No Roast for the Weary by Cleo Coyle

Available: April 1, 2025

Rating: 5 espressos

Business at the Village Blend is more stale than gas station coffee and if Clare doesn't get customers pouring back into the doors of the coffee shop they might lose their beans. When Clare's arch-nemesis Wood gives Matt an offer he can hardly refuse, Clare is faced with a dilemma. Sell out? Or fight her way back to the top?

I'm so invested in this series. Each of the characters is special to me for their own reasons and I love Clare most of all. But one character I can't stand is her fiancé, Mike. Mike is a turd. He comes over when he's hungry or horny and Clare satisfies his every need. What does Mike do for her? Yeah. What DOES Mike do for her? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. When Clare needs something, she turns to Matt or one of her baristas. Every once in a while Clare will call Mike, but he never even answers the phone. I get that he's a detective, he works odd hours and has to travel with little notice. That's fine. I accept that. But even the most committed detective does SOMETHING with their loved ones other than eat, screw, and sleep. As much as I love Clare, I think she needs therapy. She seems to have a pathological need to be romantically involved with men who are untouchable, unreliable, and uncommitted.

This book revolves around a beloved regular customer with a murky past, a revived writers group, and a 40+ year old cold case. As with previous books we get a lovely tour of the city and we get to meet some interesting individuals. We dive into the history of the Village Blend and the history of some people who have come a long way since the good old days. Everyone has secrets and some are willing to kill to keep them.

As with my other recent books in the series, this book is considerably longer than your average cozy but there's not a dull moment. The short chapters kept me reading well past bedtime as I thought to myself, just one more... just one more. Anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries or stories about coffee shops or all things New York City should definitely check this series out.

Thank you to Cleo Coyle, Berkley Prime Crime, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.