• Through the Grinder

  • By: Cleo Coyle
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
  • Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,506 ratings)

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Through the Grinder  By  cover art

Through the Grinder

By: Cleo Coyle
Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
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Publisher's summary

There's trouble brewing at the Village Blend. Business is booming--but Clare's customers are starting to die. Soon after stopping at the coffeehouse, a regular jumps to her death in the subway. Or was she pushed? Detective Quinn is convinced that someone has an axe to grind, especially after the "suicide" of another female customer. Unfortunately, his prime suspect is Bruce Bowman--the new man in Clare's life. Bruce is the perfect blend of rugged good looks and potent personality. Too bad the women in his life keep turning up dead. Now Clare will risk her heart--and her life--to follow the killer's trail to the bitter end…

©2004 The Berkley Publishing Group. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

Featured Article: The Best Cozy Mysteries to Keep You Warm This Holiday Season


We’ve rounded up a list of some of the best cozy mystery audiobooks to help brighten up your winter listening. Here you'll find contemporary and historical cozies, classic whodunits and ingenious heist stories. While varying in tone, plot, and setting, these picks all share an irresistible holiday atmosphere. You'll find snowstorms galore, bakeries full of tasty holiday treats, glittering get-togethers, and picturesque English villages decked out in their holiday finest.

What listeners say about Through the Grinder

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who is "The Genius"?

This husband and wife team definitely writes one of the best cozy series going. The mystery is exciting and I learn more and more about coffee and New York with each continuing book. My favorite type of cozy! This is the second in the series and unlike some cozies, there is nothing repetitive or unnecessary within the story line.

There is someone calling themselves "The Genius" pushing women to their deaths, making it look like a suicide. Meanwhile, back at The Village Blend coffee shop, finding interesting and deserving men to date becomes a topic in the shop. Clare, store manager and divorced from the store's owner's son, Matteo, is trying to monitor her grown daughter's dating choices. In doing so, the store hosts a social gathering where men and women can meet and match themselves with potential dates. While checking out men for her daughter, Clare meets her own "Mr Right", but her policeman friend warns her that this man is a suspect in these recent murders. Clare believes he's not the murderer and sets out with Matteo to find the real murderer.

Suspense builds as we read the inner thoughts of "The Genius". Clare's relations continue with her divorced husband, cooking school student daughter, and meddling mother-in-law which is a fun story in itself. Clues point to a variety of people, with a shocking surprise in the end. Definitely will continue with this fun series!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book but...

It took me a while to read the first book in this series. I had to put it down after the first few chapters. But when I came back to it months later I was able to finish it. Now a couple of years later I gave the second book a try. I won't buy the third. This book is too wordy. Cleo spends too much time describing the scenery and enough on the mystery. The lead character Claire, is annoying. The idea of joining a dating service to screen men for her daughter is ridiculous. She needs to get a life and let her have her own. Claire then goes on to find an attractive man who may or not be a murderer but that doesn't stop her from going out with him. She then proceeds to interrogate him and search his house. If she thought the man was dangerous why go to his house? If she didn't think he was dangerous why interrogate him and search his place? Also, why did he allow himself to be interrogated? That entire scene was unrealistic. Speaking of unrealistic, I can go on and on about the relationship with her ex husband. But I won't because that would be a bit like Cleo Coyle and her descriptions of New York. Needless to say that the ex husband adds unnecessary drama and silliness. The characters in this story are flat and I can't find a reason to care about what happens to them. This series is not for me and I won't be buying anymore of it.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Sit back and relax with a cup of coffee.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would and I have loaned my copies to friends and finally gave the entire hardback collection to my local library. I have read most of these in paper version so it is nice to see that Audible is finally beginning to carry some of this type of light reading. Coyle's coffee house series follows a standard format but she always makes me laugh and I have learned a lot about coffee. If you have to have a book that you want to analyze and rip apart for style, deep story content and technical correctness then please do not bother to select this book. But if you want a light enjoyable listen while you relax, knit, sew, garden, etc. pick one up Coyle's coffee house books sit back and enjoy.

Any additional comments?

Now, Audible, how about the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs? Drayton is a hoot and all the characters would be a wonderful challenge to a narrator.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too much going on

I like these coffee house mysteries because they are usually like a quick fix with the bonus of a few coffee tips. This particular episode of the series was not one of the better ones. There were too many murders and too much going on. Narration kept switching between Claire and the killer. The killer wasn't the least bit interesting and the murders were stupid. Claire's involvement in the murders felt forced and I really felt myself not caring. And normally Rebecca Gibel does a pretty good job as reader. But this book had so many characters, her voice changing attempts started to get on my nerves.

I will probably listen to more Cleo Coyle mysteries, but I will probably skim through the hard copies first just to see how many murders are involved.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book!

Second in the series, and I can't wait to keep going! Enjoyable characters and an easy to listen to narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Creepy for a Cozy

The stalker in this book was pretty creepy, which I wasn't expecting. Not full-on thriller level of suspense, but grislier than I expected for a cozy coffee shop mystery.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I'm still loving this series!

I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the city. And of course as a coffee lover I like hearing the tidbits on how to make the perfect cup of Joe. At the heart of this installment is Claire's desire to protect her adult daughter, the way that love continues to link her to her ex-husband Matteo, and the delicate balancing act she must have between maintaining a civil relationship with her ex for her daughter's sake and finding a new romantic relationship for herself. The story centers around online/speed dating and its most negative and dangerous aspects. Personally, I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed the previous one. To me, the thing that's different about this series is that the books don't have the same cliff-hangers at the end that most series do. I like that you can listen to one or two books and come back to the series at your own leisure without that incessant wondering about what's going to happen next. I don't know if this series is right for everyone. But if you enjoy murder mysteries, coffee houses, and can relate to the happiness that comes from making something delicious in the kitchen, this book (and series) might be just the right mix for you.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

too dark

What disappointed you about Through the Grinder?

the author went too dark on the murder mystery.

Any additional comments?

I REALLY enjoyed the first book and I expected the same formula, but she went too dark by going deep into murder culture, explicit details, art exhibits that feature murder scenes, and talking about John Wayne Gacy and clown paintings. It went beyond the basic, ok someone was murdered, now let's find out who did it. I became increasingly anxious and deleted the book.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a thriller but also a love letter to New York City

This book was more Thriller than it was a cozy mystery, my usual genre. I enjoyed all the information about coffee and this visit to New York City.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Story is great but

My husband and I listen to books while we work (our own business) and this was a good story. She spins a good yarn -- but if her editor can't do their job then she should pay for her own. She REALLY needs an editor. Both my husband and I caught her repeating herself in her story.
Excellent narrator!

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