It was Christmas time and the Village Blend was all abuzz with excitement as the gang decorated the coffeehouse, created delicious desserts, and served a multitude of specialized lattes. Manager Clare Cosi and her baristas were in charge of the beverages at a big event promoting the Great New York Cookie Swap a popular charity function where bakers could display their wares. They were also cranking out cookies every hour during the afternoon of the swap.

While Clare was concerned about her boyfriend Mike Quinn, a NYPD detective, getting from Washington, D.C. to New York in the midst of a snowstorm, she was also troubled because one of her bakers had taken a break and never returned. Heading home after the party, Clare accidently found the body of the missing girl in the carousel in the city park.

While Clare was interviewed by Detective Lori Soles, well known and liked by Clare, she also had to deal with Soles temporary partner Detective Sergeant Fletcher Stanton Endicott, a pompous and sarcastic cop who refused to take Clare and her information seriously.

As Clare was doing her own investigation on the side, she not only found another dead baker, but put her own life on the line when she ran into more trouble than she expected. Connecting with Quinn and his resources finally helped Clare get on the right track to catch a killer who was doing his best to stop Clare in her tracks.

Holiday Buzz is the twelfth Coffeehouse Mystery written by Cleo Coyle, a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini. Based in New York City, the couple has plenty of opportunity to write about what they know. And write they do! They are also the authors of the bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries series published under the name of Alice Kimberly.

The series has consistently provided an inside look at a New York coffeehouse and those who make the delicious coffee blends and delicious culinary creations. The mysteries are fast-paced and fun to read, as well as a challenge to figure out who committed the crime. While the author writes an honest mystery in that they don’t try to fool people, they do make it a challenge to solve the case; much of the fun in reading a well written mystery story.

Readers of the series will be pleased to see their favorite characters while new additions will keep things interesting. While some long running series seem to wane over time, Cleo Coyle has kept the Coffeehouse Mysteries as delicious as a batch of Christmas cookies fresh from the oven.

A special thank you goes to Cleo Coyle for providing us an advanced reader copy of Holiday Buzz for our review. If you are interested in purchasing any of the Coffeehouse or Haunted Bookshop mysteries, they are available at Amazon.com.