Death by Spiced Chai (Bookstore Café Mystery #10)

by Alex Erickson

Overview

A charming, relatable small-town setting and a cast of complex characters sets Alex Erickson’s Bookstore Café Mystery series apart from the cozy pack—and this time the stakes are higher than ever, as bookstore owner Krissy Hancock becomes the target of escalating attacks. Smart and masterfully plotted, will appeal to fans of Leslie Meier, Cleo Coyle, and Carolyn Hart.

Since Krissy Hancock opened her bookstore-café in the charming small town of Pine Hills, Ohio, she’s discovered that murders don’t just happen between the pages. This time, she’s both suspect and target…

In a small town like Pine Hills, reputation counts for a lot. And for reasons that Krissy Hancock can’t figure out, someone is trashing hers. Cockroaches in the bookstore’s coffee, spiteful reviews, vandalism—Krissy is being framed for every bit of bad news around. Her boyfriend, local cop Paul Dalton, is on the case, but before they can source the saboteur, Krissy is in the frame for murder, too.

The murder weapon was a teapot full of Krissy’s favorite spiced chai, and all the local gossips are spilling the tea about her supposed involvement. But the real culprit has a grudge that’s been simmering for years. And unless Krissy can uncover the truth before the killer’s rage boils over again, it won’t just be her business in hot water—her life will be on the line too . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496736659
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Series:	Bookstore Café Series , #10
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	104,340
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Alex Erickson is the author of the Bookstore Cafe Mystery Series and the Furever Pets Mysteries. He lives in Ohio with his family and resident felines, who provide endless amounts of inspiration. When he’s not writing, he enjoys spending his time gaming or playing music. Visit him online at AlexEricksonBooks.com or find him on Twitter at twitter.com/AEricksonbooks and on Facebook at Facebook.com/alexericksonbooks.

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-31
An Ohio coffee-shop owner comes up against a malicious campaign blaming her for all sorts of misdeeds.

Krissy Hancock is part owner of Death by Coffee, a charming combination of bookstore and coffee shop. Her father, James, is a popular author whose new novel is sure to be a hit, but when customer Hamish Lauder realizes it's the beginning of a new series, he complains that he’s still waiting for James to finish the last one. "It's insulting to the reader," Hamish says. "Making us wait. What gives him the right to decide to work on something else when there's a series he has yet to finish." (Paging George R.R. Martin!) Krissy’s own troubles start when a woman finds a cockroach in her coffee and there turn out to be more in the bathroom. Of course the story spreads all over Pine Hills, and while most of Krissy's customers defend her, others take joy in her problem, and her new neighbor seems to hate her. Then she starts getting strange texts and a picture showing her boyfriend, police officer Paul Dalton, looking cozy with his ex, Shannon. Other people get nasty letters supposedly written by Krissy, and she’s called into the police station for allegedly throwing a brick through a restaurant window. An online news source accuses her of even worse behavior. All this is bad, but when Hamish Lauder is killed, Krissy realizes that if she doesn’t solve the crime, she may end up in prison. She’s been involved with murder cases before, but she’s never felt so threatened or helpless. Still, she plows ahead with research and questions she hopes will find the real culprit.

A pressure-packed cozy whose intrepid sleuth really feels the heat.

Kirkus Reviews