Setting - Florida
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 163910545X / ISBN-13: 978-1639105458
Digital ASIN: B0C1YBSBXZ
The Perkatory crew returns to solve the murder of a
cantankerous local activist.
A Bean to Die For is the fourth book in author Tara Lush’s fabulous and fun cozy Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, and what a delightful return it is to the sand and sun of the close-knit Devil’s Beach, Florida community. With its engaging ensemble of recurring characters, suspicious death, and tantalizing Gulf Coast setting, this is a perfect bookish escape from the current wintry weather.
The main character, Lana Lewis, has a lot going on as usual, but life has somewhat settled down since the events of the previous books. Her relationship with Noah Garcia, Devil’s Beach’s chief of police, is progressing nicely and is about to take a big step forward. Noah’s mother and sister are arriving on the island at the end of the week, and he’s introducing them to Lana. However, Lana is stressing to impress as she plans to prepare her specialty, lasagna, for dinner at her home on Saturday night, especially when she finds herself, once again, embroiled in a murder case.
Lana is the first to discover the body of local activist Jack Daggitt, a man with plenty of people who have a bone to pick with him, and Noah doesn’t want her anywhere near this investigation. She’s more than ready and willing to comply until a regular customer becomes a prime suspect and asks for her help in proving her innocence. However, Lana's desire to help wins out, and soon, she and Erica are hip-deep in suspects. I loved Erica and Peter’s enthusiasm for tackling this new case and how they tried to keep things on the hush-hush and Lana out of dutch with Noah. But Lana was really more twisted up over putting her best foot forward for Noah’s family, initially, than the potential danger involved in tracking down a killer. The three do a great job of identifying possible suspects and working to cross them off their list, yet the discovery of the perpetrator comes as a surprise after all. The author has an absolute gift for creating fresh and fun dialogue, making reading a joy. And while this is the fourth book in the series, newcomers shouldn’t have any trouble getting into and enjoying the story. The author also does a great job referring to past investigations without giving everything away, so readers who will want to read the previous books won’t have had those stories spoiled.
I recommend A BEAN TO DIE FOR to cozy mystery readers,
especially those who enjoy coffee, Florida settings, and fans of the previous
novels.
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