Holiday Buzz

The opening of the pseudonymous Coyle’s sprightly 12th coffeehouse mystery starring Manhattan coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi (after A Brew to a Kill) is replete with foreshadowing: “I didn’t plan on interrogating a reality show diva; hoodwinking a New York hockey player; or butting heads with a conniving Cajun cook. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to trump one of the biggest forensic freaks in the NYPD.” Those events follow Clare’s discovery of the bludgeoned corpse of Moirin Fagan, a baker’s assistant who was helping Clare prepare Christmas cookies. The investigation culminates in, unsurprisingly, an angry Clare choosing to put herself in danger, as well as a dramatic section whose punch is undermined by more foreshadowing and some familiar genre conventions. The lead doesn’t always use common sense, but her pluckiness and overall good spirit make her engaging company. Coyle is the husband-wife writing team of Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (Dec.)