Nothing exciting ever happens in a small town…
Especially in the sleepy Florida beachside stretch known as Hammond Beach, nestled between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. Free from corporate businesses and a slew of tourists descending upon the quaint former fishing village, Hammond Beach is like a painting.
Locals run the businesses on Main Street. Even when a new coffee shop opens, the owner … the owner hires only Hammond Beach locals, including manager Betty. She’s born and raised in Hammond Beach and knows everyone.
But when the latest and greatest coffee is put out, Green River Blend, strange things begin to happen to the residents of Hammond Beach…
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I really wanted to like it because I enjoy Armand’s other books I’ve read. This time I found myself too often thinking, “wtf is going on?” It is interesting and I wanted to know how it would conclude but (no spoilers) was unfortunately not satisfied there. Looking forward to getting back to his Dirty Deeds series and checking out the new monster books!
Green River Blend By Armand Rosamilia Will Make your head spin.
As an avid coffee drinker, this story was horrifying and quite possible if a diabolical deviant decides to “Creat his /her own blend of coffee.”Lucky for me, I make my coffee at home.
The story takes place is a small town of Hammond Beach in Florida.A strange mysterious man James Fortson comes to town and decides to open up a fancy coffee shop by the name of “Coffee Stop”.They carried all types of coffee at first. While James sat behind a large two-way mirror in his office his very capable manager Betty Coburn worked the front and wore a headset that allowed James and her to communicate.He had asked Betty to relay to the other employees to push the store brand of coffee.Mary Walters was one of Bettys favorite employees she was a sweet girl and the daughter of the local Police Chief Buck, who never liked coffee.Mary was able to get the customers to try the house blend even if they were reluctant to do so.
Well it wasn’t long before just about everyone who bought coffee at the Coffee Stop, was drinking the house blend, people would make several trips a day to buy more coffee, sometimes a few cups at a time. You see the line to buy coffee at the Coffee Stop was very long and could at times be around the block or even further.There were a few tables to sit at inside the small shop. They were always full.
So Mary and a few noncoffee drinkers began to notice, there was no longer the friendly chatter with those waiting in line for their chance to order coffee.In fact the lines movement seemed almost robotic, in the nonthinking mindless sort of way.There seemed to be a phenomenon taking place with the town folk, they were losing their inhibition they were acting on their deepest desires.Kenny who dreamed of being a writer blew off his responsibilities at the shoe store to write before long he had lost his job. Jean Garvin was gambling there are many more examples. Before long they had to limit how many people they would allow in the shop at one time due to a violent outburst. It was at this point James had told Betty they were going to lock and close the doors to the shop for a few day, he wanted Betty to post signs so everyone know well in advance.
To find out what happened next pick up a copy of Green River Blend By Armand Rosamilia.
This was a wickedly delightful story told by a Master.I love Small Town America and love to read of the locals and their quirkiness.Armand is a master at not only telling a story but painting a realistic view of both the characters and location. He makes you ponder the plausibility of something like this really happening near where you live.That is part of the fun in reading a Supernatural thriller.Armand Rosamilia did a wonderful job of bring this story to life.
I picked up this book because I love coffee, even though I can’t drink any of it any more. It’s so much more than just about coffee. Small town Hammond Beach in Florida reminds me of Bradley Beach in NJ. We meet the sheriff and the guy who runs the gas station. We meet the little old ladies who like to gossip about the other townspeople. Then we meet James, Betty and Mary. James comes to town and opens a new coffee shop. He hires Betty to run the place for him and Betty hires Mary, the police chief’s daughter, to work there. James tells his work force that he serves several blends of coffee, but he expects that the Green River blend will soon be the top seller. We watch as the lines outside the coffee shop get longer and longer. We see the locals buying more and more of the Green River blend. And then we start to see the unusual behavior. I can’t say I enjoyed the book, but it was different from anything I’ve ever read. You will probably like it.