As the owner of Mystery Cup Café in Wilton, Missouri, a town made famous by a string of long-ago murders, Blake Harper is used to the mysterious. When her barista is found strangled in a mound of coffee beans, Blake vows to find the killer, even though her sister, the town’s lead police detective, tells her to stay out of it.Blake finds plenty of suspects, like the owners of a rival coffee shop … rival coffee shop and the handsome new bookstore owner. But when new threats are made, she soon realizes the danger is centered around Mystery Cup and someone is targeting her personally.
Will Blake be able to solve the murder, find a new barista, and perfect her recipe for espresso brownies before she becomes the next victim?
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4.5
*Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.
Blake Harper owns Mystery Cup, a coffee joint and tasty bakery in a little town in Missouri made famous by some murders committed eons ago. People come from far and wide to take in the murder-y atmosphere. However, when Blake’s crappy barista gets whacked in her café’s kitchen Blake is not only justifiably upset, she’s determined to figure out who did it and why. It doesn’t matter that the investigation is headed by her own sister and she’s been told to back off more than once, Blake just cannot leave things alone. And we all know that never leads to good things, right?
What an excellent cozy mystery! I will say that Blake gets on my nerves just a tiny bit, with her snooping and such, but I actually do like her gumption and her humor. The mystery of “who” kept me guessing all the way to the end and I have to say I did not see that coming. I did, however, figure out the connection before Blake did, so I will pat myself on the back for that. Now that the murder is solved we need to get down to the nitty gritty here. How is Blake going to choose between the two men who have shown up in town, wanting to date her? Of course, I’m not asking her to rush to a decision and hope to see both men in future books. They each have their strengths, so I hope she dates them for awhile before she makes a decision. I know which Team I’m on, but I’m not sayin’. Yet. So there.
Exciting read in the new Neila Young the Coffee
Cup Mysteries.
Blake Harper owns and runs the Mystery Cup
Café in Wilton, Missouri. The town is use to the
mysterious happenings as years back a string of
unsolved murder occurred in the area.
Blake is single and live with her cat, Ninja. Her
family and friends lives in the town and the reader
will meet and interact with them throughout the story.
They add a lot of the ingredients that make up
a new mystery…….who killed Blake’s barista??
The barista, Nikki was strangled in the Mystery
Cup Cafe found in a mound of coffee beans where
she stayed to receive a delivery and do inventory.
Who killed her? Was Nikki the intended victim or
was it supposed to be Blake? What was the motive?
Is the mysterious murder back in action?
Brewing Up Murder is fast paced mystery, intriguing
with plenty of action, twist and turns to keep the
reader turning the pages faster and faster.
The tension was thick with plenty of suspense great
chills, thrills with unexpected twists.
The characters are well developed, very realistic and
very interesting. They are believablely involved in a
puzzling plot that keeps you glued to the book from
start to finish.
You will want to visit this small realistic town with all
the quirkiness a small town offers.
Adding to the brew is a touch of humor and romance.
Looking forward to reading the next in the new series.
Kudos to the author for an entertaining and
enjoyable read!!!!!
I volunteered to read the book. Thanks to the author
and publisher via The Cozy Mystery Review Crew for
the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
Brewing Up Murder by Neila Young was a quickly paced cozy mystery with some intriguing and likable characters.
Ms. Young’s descriptive writing made me feel right at home in Wilton, MO. Blake Harper is an independent young woman who loves her small town, her family and her cafe, the Mystery Cup Cafe. As this is the first book in the series, Ms. Young took her time with developing the characters and it was appreciated by me that I had the time to get to know these characters so well as the story pulled me into the pages. There were a few twists, plenty of suspects, a possibility of romance for Blake with two eligible men in Wilton and a dramatic reveal that left me completely satisfied.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All of the above opinions are my own.