Death by French Roast by Alex Erickson is book 8 in the Bookstore Cafe Mystery Series, This easy to read Cozy can be read as a standalone.
Krissy's nosy neighbor has passed away and Krissy has joined her daughter in clearing out the house before it's listed for sale. While doing this, Krissy finds out the neighbor's brother was murdered 30 years ago but the most surprising thing was, who he had been dating. It's a member of the writing group Krissy belongs to, Rita.
When Krissy is asked to look at the death with fresh eyes, she enlists Rita to help. Apparently Krissy has stirred the pot, because she is finding out, a lot of people would like to leave things buried in the past. When another murder occurs, she knows she needs to get answers fast before she ends up in a grave.
There are plot twists and suspects that has you guessing to the end. A great cast of likeable characters. There is just enough romance and humor in this Cozy.
I was given an ARC by Kensington and NetGalley for an honest review.

Death by French Roast by Alex Erickson
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: October 27, 2020

Death by French Roast is the 8th book in A Bookstore Cafe Mystery series by Alex Erickson.

I had not previously read any of the other books in the series, but this was easy to follow as a standalone novel. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and look forward to reading the other books in the series. I really hope there will be many more books in the future.

I'm so grateful to Alex Erickson, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review. I also won a free copy of this ebook through Goodreads giveaways!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Ah, the smell of a fresh book in this series! Just kidding, but the premise of books, cats and coffee always lures me in. I do like when a mystery is a bit older too, and the sleuth has to go back and interview and chase down decades old clues to solve it. I like Krissy as a character too, and that she feels like she has to help out. She does it for two people really, Rita and her old neighbour, and in that deceptive cozy sleuth way, finally uncovers the truth.

This is another series that can be read out of order, but you get a greater appreciation for the characters if you've known them from the beginning. Cozy mystery charms you in and then keeps you guessing until the final page, and this one definitely did. A really great book, five stars!

This is the 8th installment in the Bookstore Café Mystery Series. It is the third in the series I have read. I have not read these in order ad I did start at number 4. It appears I pick up the evened numbered ones. I will go back and start at the beginning. With that being stated, these are standalone stories that can be followed by picking them up. The author gives enough background that I did not feel lost.

This involves a cold case murder involving the family of Krissy’s recently deceased neighbor. The town is full of secrets.

I found the pace lively, the book well-written, and enough twists to keep me turning the pages.

I did not suspect the killer until just before the reveal.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy. I am not required to leave a positive review.

Death By French Roast is my first visit with the Bookstore Cafe gang and will not be my last.

When Krisy’s neighbor passes on she realizes there was much more to the crabbiness of her noisy neighbor than what she realized. Krissy learns of a thirty year old murder that’s never been solved. Maybe even pushed a bit under the rug. Krissy decides with determination to start digging into this mystery for her neighbor, Eleanor, who’s brother was the victim. Digging into this small town cold case has the natives in a twist and a bit on edge. As the clues start to piece themselves together, Krissy is getting close to the big reveal when the suspect strikes yet again.

I very much enjoyed Death by French Roast. A cozy cold case mix with a touch of romance. That a winner right there. I liked how Krissy showed such concern and wanted a sense of justice for a neighbor who she thought was nosy. I loved Krissy. She’s an amazing character. Likable and smart yet tenacious and determined. It was almost like she had an extra sense when it came to put in close together. Even the people that didn’t particularly care for her or what she was doing she was able to get them to talk to her. She’s a character that looked outside the box and she loves coffee. What was not to like about her. LOL. In all seriousness coming into the eighth book in a series a lot of times a reader will feel that they are missing something. However that is not the case with Death by French Roast. I got to know this entire cast of characters well within one book, it didn’t feel like there were chapters upon chapters of backstory just so you can get to know them. The story flowed well, the mystery kept you guessing and the characters truly made the story. Alex Erickson made a new fan with Death by French Roast.

Clever and engaging cozy mystery. Good characters and some surprises. Kept me guessing. Too much redundancy going over the suspects, which is why I put four stars instead of five. I do look forward to reading the next one in this fun series.

The author wrote a very well written story plot. The author keeps the reader engaged in the plot of the story.

The notion of investigating a cold case was intriguing indeed. And it was, and yet a found some of it became a little repetitive and I also struggled with the way some of the characters related to each other, considering the depth of their relationships.

There are some lovely twists and turns in the story and I definitely didn't guess whodunnit.

I haven’t read any other of the books in the series, but found this one worked well as a stand alone novel.

With thanks to the publisher, Kensington Books, #Netgalley and the author for my free advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love books not set in big cities and this book was terrific. Characters are well written and the atmosphere is terrific. I easily lost myself in the story and read until well after Hubby was snoring. An easy recommendation for friends and family.

Death by French Roast is a very well written and entertaining who done it. Great plot and character development. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

I am really enjoying the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series! Anytime I find a cozy mystery set in Ohio, i'm immediately interested. Krissy owns Death by Coffee, the only coffee shop (and bookstore) in the small town of Pine Hills. She's still relatively new to town, but quickly learns of a decades-old cold case. When asked to look into it, she unwittingly stirs up some long-festering conflicts that result in a fresh murder.

This was a really interesting case to try to solve alongside Krissy, and (of course) I will always be on board with the idea of a bookstore cafe.

Thank you Kensington Books for providing me with a NetGalley ARC!

Who killed Wade? And why? And did Rita have anything to do with it? Those are the questions Krissy is trying to answer in this latest installment in a fun cozy series. Krissy, who owns the cafe with her friend Vicki, finds herself interested in the 30 year old cold case of Wade's murder- and she's having a hard time getting people to talk with her. Turns out, some of them have more to say about the fact that Rita was dating him than they have about Wade who, as cozy readers know, had more enemies than his sister or niece knew. This would be fine as a standalone but readers of the series will have an easier time keeping everyone straight. It's well crafted, the characters are good, and it's just twisty enough. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

This is a series since I've read since book one and the characters are now seeming like old friends. I liked how Krissy felt obligated to solve the murder from years ago for her somewhat cranky neighbor that had recently died. Krissy just can't seem to stay out of trouble when she's determined to help her friends.

I felt that it was well-written and I enjoyed the mystery and the way that it was solved.

Even this many books into the series, I still truly these books. There is great research and information about each subject is wonderful.

I never knew coffee could be so interesting! Truly, this is a fun series and there author does her homework and the result is an informative, fun, and exciting read. What's next?

This was a cozy mystery with a nice twist of a cold crime. I really enjoyed the mystery and it kept me interested and glued to the pages. I haven’t read all of the others in this series, but I will be looking them up now as this amateur sleuth was a fun character and I was left wanting more from Krissy and her cat Misfit. Chrissy’s neighbor passes away and her daughter mentions how much it bothered her mother that her brother’s murder was never solved. Krissy offers to try to solve the mystery and fun cozy chaos ensues. Solving a 30 plus year old murder comes with hurdles like people no longer available to interview or who are losing their memories but Krissy is persistent.

This series has been more of a miss than a hit for me.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by this latest offering.
The story really grabbed me and kept me engrossed with a well written whodunit.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Another great book in the series. I've read them all and this may be my favorite. Krissy investigates a cold case from 30 years ago. There were plenty of suspects which kept me guessing throughout the book. I enjoyed the side story of Krissy and Paul. I very much look forward to the next in the series!

Death by French Roast didn't grab me like other books in this series. For me, it was a very slow read and it was very hard to get through. Although, I love the characters and the mystery plot was intriguing. I want to read the next book in this series. I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the early release copy of Death by French Roast by Alex Erickson. Krissy runs a bookstore cafe Death by Coffee. She decides to investigate a murder that takes place 33 years ago. In trying to find who killed Wade, she finds a lot of anger and threats. Then another man dies. Are the deaths connected? Another man gets beaten up and left for dead. Will Krissy be next? An interesting read that kept me interested through the whole book.