Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle is the 17th book in the “Coffeehouse” mystery series. Publisher: Penguin Random House, coming April 17, 2018

A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body behind and the landmark coffeehouse becomes the center of a whole new scene–a crime scene.

As Village Blend manager Clare Cosi attempts to finalize a date for her wedding, her ex-husband becomes addicted to making dates through smartphone swipes. Clare has mixed feelings about these quickie matchups happening in her coffeehouse. Even her octogenarian employer is selecting suitors by screenshot! But business is booming, and Clare works hard to keep the espresso shots flowing. Then one dark night, another kind of shot leaves a dead body for her to find.

The corpse is a successful entrepreneur who became notorious for his “hit it and quit it” behavior: prowling for women on dating apps, then devastating his conquests with morning-after insults. Though the NYPD quickly arrests one of his recent victims, Clare finds reason to believe she’s been framed.

Now, with the help of her ex and crew of quirky baristas, Clare starts “swiping” through suspects in her own shop, determined to find the real killer before another shot rings out.

Includes a bang-up menu of tempting recipes.

Purchase Link

Once again we find intrepid Clare involved in another murder investigation – this one out of her element and she’ll have to rely on her friends to blend all the clues together to apprehend a killer.

The pacing in this whodunit is like taking that first sip of delicious coffee and then enjoying all of it until that last drop is savored and that is how well this intriguing aroma of a multi-plot story is being told. With visually descriptive narrative, the dialogue sets the tone and keeps me engaged throughout as the backdrop where everything takes places from Greenwich Village to the harbor to the park to the street all take center stage. From the beginning of this well-defined mystery, we are pulled into the action of the various cast of characters who will tell us a story involving the latest fad–dating apps that converged on the steps of Village Blend and takes on a dubious web of love, deceit, and murder and it is these facets that have me cheering for Clare and the gang as they use all tools necessary to stop a killer and give Clare back her “normal.” Bonus for me is continually watching the love affair with Clare and Mike and I can’t wait to visualize their upcoming wedding. This latest adventure with Clare and her friends is a terrific read and one of the best in the series.

**********
FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the author.