On What Grounds

By: Cleo Coyle

Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse…until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind. With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work. Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere. Police arrive on the scene to investigate. But when they find no sign of forced entry or foul play, they deem it an accident. Case closed. But Clare is not convinced. And after the police leave, there are a few things she just can't get out of her mind… Why was the trash bin in the wrong place? If this wasn't an accident, is Clare in danger? And… are all detectives this handsome?

©2003 The Berkley Publishing Group. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

Fairly good beginning

This could develop into a good mystery series.

This, the first book, had quite a LOT of setup. It had a good story, but you had to wade through way too much Coffee-love. I get that this is a book centered around an historic coffee house, but there was just too much of it in one book. It was reminiscent of Diana Mott-Davidson's Goldie Bear cooking mystery series, but it was rather overdone.

This series has potential. The premise is good, the character development is good and the mystery has potential. I'll give it another few books to see if it gets better.

The narration is excellent.

Murder mystery or a Harlequin romance?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not a particularly good use of my time. Some of the characters were interesting enough but the tendency of the author to wonder off into romantic fluff made it a waste of time.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I love murder mysteries but I think I will stick to authors whose writing style I enjoy more.

What three words best describe Rebecca Gibel’s performance?

I did like Rebecca Gibel's delivery of the text except when she was reading the parts of the ex-husband. He just sounded swarmy.

Do you think On What Grounds needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Definitely not.

Any additional comments?

For the most part this was a straightforward murder mystery but then it would drift off into a Harlequin romance style with men with abs of steel and women with heaving breasts. These parts totally ruined the story.

I Need an Espresso Now!

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. I listened to it as I went on my daily walks. It's probably good I was out walking, or I would have been way too caffeinated to get any sleep at night! I think the narrator did a very good job of using different voices for the different characters. A good cozy mystery!

Kept me guessing to the end

Good book. Good story. Did seem to move quick at the end, like author ran out of time. Looking forward to next book in series!

Narrator Brought Characters To Life

Great book! Looking forward to continuing the series. And, Rebecca brought the characters to life!

Good book

This is the first i have read in this series and this author. This had a great story line and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened to Annabelle and who did it. I love the cat, Java. I can't wait to see what happens next with the characters.

The narrator did good job with the voices.

Overall - It's ok

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listen during my 1 hour commute home. It was lighthearted and enjoyable.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I like the coffee tips and wish I wasn't driving so I could write them down.

Any additional comments?

Overall it was ok. Not my favorite cozy mystery series but not bad.

I wanted to like this book but...

The narrator was very good. The book however....was hard to stick with. While I love good coffee, I did not like all the time spent on coffee "education" and the belittling of those of us who love our regular cuppa Joe. When the actual story finally got started, it was pretty good. But if you took out the coffee filler, you'd only have half the length. Enjoyable story. I will say that I am going to try the next book, but if it's more of the same...I'll return both.

The “perfect blend”

This is the “perfect blend” that people look for in a cozy and I enjoyed it as it kept me guessing until the end. There were several options for the culprit and it also kept my hopes up for the victim. The coffeehouse ambiance provided charm. It did have the obvious plot twist of the attractive divorcee, meets single man, while still dealing with her ex-husband, but even this situation had a new twist to it. So overall, I gave it four stars.

Now for the lacking fifth star. The coffee and tea making went WAY overboard. Our heroine goes on, and on, AND ON about how the coffee and tea should be made. It sometimes interfered with the mystery. I love coffee but enough is enough!

Pleasant commuting listen.

This was an alright book, definately not War and Peace, but good when you are in for a more light weight listen.