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Through The Grinder (2004)

Through the Grinder (2004)

Book Info

Author
Rating
3.89 of 5 Votes: 1
Your rating
ISBN
042519714X (ISBN13: 9780425197141)
Language
English
Publisher
berkley

About book Through The Grinder (2004)

Second in the Coffeehouse Mystery series set in an independent coffeehouse, the Village Blend, based in Greenwich Village in New York City.My TakeI loved and hated this! The story was good and the ending made me cry!! The theme for this installment is online dating in all its frustrations along with the rare gem.Clare's relationship takes a twist with Quinn and Matt finds out what it's like on the receiving end. Although. Clare does get a bit of insight on Matt's thinking process.You will definitely learn a lot about coffee and proper brewing in this series. Clare is also interested in cooking with some interesting food and drink recipes following at the back of the book.The StoryJoy is thinking about online dating and Clare is determined to check them out before Joy signs on. Customers of the Village Blend are committing suicide, not that Detective Quinn agrees. And Matteo is not happy being on this side of the fence while Clare is dating: Detective Quinn asks her to dinner; Newman is more interested in fundraising possibilities; and, Bruce is definitely a contender. A rare one, Bruce is genuinely interested in Clare and what interests Clare. Including Joy's happiness. If only Detective Quinn were less obsessed with him...The CharactersClare Cosi is Matteo Allegro's ex-wife and she manages the shop for his French mother, Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois, at Village Blend, the family's historic coffeehouse in the Village. Matteo is the coffee buyer and rarely in town, although he does have a percentage of the business and the duplex apartment over the coffeehouse. Clare, at least, had no idea Matt was getting the same offer and she is so not happy about it. Joy is their 19-year-old daughter who is going to school to be a chef.Among the employees are Tucker Burton, their gay night barista financing his writing/acting career and Esther Best, an NYU student. Some of their regular customers include Kira Kirk, a crossword enthusiast; "Winnie" Winslet, a successful lawyer; Valerie Lathem; Sahara McNeil who works at a death art gallery; and, Inga Berg is a buyer at Macy's.Det. Mike Quinn asks Clare to have dinner with him and then half-asks for advice on his marital problems. He's not too happy about Clare dating Bruce. Officers Langley and Demetrios have a cameo.Brooks Newman is a fundraiser for non-profits and Bruce Bowman is a successful contractor currently restoring a gorgeous Federal townhouse for himself; both are men whom Clare meets through online dating services.The CoverThe cover is steamy swirls around an old-fashioned manual coffee grinder, its drawer holding a broken heart and flanked by two old-style copper coffeepots, a sprinkle of coffee beans, and rows of clear coffee cups.The title relates more to the ending than anything else.

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.Yay more Quinn! We get to know more about Quinn's life and family in this book. Some of his personality quirks are explained, and he and Clare get closer.There are a lot of twists, and red herrings. Like the last book, I had no idea who the killer was. I had two suspects, and neither one of them turned out to be correct. I do love mysteries that keep you guessing, and that aren't super-obvious. Looking back, I can see the clues we were given that point to the true killer, but while reading not so much.I did like Matteo better in this book. I still don't want him to get back together with Clare though. And it didn't seem like that was the way things were heading, so yay! I'd love for her to eventually end up with Quinn, but he's married and so that would be bad currently.I liked Bruce Bowman. His interactions with both Clare and Joy were good, and he seemed like a really nice guy.There was still a coffee focus in this book. But it wasn't as blatantly in your face. There were still mentions of how to make a proper cup of whatever coffee Clare was serving. And she told you the favorite coffee of choice for the secondary characters. But there weren't pages and pages devoted to this like the last book. Only paragraphs or a few sentences. Clare takes more risks trying to figure out who the killer is than I liked. I wanted to smack her a few times, and Matteo as well for helping her.The recipes at the end of the book were for 4 coffee drinks, and 3 food items. Including the coffee marinated steak Clare serves to Bruce on their first date.This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

Do You like book Through The Grinder (2004)?

Ooooohhhh the irony. The series is about a coffeehouse. I would naturally associate this with caffeine and thus, stimulating. This book is the exact opposite of that. It is so boring I can only get through a chapter at a time before I want to just cry from boredom. It has put me to sleep quickly for the last few nights.What I like about this book:-----What I don't like about this book:As the second of a series, you would think we have some established rules, characters, settings, slang. Nope. Not only do we have to be reintroduced to everyone, but we also have to describe the first coffee that person ever had in this coffee shop. Not only do we have to read about every single cup of coffee they enjoy, but we have to describe the exact nature of how that coffee bean was made and how it was prepared today. Lines of this coffee prose were copied from the first book.....The cliche. Ooooohhhh, it's so painful. The writing, the plot as it might like to be called, could have been written by a 12 year old. It lacks any depth, suspense, drama. It is so B-grade movie that I absolutely cringe! The murderer is refered to as The Genius. And then, every other character refers to themself in someoway, as a genius. (Oh my, it could be him! Or her! You, dear reader, are supposed to follow these bread crumbs like it actually means something and isn't painfully droll.) These writers (it's a husband and wife team under a pseudonym) seriously need to take notes from Carolyn Keene and Franklin Dixon.
—Jennifer K

3.5the second installment of Coyle's Coffeehouse mystery, i feel, is better than the first. Its actually a darker story than a usual cozy mystery, but I'm not complaining. Just like the fist book, we get a POV of the killers perspective and also our protagonist, Clare. i actually dont mind reading the killer's narrative, its something different. as much as i enjoy reading this book, it was still a bittersweet ending. You start to enjoy Bruce's character and all of a sudden, BAM! I'm not as heartbroken as some readers, since i do prefer another person to be Cosi's love interest.The more I read this series the more I'm starting to enjoy it. Can't wait for the next book.
—Nina

In the second novel in the series, Clare Cosi is starting to date again after divorcing her husband Matteo. While she has an attraction to Detective Quinn because of his martial issues, she knows now is not the time for them together if they ever do. But agrees to try online dating if only for the safety of her daughter Joy who is now single and is wanting to try a new platform for dating. Clare signs on to dating site. After a horrible date she decides to try speed dating at the Coffeehouse, only to check out the potential males for her daughter who has also signed up for it. While interviewing the males, she makes a connection with a business man by the name of, Bruce, who renovates antiques buildings to their proper glory. Bruce is recently divorced and has has a few relationships on the dating site. But because of failure of connection he has thought to speed dating. Clare is instantly smitten with him, after he asks her out a date for the next night. But when he leaves with a red headed woman she thinks her chances with him has fallen flat. She later learns that the woman was an old college friend. Coincidentally, three women have supposedly committed suicide by jumping off building or in front of moving cars. The women have also been customers of the Coffeehouse. And when Detective Quinn informs Clare that Bruce has had relationships with all three women, Clare can't help but think the Detective is wrong. No way the guy she has fallen for could be a killer. Not the one man she has started to like since her divorce.When her ex-husbands returns home and sees that Clare has started a relationship with another man he starts to understand the feeling that Clare had when they were married when he would have flings of his own. But desperate wanting to get back together, Matt assists in helping her clear Bruce's name. The mystery in the book was really good in my opinion. I love the fact that periodically through the book we got a look inside the killer mind and saw what they saw before they killed the person. I do wish we had gotten insight on how the killer had convinced one of the victims to jump off the building. I have to admit I couldn't figure out who the killer was. Who I thought it was, I was completely wrong. While I thought this book was really good, I really do need to say that the ending through me for a loop. I had not expected to be sad and feel for Clare. But the last paragraph of the book has stayed with me because it was so beautifully written. "Bruce was that to me, I decided. My lovely afternoon, my gorgeous evening. Not lasting, but remembered, and with something more than fondness." It is because of this quote that this book will stay with me.
—Moriah

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