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

Loved It

I had chosen to read this series because my love for coffee, this was an excellent mystery read. Excellent Audible narration.

Great beginning

Finally got around to reading the beginning of this series. Great way to start a fun series with so many interesting coffee facts.

Narration was extremely pleasant!

This was a murder mystery that did not leave out anything. I was in suspense throughout, thought it was the perfect length & was left wanting more. I felt like I was there with her every step of the way & could I smell the coffee. As a bonus, I learned a few things about coffee & was intrigued by the reading of grounds. Would highly recommend this author.

Too Much Caffeine

I really did enjoy the story. Normally, I would have given it 5 stars, but the coffee lessons and overall coffee snob-fest was way too much. If coffee shop owners are that insufferable when it comes to the brew they serve, I think I'll make mine at home. When she wasn't romancing the coffee bean, the main character was likeable. The storyline was interesting. However, I don't need to know the history of every bean and every brewing machine to appreciate the story. It's distracting and annoying.

An unexpected encounter

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I bought this book on a daily deal, with low expectations, it seamed cheesy and not my regular read. I was so wrong. This book had the perfect balance of comedy, intrigue, and human interest. It has the compulsion to continue reading/listening, as one finds in a favourite series

Any additional comments?

The coffee info is fascinating, I like coffee, not obsessed but I love trivia and the information is given in good relevancy to the topic. Though surprising real world application.

great female reader

What did you love best about On What Grounds?

The Story was very good but I'm taking the time to write a review because normally I don't like female narrators. However, Ribeca Gibel is the best I have ever heard! If I see her name again as a narrator I'll check out that book.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator.

Any additional comments?

Best female narrator I've heard.

Review lacks important information

If the review of the book had told me that the ex husband was going to show up, and the daughter would show up with an idiot I would not have wasted any money on this book. I will not be buying any more Cleo Coyle books

Mystery + Coffee = On What Grounds

After living in the suburbs in New Jersey for ten years, Clare Cosi is lured back to New York City to resume her old job as manager of Village Blend, a culturally and historically prominent coffee house in On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle. Invited by the owner, her ex-mother-in-law, to move into the apartment above the shop, Clare arrives about 9 a.m. on her move-in day to find to her dismay that the shop is still closed and empty. Walking through the store, Clare almost trips over the trash can that is sitting on the steps and starts to curse out Annabel, the assistant manager who was supposed to open the store that day. Then she looks down and finds Annabel on the ground, just barely clinging to life.

The police come but soon give up on the idea of foul play despite Clare’s intuition that someone pushed Annabel down the steps, especially since Annabel is a dancer with terrific coordination. Then Annabel’s extremely crass step-mother shows up and shouts in front of everyone in the reopened coffee house that she is suing them for not just the medical treatment but for suffering and that soon she will own the whole store. Things get worse when Mateo, Clare’s ex-husband, discovers that the previous incompetent manager has neglected to pay the insurance, leaving them with no coverage to pay for Annabel’s costs. Thus, Clare embarks upon a crucial quest to prove intent to kill Annabel, who remains unconscious in the ICU.

This book clearly shows a whole lot of research into the topic of coffee and the many types of coffee, as well as its detailed methods of preparing it to the best quality. The book has details about coffee preparation scattered throughout the whole book, which is often incorporated into the plot of the book and sometimes as a lesson as an introduction to certain chapters. The topic of coffee plays a role in the plot of the book, as well as in helping Clare develop relationships as she makes gourmet coffee for the police and others.

Further, I enjoyed the periodic academic discussions about various thoughts on life and referencing well-known authors in their critical analyses of life.

As a person who does not like coffee, I found the extensive talk on the subject to get tedious and also a bit beyond my understanding of the topic of coffee making. The plot was not as full as I’d prefer, since so much time was devoted to personal issues related to Clare and her ex-husband, Mateo. I was disappointed in the lack of depth of the mystery plot, especially given the degree of effort put into talk of coffee.

The audio version is performed by Rebecca Gibel, who helps to keep this book lively. She does good characters, but especially I felt she did an amazing job with Cassandra, Annabel’s dance teacher from the Caribbean. This teacher speaks with so much passion and has a good, believable accent. I was really impressed by this character in particular and thought the narrator did a good job.

On What Grounds is a fairly interesting book, though I did wish there was more character development, as it introduces people who seem they will have significant roles, only to drop them. I would have liked a stronger plot as well. But it still has great points to the book. I give the book four stars.

Enjoyed it. Good read.

Also, excellent voice! She is very talented in all kinds of accents and pitches make it it understandable who is speaking and easy to listen too. I recommend this book for when you need a comfortable mystery to cozy up to.

Great COZY MYSTERY

Full of Mystery with lots of laughter. GP rated for teens. well worth the read. This is my 2nd book in this series and I just bought a 3rd. Worth the purchase