My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Lana Lewis wants to try to grow her own coffee beans to add to the offerings at Perkatory, her café in Devil's Beach. With her dad's help, she is taking over a plot at the popular community garden, Peas on Earth, when another man has been banned for breaking the rules. She is a little concerned about all the rules but excited about her new venture. Funny, for all the rules, there isn't one about leaving a dead body in the garden but the previously banned Jack Daggett is in the garden and he is dead.
Darla Ippolito, the president of the garden is high on the suspect list because of her many disagreements with Jack. Noah begs Lana to stay out of his case and she really tries even when Darla asks for her help. She doesn't know Darla well but she does do a little digging. Then Darla is killed and Lana finds herself snooping more than serving coffee. Can she get the bean on the killer? or will she have brewed her last Americano?
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Ms. Lush has created such fun characters for this series. Lana and Erica's friendship continues to grow. Both women are strong, smart, and funny. They come up with new ideas for Perkatory almost every day. A cool new idea is presented in this story but the person presenting it causes a little drama. Growing coffee beans in Florida may be interesting too. Lana's relationship with Noah hits a milestone as his mother and sister come to town to meet her. Lana's dad, Peter is such a cool cat and he has a big announcement in this story too. Beware, Lana's dog Stanley will steal your heart.
The mystery is perplexing. Jack had made more than a few enemies and Darla had a bit of a shady past. Darla also had a unique way of remembering things and that leads to a major clue. Lana, Erica, and Peter try to do a little amateur sleuthing on the sly without telling Noah but you know he knows what they are doing. He loves Lana and wants to protect her. He also knows she is going to be asking questions, it's her reporter instincts that she can let go of. He also knows they make a good team when they put their heads together. After many twists and turns the case comes to a head in an unexpected place. Oh, the way the takedown played out was priceless. I loved it!
I really enjoyed all the subplots the author blended in with the main mystery. No spoilers but something happened during the dinner with Noah's mom, sister, and other guests that has happened to us at our home and I didn't handle it as well as Lana. But when not happening to me it made me laugh out loud.
A Bean To Die For was definitely A Perfect Escape. I escaped right into the pages and was completely entertained. Well-developed characters and a well-plotted story had me so captivated I read it all in one evening. Coffee, a community garden, murders, romance, drama, comedy, lasagna, lubbers and more. What more could you ask for? Cozy mystery lovers you will love this book and this series.
