At the start of Balzo’s lukewarm second Maggy Thorsen mystery (after 2004’s Uncommon Grounds
), Maggy, a 40-something divorcée who owns a coffee shop in suburban Brookhills, Wis., discovers the corpse of Marvin LaRoche, proprietor of the HotWired coffeehouse chain and Maggy’s biggest competitor, under a banquet table at a coffee convention. Though Maggy was no great fan of LaRoche, she didn’t kill him, and she wants to find out who did before she becomes a suspect. LaRoche’s wife is a little too cheery for a new widow, and an angry activist who thought LaRoche exploited Third World coffee growers might have wanted to make a bloody statement. Some clumsy character development and awkwardly placed commentary on the art of coffeemaking will make fans of Uncommon Grounds
, which was an Anthony Award finalist, hope for a return to form in Maggy’s third cozy. (Dec.)
