Lana Lewis has returned home to Devil's Beach, Florida to run her dad's coffee shop, Perkatory. Lana was laid off from her position as a news reporter in Miami and still smarting from her divorce from a cheating spouse. Nervous about the upcoming Sunshine State Barista Championship, she is furious when her flirty employee, Fabrizio Belluci doesn't show up for work and she discovers he has gone over to the competition. After she makes quite a scene at his new employers, she leaves for an event in Miami. Arriving home the next morning, she finds his dead body by in the alley by Perkatory. Was he pushed or was it suicide? Lana decides to investigate when the attractive chief of police leans toward suicide and she is losing business. Along the way she makes new friends and runs into old childhood enemies and adopts the victims dog, Stanley. There are plenty of suspects and if you like coffee, you will be tempted to have an extra cup while trying to figure out whodunit.

Lana reporter turned owner of Perkatory a coffee shop. She is so down to earth and relatable. Her ex husband left her for someone half his age. Her news paper laid her off after a career boosting story. She moved back to Devils Beach Florida to take over her late mother’s coffee shop. It doesn’t go as planned when her barista is dead outside her cafe. Only hours before she had a public tongue lashing session with him. He moved to the competitors cafe for his girlfriend. Lana sets out to find what happened to Fab. In the process she becomes close with the new police chief in town. I loved this one and can’t wait for more!
#GroundsforMurder #NetGalley

This is the first book in a new series by Tara Lush. It is also my first read by Ms Lush. What more could you ask for in a cozy mystery, sun, sand, the smell of suntan lotion, coffee...and murder!

Lana's life takes a major turn after her divorce, and she's laid off from her job as a journalist, and she moves back home to take over her family's coffee shop. Her barista is found murdered right before a competition. With the help of her hippie father, Goth new friend/barista, and the handsome police chief, Lana sets out to solve the murder.

I read this book in a day, and I cannot wait for more books in this series!

5 Stars!

Grounds for Murder was a lot of fun to read. The vivid setting of Devil's Beach, Florida, and the protagonist's cleverly named coffee shop Perkatory made me want to visit and sip a latte. Coffee isn't just window dressing in this new series, it's like another character, due to its rich presence throughout the book.

There were lots of things to like about this cozy mystery. It's well-written, and though offbeat and humorous at times, it never became campy. The flirtatious attraction between the heroine, Lana, and the town police chief Noah Garcia (aka Sheriff Hunk) added a touch of romance to the story.

I look forward to reading book two in the series and wish the author Tara Lush all the best. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC to read and review.

When Lana Lewis, former journalist and now manager of her family's coffee shop - Perkatory - finds her "casanova" barista Fabrizio (Fab) dead of an apparent suicide, she's on the trail of a killer who has her in their sights. With the help of her eccentric father, punk/goth new barista, Stanley the Shih Tzu puppy and the quirky beach townsfolk of Devil's Beach Florida - Lana decides to find out why Fab was murdered.

I love Lana! She's complicated, smart, kind and curious. The mystery was fast-paced and well-written and had some of the best "red herrings" I've seen. Lana is not the perfect sleuth but that's part of her charm and makes the book believable and fun to read. The characters of her father, Erica (the new barista) and police Chief Noah Garcia all are strong characters and enhance the book. The descriptions of the town of Devil's Beach were lovely and made me feel as if I was there!

I can't wait for Lana and company's next mystery!

I received an ARC from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book in a new series. Lana best employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition. She winds up dead and it's up to a former reporter to solve the case

I am becoming a huge fan of the cozy mystery genre due to books like this. You can read this as an escape from the everyday in a weekend. A really good mystery.

Lana Lewis manages her family’s coffee shop, Perkatory in the Gulf Coast/island of Devil’s Beach of Florida. Before that, she was a successful journalist and married to a network news anchor.


Her father had insisted she take over the family business so he could focus on his yoga classes and real estate.


She’s been trying to hone her latte art skills to attract more customers and moreover, her shop is competing in the Sunshine State Barista Championships in two weeks. She hopes to win and attract publicity for the shop. Fabian is a barista at the shop has been teaching her latte art. He’s also known for his amazing latte-making skills and instagrammable lattes ☕️


Lana hires a new barista named Erica Penmark and it seems Fabian is not too happy about this.


Meanwhile, Noah Garcia is a new cop in Devil’s Beach. Before that, he worked with the Tampa Police Department.


When Fabian doesn’t show up for work Lana learns from Noah that he saw him earlier behind the counter at another cafe in Devils Beach called Island Brewnette. According to Noah, Fabian has been telling everyone that he’s quit Perfaktory and will be competing for Island Brewnette. Incidentally, his girlfriend's father owns the cafe.


Feeling betrayed, she storms off to the cafe and rains abuses on him as customers look on in horror. Later that day she heads to Miami to attend a journalist award 🥈. On her way back the following day, just as she’s about to park her car near the cafe, she sights a human form lying a few feet away. Upon closer inspection, she discovers its Fabrizio “Fab” Bellucci her former barista. Quickly she calls the police.


Thank you to NetGalley, Tara Lush, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book.

As a Florida native, I love the setting of this book.
As a journalist, it makes me cringe.

Lana Lewis is a horribly unethical and erratic journalist who inserts herself into an active death investigation despite orders from the police chief to take a seat.
With that irk aside, I did enjoy some aspects of this book. Lana's dad, her new BFF, and her coffee shop are all highlights.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

Looking for a cozy mystery? Something you could read leisurely at the beach? Look no further, this is it!

Grounds for Murder follows Lana Lewis try to solve the mystery of the murder of her ex-employee, Fab, after he is found dead in front of her coffee shop days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship. Lana uses her investigative journalism skills to get to the bottom of this crime and makes some friends and finds some new relationships at the same time.

I really enjoyed this read! It reminded me of a Nancy Drew mystery, but more cozy and set on a beach town. This book had a cast of characters I absolutely loved and a reasonably paced story line. It's a book that I would read the sequel to, too, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a mystery but doesn't want to up all night scared out of their boots.I

Loved this cozy! Set in small town Florida, our main character Lana Lewis runs the family coffeehouse. She is astounded when long time barista employee defects to work for the competition, days before a local coffeehouse competition. She's even more shocked when he shows up dead. Delightful cozy that shows Florida's quirky beauty combined with unforgettable unique characters such and Lana's stoner dad.

I can't wait to see more in this series!

I found this book to be a bit odd and not quite to my taste. I just found it could not hold my interest and I was not fond of the writing style.

New author for me. Loved reading this book. I had it finished in 1 day. Lela owns a coffee shop with her father. When a murder happens. Lela sets out to investigate on her own. Which doesn't make the chief of police happy. To hear more read the book.

This was not a favorite story. I like to feel like I connect with the characters and atmosphere of a story to the point of getting lost in the book. I did not get this connection with anyone.

It seemed to me, in several areas, that in editing certain "discrepancies" should have been caught. Maybe this is setting up for the future books and in time it won't seem so unusual, but for me it was distracting.

I'd like to also say, I didn't like our heroine Lana. She just didn't have enough grab for me.

I will say, Stanley saved me many times... What a good boy!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Grounds for Murder

If you’re looking for an easy-to-read murder mystery, beachy feels, and the love of coffee, Grounds for Murder is for you!

Lush sets the stage for a mysterious death and places a lot of key suspects right within reach. There are a number of suspenseful moments waiting for you, but what I really wanted more than anything was how to make latte art!

This story wasn’t for me. There were a few character inconsistencies that tripped me up, as well as the fact that I felt the characters themselves were disconnected from the “murder”... it doesn’t seem like it’s really affecting the people close to the person who actually died. Didn’t feel real to me, but I don’t read a lot of murder mystery so maybe it’s just not my thing.

4.5 stars

This is the first book in the A Coffee Lovers’ mystery series by Tara Lush.

Lana used to be a reporter until she got laid off and is now helping to run her parents coffee bar. All seems to be going well. Lana is learning how to make foam images on the surface of the coffee in order to compete with her barista Fab in the Sunshine State Barista Championship. Then Fab quits without notice and then ends up dead, but not before Lana gave him a good tongue lashing for abandoning her and the coffee shop leaving her in the lurch.

I really enjoyed this story. The mystery was captivating and it kept my attention. Loved all the characters to, even the victim was a standout. I hope that Lana goes back to her reporting roots and lands a job at the local town newspaper just to keep her doing the thing that she so loves.

This is one of those mysteries where everyone is a suspect. And it makes it even harder to figure out since this is the first book in a series and you don’t know who the recurring characters are that you can leave out of the suspect line up.

Definitely a winner and a series I am putting on my must read list for sure!

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Lana‘s life has taken a bit of a turn, lately. She lost her job as a journalist, she divorced her cheating husband, and moved home to her touristy, beach-side hometown. Things are going well for her, though. She’s running her family’s coffee shop; she and her barista, Fab, are preparing for a coffee-centered competition; and the local police chief is showing more than a little interest in her. She’s happier than she thought she would be. But, when Fab is murdered and all eyes turn to Lana, it’s up to her to get to the bottom of the case and prove her innocence.

Grounds for Murder is a clever cozy mystery that includes all of the things one could possibly want from the genre: a mystery, a sweet romance, and thoroughly likable characters. Tara Lush has a remarkable grasp of pacing, setting, and character building. Lana is a wonderfully sympathetic character that the reader can’t help but cheer on as she deals with seedy characters, shady figures, a hippy-esque father, and an oh-so-charming police chief. Add to the mix a fresh sense of humor and a wanton embracing of Floridian culture, and Tara Lush has created a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery.

The only complaint we have with this book is that we were 100% sure of who-done-it about 75% of the way through. The culprit was quite obvious, taking the mystery out of the story early on. That being said, this is Tara Lush’s debut novel. The story was well-written and we could practically smell the coffee floating on the air of the quaint little coffee shop. Grounds for Murder is well worth the read and we can’t wait to read the next.

-Becky and Scott
(The Bookish Bryants)

I had a hard time getting into this book. The characters are good and the story was interesting when I got into it. The main characters feels a little whiny about her reporter job throughout the story. The ending was good. I hadn't suspected who the killer was. #GroundsforMurder #NetGalley

Another fun cozy mystery. Characters were likable. Hope to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

Grounds for Murder is not the first cozy that I’ve read with this title. I’ve actually read a few coffee house themed cozies. I love the Cleo Coyle series so I do seek them out, but many pale in comparison to that one, but this is really good! It feels modern and I wasn’t disappointed by it all. The character of Lana as the coffee shop manager/owner’s daughter/used to be reporter made a believable sleuth. The other characters were fleshed out and added to the story and the setting was well done. I figured out the culprit with the clues provided, but I still enjoyed the story right up to the end and would read another in this series. Great new Coffee House series.