fiancé, sheriff Jake Pavlik, makes an official call on the coffee house’s star barista, Amy Caprese.

Amy’s wealthy new beau, investment adviser Kip Fargo, has been shot dead in his bed – and Amy is the last known person to see him alive. Kip had just proposed to Amy, but she turned him down, triggering a terrible argument and making Amy the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista’s innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle lies, jealousy and Kip’s shady dealings in time to avert the disaster that’s brewing?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780727889461
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Series:	Maggy Thorsen Series , #12
Edition description:	First World Publication
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sandra Balzo built an impressive career as a public relations consultant before authoring the successful ‘Maggy Thorsen’ coffeehouse mysteries, the first of which, Uncommon Grounds, was published to stellar reviews and nominated for an Anthony and Macavity Award. She is also the author of the 'Main Street Murders' mystery series published by Severn House.

Editorial Reviews

02/03/2020

Balzo’s 12th Maggy Thorsen mystery (after 2019’s Murder à la Mocha) is as fresh as the pecan rolls Maggy serves at her Uncommon Grounds coffeehouse in Brookhills, Wis. Sarah Kingston, a partner in the shop, has recently sold her real estate firm and decided to devote her full attention to Uncommon Grounds. The gung-ho businesswoman is filled with ideas to improve, expand, and change the character of the business, much to Maggy’s chagrin. But any modifications to the coffeehouse move to the back burner when the shop’s faithful barista, Amy Caprese, becomes a suspect in the death of her boyfriend, Kip Fargo, a corporate attorney and owner of Fargo Financial, an investment firm. Kip was many things, including cheap and condescending, and as Maggy digs deeper in an attempt to clear Amy, she learns that most of his clients were dissatisfied and angry. Balzo smoothly blends eccentric characters, lively dialogue, and a fair-play plot with a touch of discreet romance. Cozy fans will happily keep turning the pages. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The twisty mystery is well supported by the coffeehouse frame... And there are also two lovable dogs! A satisfying cozy, perfect for those who enjoys Laura Childs' Tea Shop mysteries starring Theodosia Browning"

Booklist

"The twisty mystery is well supported by the coffeehouse frame... And there are also two lovable dogs! A satisfying cozy, perfect for those who enjoys Laura Childs' Tea Shop mysteries starring Theodosia Browning"

Booklist

Plot twists, snippets of coffeehouse culture, and plenty of dogs and dog behavior are integrated nicely with the mystery. This character-rich series will appeal to readers who enjoy Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis cozies, also featuring a host of canines

Booklist on Murder a la Mocha

2020-01-13
Maggy Thorsen (Murder à la Mocha, 2019, etc.) must save her barista from a murder charge.

Free spirit Amy Caprese is very much her own woman. It surprised her boss, Maggy, and Maggy's business partner, Sarah Kingston, to see Amy date staid attorney Kip Fargo, and it surprises them again to hear that Amy turned down a proposal from the much older financial adviser. But it's Amy's turn to be shocked when Maggy's fiance, Sheriff Jake Pavlik, comes into Uncommon Grounds to tell the three women that Kip's been found shot to death in his bed. It's a long, strange journey from there, with Maggy walking a fine line between breaking faith with Pavlik by sharing too much information about the investigation with Amy and letting her employee down by allowing her to be railroaded into a possible murder charge—a charge that doesn't even make that much sense since Amy had no reason to want to kill Kip; it's the murdered Kip who was angry with Amy. But the absence of other suspects makes the police bear down on the one person they know quarreled with Kip right before his death. And Amy's sudden reunion with her old flame Jacque Oui looks sketchy, although again, not really a motive for murder. As Maggy pokes more deeply into the Fargo household, which includes Kip's grown children, Jason and Jayden, frog-obsessed gardener Rafael, and Mrs. Gilroy, a housekeeper straight out of Daphne du Maurier, she has more reason to believe that Kip is not the solid financial citizen he seemed to be.

Not an espresso or a caramel latte—just a regular American cuppa Joe.

Kirkus Reviews