After being out of the public eye for several years, fashion designer Lottie Harmon is staging a comeback with a collection of coffee-inspired fashion accessories and chooses the Village Blend Coffeehouse as the perfect place to launch the collection. Claire Cosi, manager of the Village Blend, feels a bit out of place in the fashion world, but is thrilled with the turnout for the event. Thrilled that is, until one of the guests is killed by a poisonous latte and one of her baristas, Tucker, is arrested for the murder. The police think that Tucker is the murderer because the victim was his ex-boyfriend, but Clare thinks the poison was actually intended for Lottie. Clare has a hard time convincing anyone else of this, even Matteo, her ex-husband, thinks Tucker is guilty. Clare could let things go, she has other worries - she is afraid her daughter Joy is using drugs - but when Lottie becomes ill, Clare thinks the poisoner is at it again. As Clare searches for the killer she encounters blackmail, kidnapping, and the mob and discovers that not everyone is who they seem to be.

Written by husband and wife team Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi under the pen name Cleo Coyle, "Latte Trouble" is a well done mystery. Set in New York, the city makes a nice backdrop for the mystery and the city itself is like a character in the book. The fashion aspects in the book are well done and the descriptions of what the characters are wearing help the reader picture each character. Clare is a well written and real character - in her 40's, divorced but still attracted to her ex-husband, trying to run a busy business, and worried about her daughter. The supporting characters are equally well written, especially Matteo, Clare's ex-husband who is finally starting to grow up and his mother "Madame". The coffee making aspects are deftly weaved into the story, although much of it was over my head as I drink tea. The murder is well plotted, with plenty of suspects and the murderer is the last person I would have thought of. There are lots of surprises in the book, but careful reading shows the authors left plenty of subtle clues as to what was going on.

"Latte Trouble" is a great cozy mystery.