To The Last Drop by Sandra Balzo is the ninth book in the “Maggy Thorsen” mystery series. Publisher: Severn House Publishers, November 2016

Maggy Thorsen returns in this brand-new coffeehouse mystery, where the death of her ex-husband’s colleague leads to events that hit Maggy close to home – in more ways than one . . .

Maggy Thorsen’s shock at finding her ex-husband Ted in a fight with William Swopes, an oral surgeon at Ted’s dental practice, outside Uncommon Grounds, the Wisconsin gourmet coffeehouse she co-owns, is soon usurped by the horror of discovering a dead body outside Thorsen Dental’s office block the next morning. Did he jump from the tenth-floor office window, or was he pushed?

It’s not long before Maggy is uncovering disturbing family secrets, lies and betrayal.
As Maggy tries to piece together the clues, her beau, Jake Pavlik, hits her with another bombshell. Can she keep her emotions in check and find out the truth about a possible murder?

I so enjoyed this book when Maggy, once again, finds herself involved in a murder investigation when Ted’s partner is found lying outside their office. This was a well-written, evenly paced drama that had everything I love when reading a mystery. There was a dead body. There was a good number of potential suspects. There was Sarah, the sidekick, always there with a word or two or three to propel Maggy onward. Then there was trying to decipher all the clues presented to figure out who did murdered the doctor.

From the first page, this story immediately grabbed my attention and quickly became a page turner as I had to know what happened next. I liked how the stage was set with the introduction of the Swopes’ family and how they became immersed in the various situations with Maggy and her desire to uncover the truth. The author did a great job in delivering a mystery that kept me intrigued in all that was happening, from Ted’s outburst, to Maggy nosing around and to Jake’s shocker. The narrative was nicely done, putting me in the middle of all the action. Everyone had a role to play that was pivotal to the outcome and boy was I surprised when the killer’s identity was reveal. Good job, as I didn’t see that one coming. Boasting a wonderful cast of character, engaging dialogue and a nice backdrop of a small town, this was a terrific read and one of the best book in this enjoyable series and I can’t wait to see where we go next with Maggy, Jake and their friends in Brookhills, WI.