A WHOLE LATTE MURDER (A Java Jive Mystery # 3)
Carline Fardig
Random House Alibi
November 8, 2016


Life seems to be setting down for Juliet Langley. Business is good at Java Jive, the Nashville coffee house that Juliet manages for her best friend, Pete Bennett. She finally has a staff that works well together, and her romance with police detective, Ryder Hamilton, is simmering nicely. Things begin to go awry when Ryder is promoted to Homicide. Juliet is dismayed that Ryder will be dealing with more dangerous criminals, knowing how obsessed he can get with cases. Things get even worse when a girl in Juliet's apartment building, the roommate of one of her employees is murdered. Her employee, Kira, then goes missing. It's Ryder's case and it seems to tie back to the murder of his wife several years previously. Juliet and Ryder are immediately at loggerheads; he wants her to stay out of the investigation, and she can't, even though she tries.

Sometimes, pure escape reading is just what the doctor ordered. A Whole Latte Murder fits the bill nicely. I enjoyed the previous two books in the series but this seemed a bit too convoluted and it bogged down somewhat in the description of the search for Kira. I enjoy the characters and Juliet's feisty attitude and loyalty.  A Whole Latte Murder has the humorous touches that I look for in a cozy/chick-lit type mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Alibi for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

RATING- 3 Stars