DEATH BY CAFÉ MOCHA

Hopped up on caffeine, the participants in JavaCon deal with drama and death.

Krissy Hancock, who co-owns the bookstore/coffee shop Death by Coffee with her friend Vicki Lawyer, is anxious to pick up tips at JavaCon. But everything goes wrong from the moment the hotel can’t find their reservations and she almost wipes out handsome Thomas Cole with her suitcase. The five organizers of JavaCon—Clint Sherman, Carmine Wright, Dallas Edmonds, Pierre Longview, and Evaline Cobb—have appointed themselves judges for the much-anticipated contest to determine who’s created the best coffee blend. When the judges declare Charles Maddox’s mocha coffee recipe the winner, big trouble ensues. Even Krissy thinks several other contestants, including Cole, had better recipes. Another contestant, Wynona Kepler, immediately accuses Maddox of bribing the judges. When he’s found murdered, JavaCon teeters on the brink of ruin. Though Krissy’s had considerable success solving earlier murders (Death by Espresso, 2018, etc.), she can’t expect the local police to be as accommodating as her friends on the force back home. Even so, she’s distracted from the seminars by her overwhelming curiosity about all the drama between the organizers and outspoken competitors. Krissy, who has a knack for getting people to talk to her, is often downright pushy in asking questions. Maddox was known as a womanizer, and more complications arise when a woman claiming to be his wife shows up demanding access to his room. Krissy can only hope her questions will lead to a motive for murder, whether it’s jealousy over the contest or something more personal.

One has to wonder why the relentlessly inquisitive heroine is still alive since she disregards her own safety in pursuit of criminals.