Cover Image: Murder Over Mochas

Murder Over Mochas

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Murder Over Mochas starts with Juliet Langley punching Scott O'Malley right on the nose. I believe he deserved that and a lot more. How would you feel if your ex-fiance cheated on you, emptied your joint bank account and stole everything you owned and then had enough nerve to show up asking for help? Unfortunately, Scott died shortly after hitting the floor complicating Juliet's life even more.

This is a great mystery that is well written. The characters have depth and are believable. The pharmaceutical companies and their buyers take a hard hit in this story. It shows some of the corruption and competition that occurs in high profit businesses.

I've never been disappointed by any book written by Caroline Fardig. I hope she has a long and prosperous writing career. I was given an advanced readers copy through NetGalley and am voluntarily submitting my review.

Was this review helpful?

Murder Over Mochas is the fifth-in-series from author Caroline Fardig. Without reading any of the previous books in the Java Jive set (yet), I was able to read the book just fine without feeling left out or like I was missing plot holes.

Coffeehouse manager and main character Juliet is accused of the murder of her jerk of an ex-fiance. With the help of her friend and coffeehouse owner, Pete, Juliet tries to solve the who, how, and why of the crime before they find themselves on the inside of a jail cell.

I very much enjoyed this cozy mystery. Sometimes I find that cozies are too obvious or too cheesy, but not this one. It had just the right amount of humor and whodunnit to balance out the plot. Plus I thought the characters were well written as well.

Was this review helpful?

This is the 5th and final book in the Java Jive series . I adore this entire series and am sad to find out it is ending. Juliet is a smart fun protagonist who while managing her coffee shop manages a PI business. She is friends with many people in town and its been nice to get to known the small town characters. They work with her on cases and provide a element of comfort and deep friendship to these stories.
I will miss this series and will return to it in the future as its always a well crafted mystery with wonderful story. The author is truly talented at writing cozy mysteries and I look forward to her next work.

The ARC of this book did not influence my review.

Was this review helpful?

I simply adore the Java Jive series! From the very start of book one I was engrossed and fully invested in Pete’s and Juliet’s story. As each additional book has come out I’ve eagerly devoured it and fell more in love with the returning characters. Their ups and downs- there are so many of the downs! Juliet's uncanny ability to always find herself embroiled in a new, murderous mystery while still trying to navigate the constant back and forth of her love life never fails to entertain and delight. And Murder Over Mochas was no different. It was such a pleasure to dive between the pages of this book to see how everything played out this time around. I hope there will be more books in this series still to come!

Sincerest thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for granting me this review opportunity.

Was this review helpful?

This was my favorite of the novels to date which makes me sad that the novels are ending. The main character is calm, collected, and professional and she finally makes a decision in regards to her best friend. Over all a fun series.

Was this review helpful?

OMG! Loved this one! I've enjoyed this series immensely from the start. This is the fifth book. I highly recommend this if you're a cozy mystery fan. So glad this book came to fruition.

Juliet Langley is an awesome protagonist. A long-ago ex shows up and drops dead in Java Jive. Now, Juliet is the prime suspect and must do all she can to find the real killer. Her best friend Pete, along with some other great characters, are there to help her solve this case.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I sure did a happy dance with this book. Fans of this series will have to read this one, and new readers should start with the first book. This is a series you don't want to miss. You'll probably fall for these characters as much as I did.

Was this review helpful?

Once again a murder finds Juliet at the coffee shop. This one is personal and all fingers point at Juliet as the main suspect. As friends rally to help her solve this mystery we are lead on an adventure with a little romance on the side

Was this review helpful?

Amazing as usual! A wonderful and quick read filled with just the right amount of humor and anticipation. Juliet's ex-fiancé shows up in this one to throw a loop in her life, yet again. This time her sleuthing is to exonerate herself and Pete again but to also help her ex. How is that possible for her to help him after he has done her so very wrong? Caroline did not fail to get me hooked into this group of characters again. Even better was she did a little crossover with her Lizzie Hart series! I love how all her books in this series are a good stand alone. They do incorporate a lot of the others, but not to the point that requires you to read them all to keep up.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinions.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun read. A nice cozy mystery, with a main character who can think for herself and has some spunk, and an entertaining story. I haven't read any of the others in the story, but I'd be interested in reading more.

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was a fun read. Coffee and tea are always welcome with me, so having this in a book was nice. The leading lady wasn't a ditzy gal, which I appreciate. While keeping it cozy, it also had some grit to it. Nice! This is apparently the last book in the series, and I haven't read any of the others, but I would like to read them.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Was this review helpful?

Since reading my first Caroline Fardig novel, I've been on the lookout for additional titles, so hastened to request "Murder Over Mochas" when it appeared on Netgalley. As before, there is a good, solid mystery or two to unravel as the lives and relationships of various key characters progress. If you've not read previous titles, you will find the book stands alone quite nicely and characters and plot are independent of the series although it was fun for me to see a few complexities revealed in the previous book played out further. But I haven't read the first several in the series (yet!) myself and was fully content to "live in the moment" as Juliet and her cohorts cavorted back and forth between Nashville and her hometown detecting murder and mayhem and discovering pharmaceutical industry abuses<--yeah, DRUGS.

Was this review helpful?

Best Laid Plants by Marty Wingate is the sixth in the series called "The Potting Shed Mysteries".  Pru Parke is an American gardener living in Great Brittan and the non-professional detective in this series. I would suggest that you read the first book or two in the series before you read the other books.  It will help you to know the characters.  In this particular book, Pru and her husband are in the Cotswolds so that Pru can advise on the restoration of an Arts and Crafts garden.  On her second day of inspecting the garden, Pru finds the body of the owner, Batsford Bede. She and Christopher then have to solve the mystery of who killed him and why. There are frequent references to gardening, which mean nothing to me, but they do not distract from the story if you are not a gardener.

This is a very pleasant cozy mystery.  I have enjoyed all the books I have read by Marty Wingate.  It seems that the books are available as eBooks or audiobooks.

Was this review helpful?

This is my new favorite author. Her books make you laugh, cry, cringe, rant....She brings you into the story with her and you feel like your actually watching everything that is taking place. I can't begin to say how happy I was to finally get the HEA that I've been waiting for. I didn't read the books with the supporting characters yet. But I'm getting them next. I would have given this entire series 10 stars if I could. Definitely will re-read these.

Was this review helpful?

I’m so happy my favorite funny cozy mystery series is back! I've missed my favorite redhead and all her adventures.

‘Murder Over Mochas’ (A Java Jive Mystery #5) starts where ‘Brew or die’ (A Java Jive Mystery #4) ended, Juliet still is a private investigator and she's still running Java Jive. As all her previous ‘adventures’, it was a regular day in Juliet’s life, she didn’t imagine that her past would come back out of nowhere. Her ex (who is responsible for all of her troubles) Scott O’Malley came to see her to ask her for a favor, apparently he is in danger and he begs her to help him.

Why on earth she would she be willing to help him if he stole from her in the past, cheated on her and left her without her business? But she was kind of forced to help him investigate his case after he dropped dead in front of her and Pete (her best friend and owner of Java Jive). As the police think Juliet and Pete are persons of interest, and possibly accused of murder, both will have to do some sleuth work in order to not end up in jail.

In this story we will get a lot of mystery surrounding Scott, Juliet will find out things about him that she would have wished not to know about, but at least she will get closure, have an end to that relationship that sometimes haunted her and this will make her open up to love and finally have her happily ever after with Pete.

Thanks to Caroline for an amazing book! I’m so happy that Juliet finally is the owner of her life. She's finally able to pursue her dreams with her best friend and now boyfriend, Pete. I hope this is not the last book of the series, because Juliet is a character I get attached too more and more with each book.

Was this review helpful?

I love this series so I had high hopes for this book! And, I can’t even play, this held up to everything the last books gave me. This also is going to lead to a discussion question, which I’ll post soon, but basically I really want your thoughts on the Scooby Doo moment. You know that moment when the villain tells their life story. Yeah, that moment… more about this in a minute.

First though, ohhhh how wonderful to have another book of Caroline Fardig’s in my hands. I love her writing. The characters are fun, and witty, and also a bit normal, and clutzy. I love them because they do things I would do, and this makes them very personable.

Juliet is extremely personable. She is such a nutcase! Fortunately, if you haven’t read the other books, you can pick this one up and enjoy it just as if you know the characters, but I prefer to read them in order. The main reason, at least in this case, are the relationships. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and a newbie could certainly pick some of it up, but would not be able to put all the pieces together. So, while I think they CAN be read out of order, I don’t recommend it.

This is just like a normal cozy mystery, so if you’re a fan you’ll know the type of book you’re getting into. They’re fun, but still cute and fresh.

Was this review helpful?

The latest of the Java Jive mysteries doesn't disappoint, leaving you guessing until the end and not having an obvious conclusion. The combination of characters from Ms Fardigs other books (Lizzie Hart) was really interesting, even for someone that hasn't read those books yet. I would definitely recommend as a quick easy read.

Was this review helpful?

I love this series! While Caroline’s last book wasn’t as great as the others, Murder Over Mochas is! Jules exboyfriend who left her for another woman shows up asking for her help in finding his missing wife and then unexpectedly dies in front of her and Jules becomes a prime suspect. As always, Jules gets involved in a case she shouldn’t be involved in and the adventure begins! The chemistry between Jules and Pete her best friend continues on in this book too and you continue to hope they will finally get together. Excellent storyline and I found myself cheering and joyful at the end of the book! Why? Read it to find out!

Was this review helpful?

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I have have been a fan of the Java Jive series right from the first book. Juliette is an intriguing heroine who manages to be feisty and smart even if she does stumble into one calamity after another. It’s been fun reading about the on again off again threesome of Jules, her best friend Pete and her former boyfriend Ryder. I won’t give away who it is but she finally makes a decision but not until she is neck deep in murder again.
This time it is her ex who not only stole her money and her things, he stole her dreams and confidence. The creep shows up at Java Jive and then has the temerity to expire in front of Jules. Since Juliette has never hidden her justifiable anger, she becomes the prime suspect and Pete, by virtue of his proximity, is also under suspicion. Time for Jules to trot out her newly acquired PI skills. With Ryder’s help, all three investigate why someone, other than Jules, might want to poison him.
By the time the murderer is under arrest, much of the interpersonal dynamics of the series has shifted. It is going to be interesting to see where it goes since that romantic tension was such a pivotal part of the stories.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.

Was this review helpful?