USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Caroline Fardig’s captivating mystery novel takes readers behind the counter of a seemingly run-of-the-mill coffeehouse . . . where murder is brewing. After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiancé robs her blind … two-timing fiancé robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what’s left of her beloved café down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend’s coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing’s changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in the dumpster out back before her first day is even over.
The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who’d locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who’s asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can’t simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she’s going to get burned.
Praise for Death Before Decaf
“I was hooked from the first page. I loved it!”—Dorothy Cannell, award-winning author of the Ellie Haskell mysteries
“Caroline Fardig brings a fun cast of characters to life in Death Before Decaf! Juliet had me laughing, smiling, and rooting for her from the first page to the last. I can’t wait for more!”—Gina LaManna, author of Teased to Death
“Caroline Fardig keeps you turning pages in this fast-paced mystery set in a Nashville coffee shop.”—Nancy J. Parra, author of Engaged in Murder
“With a fair share of twists, turns, and a murderer I did not suspect, Fardig delivers a caffeinated romp and a promising start to the Java Jive mystery series.”—Book Club Librarian
“A delightfully charming mystery with humor, suspense and a cast of characters to die for.”—Moonlight Rendezvous
“I can see this being a series to help bring a younger audience to the cozy mystery genre.”—Musings and Ramblings
“[Juliet’s] temper plus a good sense of humor make her a great series protagonist, someone readers would actually like to befriend.”—Mallory Heart Reviews
“This book had me hopping from murder to love interest and back to criminal activities.”—Storeybook Reviews
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Wow, I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a long time! Very entertaining! After a colossal emotional crash, Juliet Langley returns to her college roots managing her best-bud’s coffee shop. After clashing with the cook on the very first day, she finds him dead and stuffed into the dumpster out back. Upon encountering a hard-nosed detective and a slimy reporter, she decides to investigate the crime herself. Great main characters, non-stop action, and hilarious laugh-out-loud scenes! If you like Evanovich, cozy mysteries, or Cleo Coyle, try this one out! Now if I could only get Cleo Coyle’s Claire Cosi to collaborate with Juliet Langley, all of my cozy mystery wishes would come true!jj
Death By Decaf
A Java Jive Mystery, Book #1
Caroline Fardig
Book #1
Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Diane Mott Davidson, Caroline Fardig’s captivating new mystery novel takes readers behind the counter of a seemingly run-of-the-mill coffeehouse . . . where murder is brewing.
After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiancé robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what’s left of her beloved café down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend’s coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing’s changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in the dumpster out back before her first day is even over.
The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who’d locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who’s asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can’t simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she’s going to get burned. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Juliet is smart strong, and is not a pushover. She is also funny, loyal and caring. When she finds herself as the manager of her friend’s coffeeshop, she realizes that it is not going to be an easy job. The current employees greatly dislike her and the coffee shop is losing money hand over foot. And when one of the employees is found dead, Juliet finds herself a person of interest in the murder. With the help of her best friend, Pete, she knows she has to figure out the murderer before she is sent away for good. I just love the relationship between Juliet and Pete. They are best friends and you know they would do anything for each other. You can also tell that they should be together as a couple, but the timing is not right. But I am keeping my fingers crossed for their happily ever after. The secondary characters added a lot to the story and they all seemed realistic to me.
The writing style flows smoothly and it is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and that kept pulling me into the story more and more. Actually I was hooked from the first page and I could not swipe the pages fast enough. The mystery was well plotted and there were plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through. I did not figure out the culprit until it was revealed at the end, which is how I like it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I have read a couple of the other books in this series and I have loved them all. The language is a little harsher than what is found in most cozies, but it was not offensive in any way. If anything, I felt it made the book more realistic. Do yourself a favor and check this series out, you will be very happy that you did.
This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I was pulled in by the title and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll be looking to read more books in the Java Jive series.
I liked the characters. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series. It kept my interest. It was funny. The story line was easy to follow, but not boring.
Death Before Decaf is an enjoyable mystery with a nice balance between romance and suspense. Juliet is a likeable character and you can’t help rooting for her as she tries to prove her innocence by identifying who would want to kill the cook and why. Unlike many of the mysteries I read, the culprit wasn’t very high on my suspect list until almost the end of the book. This whodunnit moves along at a lively pace, with a fair share of plot twists, and a satisfying resolution. Another book that I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish.
I absolutely could not put this book down. So, I won book #2 on Netgalley and I got about 47% through it and wanted to know all of the details from book one. I hadn’t realized that when I started book 2 that it was a series. I followed along just fine without reading book one. However, I was loving the writing, the characters, and dialogue so much that I knew I would like book one.
The chemistry between all of the characters is spot on. The witty dialogue – I’m in love with. Juliet is such a likable character. She’s witty, driven, and funny. The chemistry that was created between her and Pete and her and Ryder. You just don’t know who to root for?!?
I can’t wait to pick book 2 back up and finish this series! I just found out there are 5 books and I’m so excited!