Landmark coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has served her share of New York's rich and famous, but even she is surprised by her explosive introduction to a mysterious Internet billionaire...

When a car bomb nearly kills the charming young tech whiz Eric Thorner, Clare comes to his aid and receives a priceless thank you. Not only does the billionaire buy her a barista's dream espresso machine, he hires her for an extraordinary project: creating the world's most expensive coffee blend. The police arrest Eric's alleged attacker, yet death continues to surround the unlucky mogul, leading Clare to question whether the lethal events are premeditated or merely freak accidents.

Clare's boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has a theory of his own, one Clare refuses to believe. Meanwhile, Eric jets Clare around the world on a head-spinning search for the very best coffee, and Clare gets to know his world--a mesmerizing circle of money with rivalries that could easily have turned deadly. But is this mysterious young CEO truly marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing?