French Pressed (Coffeehouse Mysteries, No. 6)

"Observing the now-serene dining room, I could see why Solange had become so popular. Aside from the abysmal coffee and typical astronomical prices of a New York house of haute cuisine, the restaurant truly was adorable. The interior was based on Paris's famous Les Deux Magots café, where Simone de Beauvior liked to write. There were maroon banquettes topped by polished rails of brass, crystal and copper chandeliers, columns the color of crème fraiche, and even a bit of whimsy in the form of carved wooden gargoyles affixed high on the sunny yellow walls." - From French Pressed Since May 2007, I've become addicted to the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle. (Incidentally, "Cleo Coyle" is really the husband and wife writing team of Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. They are also "Alice Kimberly", who writes the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.) I've just finished the sixth book in the series, French Pressed, and I have to say that it rivals the first book On What Grounds in terms of plot, description, and character likability. If you're new to the Coffeehouse Mysteries, French Pressed (like the other books in the series) will bring you up to speed with who's who in Greenwich Village--which means the books do NOT have to be read in order. (In my opinion, they're best read that way, though.) To bring those new to the series up to speed: coffee manager Clare Cosi manages The Village Blend, a coffehouse owned by her former mother-in-law and friend Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Duboius. The Blend, as it's affectionately called, is housed in the lower two stories of a four story Federal. The upper two stories house a exquisitely decorated apartment which Clare must legally share with her ex-husband and business partner, Matteo Allegro. In French Pressed, Clare and Matteo's daughter, Joy, lands in hot water when she discovers a murder at Solange, a hip restaurant headed by popular executive chef Tommy Keitel where she is interning. Of course, Clare can't keep her nose out of this mystery, especially when Joy faces murder charges! As with the other books in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, French Pressed offers up scrumptious atmosphere (and recipes!), likable characters, a believable plot (well, believable for a cozy mystery!) and fascinating interplay between relationships. For example, Clare's relationship with NYPD detective Mike Quinn begins to steam, Matteo re-thinks his relationship with the icy Breanne Summour, the reliable and gothy Esther Best hooks up with a Russian rapster, and Madame has moved on from Dr. McTavish--and on to a "younger" 60-something man. Mix these colorful characters with a satisfying romp through "Little Odessa", a hip nightclub, an undercover sting and more and you have one satisfying mystery! But my favorite part of French Pressed (and the highlight of all the books, in my opinion) are the intriguing details foodies and coffee lovers will adore, as well as the delectable recipes! After just coming off editing my O

I have loved every single Coffeehouse Mystery, and French Pressed, the sixth installment, is no exception. It draws the reader in immediately by starting out from the perspective of a killer - a technique which is highly effective and very chilling - a killer who commits murder before the end of the prologue. Tension continues to mount from here. Clare Cosi, manager of the Village Blend coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, and Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois (Madame for short), Clare's ex-mother-in-law and owner of the Blend, are enjoying dinner at Solange, the 4-star restaurant in Manhattan where Joy, Clare's only child, just happens to be working as part of her culinary school internship. As Cleo Coyle fans already know, Joy is carrying on an inappropriate relationship with Solange's much older and married Executive Chef, Tommy Keitel, much to her mother's and grandmother's consternation. After dinner, which ends with some extremely bad coffee, Clare visits the kitchen and witnesses one of the chefs physically threatening her daughter - an act that seems even more ominous when Joy later discovers the body of one of her fellow interns. At the suggestion of Clare's friend, Detective Mike Quinn, Clare comes up with a plan that might gain her entree into Solange's kitchen so she can try to figure out what's going on. Despite Clare and Detective Quinn's best efforts, however, the bodies continue to pile up. Also, in addition to the plot dealing with Solange and Clare's daughter, Detective Quinn encourages Clare's involvement in an investigation of his own. I have to say that in addition to everything else, I'm VERY pleased with the direction Clare is moving in her personal life. Despite Madame's best efforts, Clare is determined to be responsible for her own happiness. You go, girl! The ending is especially intriguing, and makes me more than a little anxious to see what will transpire in book seven! Can't wait! Carol Ann Hopkins 4/28/2008

With five murder investigations under her belt, Clare Cosi realizes that it's time to simply kick back, relax, and enjoy running the popular Village Blend, her home away from home. Add in a little romance with a handsome detective and everything is complete. That is until things take a turn for the worse, and Clare is bombarded with one disaster after another - from the return of her ex-husband, Matt, to her daughter's latest romantic crisis. But nothing can beat the one thing Clare was hoping to steer clear of...murder. In Clare Cosi's world, things revolve around coffee. It's not just something to have with breakfast. It's a taste sensation that can add a little spice to your life no matter what time of day - or night - it is. So when she receives a cup of mud at the elegant Solange, the restaurant where her daughter Joy is an intern, Clare can't contain her displeasure, and has to speak up. But before she even has time to set the coffee situation at Solange straight, one of Joy's fellow interns, turns up dead; followed by the illustrious, celebrated chef he works for. In general, Clare would attempt to stay away from the investigation, but this time she's forced to dive in headfirst, for the police's numero uno suspect is none other than Joy herself. Clare knows her daughter, and is convinced that Joy couldn't hurt a fly, and most definitely didn't kill two of people - both of whom she loved. Unfortunately, the police don't know Joy, and refuse to take Clare's word, preferring to wrap up the case, toss Joy in jail, and throw away the key. Seeing her daughter rot in a New York City prison is the most gut-wrenching thing Clare could have possibly imagined; and, enlisting the help of her ex-husband, and new homicide detective beau, Clare resolves to catch the killer, and spring Joy from the joint. But as Clare digs deeper and deeper into the victim's lives, she begins to realize that not everything is so cut and dry. Both men were keeping secrets that would have caused any number of people to murder them. Now, Clare will have to do her best to catch the appropriate culprit, without losing her head. Otherwise, the next murder on the menu may just be her own. When I first began reading the Coffeehouse mysteries, I was basically anti-coffee, yet still adored Cleo Coyle's descriptions of the tastes and smells of the perfect brew. Over the years, I have grown into a coffee drinker myself, and find that I only adore the Coffeehouse mysteries more and more with each new installment. Clare is a character you simply can't get enough of. Her intelligence regarding everything from coffee to marital relations makes her come alive; while her descriptions of her adventures - and misadventures - in the kitchen help the reader to develop a kinship with her character. The fact that Coyle is finally tossing Clare into a romantic relationship with someone other than Matt truly works to give the series a jolt; while Madame's ability to wrangle up a slew of new sui

Just finished French Pressed by Cleo Coyle and I think it's the best of the series so far. Clare's daughter, Joy, is interning at Solange, one of New York's hottest French restaurants. She has made a terrible misstep and gotten herself romantically involved with her boss, the charismatic, older, married head chef at the restaurant. Clare is her mother and horrified, of course, to find out about her daughter's affair. Nevertheless, what 20 year old daughter takes romantic advice from her mother? Clare can't convince Joy to break off the affair, so she spies on her at the restaurant. The night she comes by for dinner, all heck breaks loose in the kitchen. The head chef is gone missing and the woman he leaves in charge comes down hard on Joy, even waving a knife in her face. Clare intervenes and saves her daughter from possible harm and decides then and there to get herself hired by the head chef, so she can keep an eye on things where her daughter is working. Then things really get scary. The competitive kitchen turns deadly and Joy is suspected of murdering a co-worker. To clear her daughter of the crime, Clare must enlist the help of her new boyfriend, Detective Quinn. This is a fast-paced read with many funny moments and just as many emotional highs and lows. It takes you to places in New York City that tourists seldom see. The author really does know the city where she sets her series. I started with On What Grounds and also read Murder Most Frothy (set in the seaside resort of the Hamptons). I will look forward to reading the other books, too. You may want to start at the beginning of the series, as the characters do grow and change. But the author explains things well enough that you will not be lost if you haven't read a previous book. Start here and see if you want to read the entire series. Once you take a sip, you will probably want to drink the while cup. Good job!

"French Pressed" was a fast paced read that ended with a few surprises for the characters. In this installment of the Coffeehouse Mysteries, we get an inside look at Joy's culinary apprenticeship, & I have to say that looking at the inside of a professional kitchen was very interesting. I learned quite a lot about the cutthroat restaurant business & the different types of chefs that work in a kitchen. As always, there is much interesting information on coffee & some great recipes.