Murder à la Mocha by Sandra Balzo is the eleventh book in the “Maggy Thorsen” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Severn House Publishers, January 1, 2019
Coffee, a canine and a corpse: a bad feeling leads to an even worse discovery when Maggy tries to return a Chihuahua to its owners in the new coffeehouse mystery.
Maggy Thorsen’s evening with her fiancé Sheriff Jake Pavlik and his parents in Chicago takes a dramatic turn when Jake’s mother falls ill, then a Chihuahua jumps in front of Maggy’s car on her drive back to Uncommon Grounds, her Wisconsin coffeehouse. Attempting to return Mocha to her owners, George and Marian Satterwite, the following day, Maggy comes face-to-face with Arial, their dog-sitter and her business partner Sarah’s niece. But something doesn’t feel right . . .
Returning to the property, Maggy and Marian make a shocking discovery. And where are George and Arial? With Jake still in Chicago and Sarah desperate to find her niece, Maggy is soon drawn into another deadly puzzle.
Maggy finds herself involved in yet another murder mystery when a dead body is found and her partner’s niece seemed to be involved in that may have happened. With Maggy’s inquisitive nature and Sarah’s snarky quips, the two are on the case uncovering all kinds of clues that paints a different picture of who the niece really is.
I love the pacing and the tone that set the stage for this enticing whodunit that quickly became a page turner that I could not put down. Sandra knows how to tell a story that kept my intrigued from beginning to the end with engaging dialogue (with Sarah and Maggy) and some scene stealing moments with Frank and Mocha. I especially enjoyed seeing a different side to Sarah. The mystery was nicely executed with a few twists and turns that added greatly to my reading pleasure. This is one of the best books and one of my favorites of the year and I look forward to more adventures with Maggy and her friends.