I was hoping this second book in the series would appeal to me more than the first, but it just didn't.
I liked the main character in the first book, but didn't love her. In this book, I like her a little less. She seems to have no real connections to anyone, all her communication is just banter, and the majority of it is mean spirited. My friends and I can sometimes joke around and poke fun, but if every interaction was taking aim at a weakness of mine, or a sore spot, I would dump those friends, asap! Why she tolerates being treated poorly by "friends" is beyond me, and it makes me lose respect for her. I don't think everyone should hold hands and sing songs, but non-stop biting dialouge just got really old, pretty quickly.
Same with her love interest, he treats her like he thinks she's an idiot, and that would drive me nuts. If a guy played tricks on me, just because he knew he could, and actually said as much, said he tricked me because he knew I wouldn't catch on, it would be to the curb for him.
With every interaction Maggy has, with her friends, with her love interest, it just makes me cringe how she gets treated so poorly and she just doesn't care. Of sure, some things you just shake off, but no one is nice to this gal and if Maggy doesn't care about Maggy, then neither do I, the reader.
Book 3 is on my WL and I'll wait it out, and read it when I get it, but if I'm as distracted by all her hostile relationships in the next one, I'll be setting this series aside.
Grounds for Murder definitely hits the ground running, unfortunately it begins on a manic pace and by mid book, with it's snippy comments from the main character, the reader feels overwhelmed by what is being thrown at them with no real feel for the end goal of proving who killed LaRoche and why. This book came across more along the vein of throw it on the wall to sees what sticks, then the usual slow meandering pace that most cozies take.
Maggy Thorsen is coordinating the annual JaveHo coffeehouse competition, in Milwaukee, WI, matching local baristas in a head-to-head challenge to see who the best of the best is when it comes to espresso creativity.
Marvin LaRoche, the much-despised proprietor of the HotWired coffeehouse chain is found murdered and stuffed under the awards table, having been bashed in the head by the first place trophy. Before Maggy can be charged with the crime, she sets of to find who actually had the real motivation to kill this horrible man.
With too many likely suspects, Maggie must start matching up stories and convince her love interest and town Sheriff Jake Pavlik, who must have done it and why. That is when she is not trying to round up the Amy, the reining JaveHo barista for her own shop. A shop that Marvin has been trying to put out of business.
Though bland and boring in parts and manic and snarky in others, the reader is definitely on a race to the finish with this book. Not so you can see who-done-it, but to get the book over with so they could read something that is a bit richer and smoother to the palate.
Connie A. (jazzysmom) - 
