Regular price: $18.49
A body in a pool of skim milk. An unsavory discovery at any time, but especially inconvenient when the milk puddle is in front of the espresso machine the very morning you're scheduled to open your chic suburban coffee house, Uncommon Grounds. AND the body is one of your partners, leaving you and your other partner - the one who's still alive - as suspects. Which would all be bad enough, even if your husband HADN'T just dumped you for his dental assistant....
Maggy Thorsen, co-owner of the Wisconsin gourmet coffeehouse Uncommon Grounds, is in South Florida at an annual crime-writers' conference. She's attending with her beau, local sheriff Jake Pavlik, who is due to speak as a forensics expert. But Maggy's pledge to behave solely as a tourist becomes much trickier than she anticipated.
Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. But their first big client is a nightmare. She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead - by cupcake - Mel becomes the prime suspect. To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer, before the cupcake killer ices someone else.
From the outside, Alix London appears to have it all. Unfortunately for Alix, what you see isn’t exactly what you get. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, Alix and her world were left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Then she meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with deep pockets and a handle on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O’Keeffe. Chris needs the painting authenticated....
Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but lovable Jack Russell terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.
Shelby Nichols is an average woman who is married to the only guy she ever fell for. Her life is organized and predictable, revolving around her husband and two children. All that changes the day she stops at the grocery store for some carrots. As the cashier rings up her purchases, a gunman is busy robbing the bank inside the store. When a customer grabs the robber's mask, he is shot and everyone runs for cover. Everyone except Shelby, who finds herself face to face with the killer.
A body in a pool of skim milk. An unsavory discovery at any time, but especially inconvenient when the milk puddle is in front of the espresso machine the very morning you're scheduled to open your chic suburban coffee house, Uncommon Grounds. AND the body is one of your partners, leaving you and your other partner - the one who's still alive - as suspects. Which would all be bad enough, even if your husband HADN'T just dumped you for his dental assistant....
Maggy Thorsen, co-owner of the Wisconsin gourmet coffeehouse Uncommon Grounds, is in South Florida at an annual crime-writers' conference. She's attending with her beau, local sheriff Jake Pavlik, who is due to speak as a forensics expert. But Maggy's pledge to behave solely as a tourist becomes much trickier than she anticipated.
Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. But their first big client is a nightmare. She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead - by cupcake - Mel becomes the prime suspect. To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer, before the cupcake killer ices someone else.
From the outside, Alix London appears to have it all. Unfortunately for Alix, what you see isn’t exactly what you get. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, Alix and her world were left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Then she meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with deep pockets and a handle on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O’Keeffe. Chris needs the painting authenticated....
Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but lovable Jack Russell terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.
Shelby Nichols is an average woman who is married to the only guy she ever fell for. Her life is organized and predictable, revolving around her husband and two children. All that changes the day she stops at the grocery store for some carrots. As the cashier rings up her purchases, a gunman is busy robbing the bank inside the store. When a customer grabs the robber's mask, he is shot and everyone runs for cover. Everyone except Shelby, who finds herself face to face with the killer.
When Maggy Thorsen's coffee house, Uncommon Grounds, is virtually obliterated by a snowstorm, she and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen - and Maggy's found the perfect spot near the train station, just in time for the opening of the new commuter route. But when Sarah's uncle dies suddenly, in the first of a series of 'accidents,' it is clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to reopen. Maggy, however, has no intention of yielding...
About as realistic as "Death In Paradise" but sometimes that is what you want. I like the small town setting and the characters. The narrator is great.
this is my second audio adventure with the Maggie Thorson character and my fourth overall, and I must admit to still loving her style of writing and the wit it uses. I find her comparable to other favourites of mine Rex Stout and Agatha Christie.
if you are looking for a hard edged, gritty and dark story you may have to look elsewhere, but this is the sort of murder filled romp with plenty charms and twists for those after something a little lighter. it helps that it has well rounded characters who are both likable and interesting. Though I will say I did find this a slightly weaker mystery than others, working out the killer quickly, but the twists kept my interest.
The narration is excellent, easy to listen to and a perfect match for the tone of the novel. I am already looking forward to the next time I enjoy the pairing of Sandra Balzo and Karen Savage for another Maggie Thorson mystery