It's Christmas time in New York, and coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi is getting in the mood for the season. But her holly jolly holidays may turn blue when she discovers Santa has been gunned down in a nearby alley. And Clare may be spending the holidays in the pokey if she doesn't clear her own name in the red-suited old elf's murder.

In the eighth edition of Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mysteries, HOLIDAY GRIND, sassy barista Clare Cosi finds herself once again faced with solving a murder while brewing up some of the most delicious coffee in New York City.

Clare was extremely fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time charity Santa who would stop by the Village Blend to warm up on cold days. And when she finds him brutally gunned down, Clare finds more than a few clues that leads her to believe that Alf's death was more than a mugging. For a while, Clare herself is considered a suspect, but is cleared with a little help from her boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn. But Mike is too busy with a case of his own to help Clare track down Santa's killer, so it's up to Clare to try and find out who would snuff out Jolly Ol' St. Nick, but would her curiosity cause her to become the next holiday tragedy of the season?

Cleo Coyle (which is the pseudonym for the husband/wife writing team of Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi) once again offers a lively cup of perfectly brewed mystery that is sure to delight fans of the Coffeehouse Mysteries. In addition to the fast-paced action, this well-crafted story also offers a holiday treat in the form of delicious coffee and dessert recipes guaranteed to make mouths water! Coffee, candy canes and a cozy mystery...what a luscious combo for the holidays!

Book Summary

There’s nothing cozier than a winter evening in Greenwich Village. Streetlights shimmer through icy flakes. Cafés glow with welcoming warmth. Boots crunch along cobblestones, and a layer of snow dusts historic townhouses like powdered sugar on Christmas confections. Murder has no place in such a pretty picture, until now...

Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has grown very fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa who’s been using her Village Blend as a place to warm his mittens. When she finds him brutally gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her that Alfred’s death was something more than the tragic result of a random mugging—the conclusion of the police.

With Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn, distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt investigating this year’s holiday lingerie catalogs (an annual event), Clare charges ahead solo and discovers Santa had a list that he was checking twice—and the folks on it were not very nice. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and she really gets steamed. Between baking delicious Christmas goodies and fending off the attentions of a persistent professional elf, Clare sets out to solve Santa’s slaying. But she'd better watch out, because if she fails to stop this stone cold killer, she may just get the biggest chill of her life.

This very special, holiday entry in Cleo Coyle's nationally bestselling series includes an extra-large bonus section of delicious holiday recipes as well as a glossary of coffeehouse terms, instructions on making espressos and lattes without an expensive machine, and tips for creating your own tasty coffeehouse syrups at home.