Was just okay. Seemed the book was mostly about decaffeinated coffee, not so much a murder mystery. Was disappointing really. ( )

This cozy mystery series centered around a much loved NYC coffee shop has been one of my favorites for years! In fact, the first book in this series was one of the first cozy mysteries I ever read. I have read many more since then by so many different authors...but I always return to this series! As part of my ongoing quest to revisit favorite books and ones that have been languising on my TBR for years, I'm re-reading this series. Loving it!

Decaffeinated Corpse is the 5th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. An old friend of Coffeehouse Manager Clare Cozi's ex-husband has discovered a naturally decaffeinated coffee bean. What seems to be a wonderful opportunity for Village Blend turns into a nightmare as dead bodies start stacking up. When someone close to Clare seems to be the number one suspect, she's on the case to find a killer.

I had to laugh at the references to decaf espresso as a "Why bother?'' Ha ha! :) Made me smile every time.

I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio, narrated by Rebecca Gibel, is just under 7.5 hours long. Gibel reads at a nice pace and gives a great acting performance as usual. The mystery progressed at a nice pace and there was a good bit of character development. Clare's almost-relationship could move just a bit faster. Each time I think they are finally going to figure it out....they don't. Not that I was surprised....I've read these books before, even though it's been several years. I still found myself thinking "Oh will you just kiss her already and figure your S out, for God's sake!'' :) But....despite the slowwwwwwww road to "taking it slow,'' I still loved the story!

There are 17 books in this series, with a new one (Brewed Awakening) coming out in December 2019! ( )

Digital audio read by Rebecca Gibel.

Book five in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, featuring Clare Cosi, the co-owner / manager of a Greenwich Village coffee shop, and an amateur sleuth. This time the plot focuses on a new discovery in the realm of decaffeinated coffee – a plant that is naturally decaffeinated.

Of course, try as she might to steer clear of trouble, Clare finds that she cannot help but investigate on her own. With the help of Madame (her mother-in-law), and Matteo (her ex-husband), along with the baristas at The Village Blend, Clare is bound to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, there is the added tension with her daughter Joy, and with local detective Mike to further complicate the plot.

I really like this series. I read this one out of order because it arrived before book 4 from the library; but I recommend reading the series in order to keep the relationships straight. I enjoy learning more about the coffee business, though Coyle can be a little too detailed at times. Still, it’s a fast, enjoyable read and satisfies my yearning for a comforting cozy mystery.

Rebecca Gibel does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has sufficient skill to give each character a unique voice. ( )

I jumped right into this series on book 5, skipping the preliminaries and the first four in this cozy mystery series. That being said I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. Most cozies read fairly well as stand alone novels. This series takes place in a quaint coffee shop in New York. One of the co-owners has a knack for solving mysteries but her ex-husband (the other co-owner) never seems to appreciate her efforts. Business at the coffee shop is about to grow as they get exclusive rights to the world first decaffeinated coffee bean. Customers can't even tell the difference it's so good. Things take a weird turn though when her ex-husband's old friend and the creator of the new strain of coffee is found mugged right outside their coffee shop. The characters are pretty fun, it's a neat setting, and all the coffee talk made me extremely thirsty. It was alright, but not the fastest paced cozy I've ever read. ( )

I love the New York settings. This time, there's a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, a chase through Brooklyn, and a scene at the Greenwich Village Halloween parade. It takes place over an improbably short time period, but that's a quibble. Lots of coffee-making detail, which I could skip, but the mystery is really about the coffee industry. ( )