Death of a Bean Counter

Maggy Thorsen Mystery #12

by Sandra Balzo

Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her barista's wealthy beau is murdered.

Maggy Thorsen's head is spinning thanks to partner Sarah Kingston's latest idea - selling luxe espresso machines in their Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But Maggy soon faces a far bigger problem when her fianc�, sheriff Jake Pavlik, makes an official call on the coffee house's star barista, Amy Caprese.

Amy's wealthy new beau, investment adviser Kip Fargo, has been shot dead in his bed - and Amy is the last known person to see him alive. Kip had just proposed to Amy, but she turned him down, triggering a terrible argument and making Amy the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista's innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle lies, jealousy and Kip's shady dealings in time to avert the disaster that's brewing?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

208 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

Sandra Balzo is an award-winning author of crime fiction, including fourteen books in two mystery series--one set outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the other in the High Country of North Carolina. MURDER a la Mocha, the eleventh Maggy Thorsen Wisconsin coffeehouse mystery, will be released in January, and the series has been optioned for development as a TV series/film.

Balzo's books have garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, while being recommended to readers of Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris, Joan Hess and Margaret Maron.

In addition to Twitter and her website, Sandy also hangs out at https://www.facebook.com/SandraBalzoM... and http://pinterest.com/sandrabalzo/

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unconventional barista at Uncommon Grounds, Amy Caprese, has been in a three-month romance with a millionaire financial advisor who’s much older than she. When he turns up dead, Amy becomes the obvious suspect. Neither of the coffeehouse’s owners, Maggy Thorsen and Sarah Kingston, are about to let that go down! A new, troublesome deputy added to the cast of characters provides some fun.

The 12th novel in this funny series isn’t quite up to Sandra Balzo’s usual high standard, but I devoured it in a few days’ time, despite having a busy schedule. Newbies can still enjoy Death of a Bean Counter as a standalone, but I suggest starting earlier in the series to maximize enjoyment.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Bean Counter by Sandra Balzo has Maggy Thorsen discussing a new venture her business partner, Sarah Kingston when Sheriff Jake Pavlik walks into Uncommon Grounds with a deputy by his side. They are there to question barista, Amy Caprese about her boyfriend, Kip Fargo. Kip is dead and Amy is one of the last people to be with Kip before he was murdered. It was reported that Kip and Amy had a loud disagreement and Amy turned down Kip’s marriage proposal. Amy is in hot water and Maggy is going to pull her out of it before Amy gets burned. Death of a Bean Counter is the 12th A Maggy Thorsen Mystery. I did not know that when I requested the book. I did find myself at a loss in the beginning, but I quickly caught up thanks to the background information included. I thought the story was well written and just the right length. The story moved along at a good pace with a variety of suspects and good clues to help a reader solve the whodunit. I thought the mystery was unique. I enjoyed the creativity the author used. Maggy may be searching for a killer, but she does have a business to run. She deals with business issues while trying to clear Amy. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story. I thought the main characters were developed and realistic. I liked that Maggy is a mature character who is kind and thoughtful. Death of a Bean Counter is an entertaining cozy mystery with a perplexing puzzle, coffee machine conundrum, a baffled barista, gorgeous gardens, and pizza pie.

[Eileen Lynx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and exciting

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Death of a Bean Counter is the 12th Maggy Thorsen mystery by Sandra Balzo. Released 7th April by Severn House, it's 208 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Although this is the 12th book in the series, it works well as a standalone and I had no trouble keeping up. It's a modern small-town cozy with coffee shop amateur sleuth Maggy and her handsome fiance Sherriff Jake trying to solve the shooting death of the fiance of a local businessman (and embezzler) with whom the coffee-shop's barista is entangled. The suspects are legion, the victim seemed to be quite sleazy, and nobody seems to have a solid alibi.

It's a quick and easy read with a plot that moves along at a satisfying clip, light and bantering dialogue, and a satisfying denouement. There are plot twists aplenty right up to the last page. My main quibble is that main character Maggy feeds (or mentions feeding) her two dogs pizza several times over the course of the book. No pizza for pups!

Entertaining and engaging. Well written and fun with pretty clean language (a few "sh*ts" and "d*mns", nothing worse). There's no explicit sexual content or on-page violence. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I found I’d crashed midway into a series – this being the twelfth book – but didn’t have too much difficulty sorting out who did what to whom. While I’m sure if you read the previous eleven books, you’d know more about the characters, Balzo’s chatty style and strong first-person protagonist made it easy to read. The book zipped along with plenty of suspects and the small-town, gossipy dynamic that US cosy crime writers do so well set this whodunit up nicely.

Any grizzles? I did find Maggy’s nosiness and intrusive approach at times rather offputting. I liked the fact that she was no fresh-faced youngster, and her spiky relationship with her business partner, provided some nice snark. However, her determination to try and crack the case meant that she did crash in and at times, put her lovely Sherriff partner in a difficult position.

That said, the whodunit was well handled and while I had wondered about the murderer, due to the fact there were also a string of other likely culprits, I hadn’t guessed who it was. An entertaining, enjoyable read with a good spread of supporting characters within a well-established community. Recommended for fans of cosy mysteries. The ebook arc copy of Death of a Bean Counter was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
7/10

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the twelfth in the series but works well as a stand alone. It's not a long cozy but is a very satisfying one. Maggy knows her barista, Amy, didn't kill Kip, the man who just proposed to her. She may not have done it but the police are not taking her off the list of suspects - a list that turns out to be very long. Kip may have been seen as a very rich, very successful investment advisor but that's how he was able to fleece his clients. Instead of investing their money he kept it for himself. Yep, it's a long list of angry clients. Maggy is determined to find out who the real killer is and get Amy off the hook. One major snag would be Maggy's fiance, Jake (the sheriff) who really wants her to keep her nose out of the investigation. That's not going to happen.
I enjoy this series not only because the puzzles are very well crafted. Maggy is a 40 something woman who runs her own business and cares deeply for her friends. The humor is perfect, as well. Don't worry if you are new to this series. Enjoy this entry and add the previous eleven books to your TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: Maggy is now living with the chief of police but that does not stop her from investigating a murder when many of her friends are the suspects. The victim, found in his bed, is a hot shot financier whose personal and professional life is closely intertwined with both Amy her barista and Sarah her partner. There were many people from his children to his clients whose lives he impacted and not always for the best. In fact, when it came to skeletons in the closet, this guy had them in droves.
There are lots of interesting characters from the devoted housekeeper and gardener who may or may not have been as devoted as they seemed. His two children are also an interesting pair. Then there is another suspect whom Maggy learns may be closer to her than ever imagined. Plus there is sparkling repartee between the characters. It makes this a truly enjoyable read.
The actual mystery and the killer turn out to be a surprise. I did not see it coming.
Five purrs and two paws up.

[Groucho42 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amy, Maggy's barista, is dating a middle aged guy who is found dead from a gun shot. The guy may have swindled a lot of people, so plenty of suspects. It's the usual fun, easy read -- Except for two major problems. First, in previous books, Amy seemed to be an eccentric but smart young woman. In this, she came across as a complete idiot. The change was too jarring.

Second, you have to ignore some snooping and other things in this genre, as I've mentioned in other reviews. However, the idea that Maggy wouldn't tell Jake her idea about the gun, and then would dig it up and handle it, was too stupid to accept.

I thought long and hard about whether or not it should get two or three stars. Since I love the series, it ended up with three; but more of this and later books won't be saved.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy didn't kill Kip- who just proposed to her- but there's a long list of possible suspects who might have done it. Maggy has to investigate because Amy works for her as a barista and because she now knows that Kip, an investment advisor, pocketed the money people entrusted to him. Her fiancé Jake, the sheriff, isn't thrilled, of course, but she's off and running. The mystery is nicely interspersed with Maggy's business issues (she has a coffee house with a partner, Sarah - who also lost money). There are some twists and you, like me, might be wrong with your first guess of the villain. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A quick read cozy that would be fine as a standalone.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series and I think each instalment is better than the previous.
This was an enjoyable story, engrossing and entertaining.
I was glad to meet again the likeable cast of characters and read about their life.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
A book I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is only 200 pages so a very quick easy read. The main character, Maggy Thorsen, gets involved in a murder case when her employee seems to be the main suspect. The killing ends up being like an Agatha Christie mystery book.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and convoluted cozy mystery. Cleverly presented. Some amusing puns and situations. Adorable dogs. Challenging romance. A wide assortment of characters to flavor the plot. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always want to like these better than I do, because I like the setting and the series has some good points. This one has a decent plot, and enough suspects that you won't guess the murderer the first time they are introduced. One of the better ones from the series.

[Priscilla Shorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a coffee shop with an inquisitive owner who just happens to be living with the local sheriff. The boyfriend of one of the baristas is murdered so , the owner Maggy, thinks she needs to solve the crime

[Kyle Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give this a 3.5. It was a great escape when the power was out for almost 18 hours. The characters feel like friends, and the plot kept my interest. Although I did figure out the bad guy.

[Paula Greaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summer mystery

Pure summer easy entertainment! I picked this up from a "you
might like this" list and it was right -Maggy is my kind of sleuth

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just too, too cute to be funny.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read - enjoyed the characters and the mystery.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amy, the barista at Uncommon Grounds, has been seeing Kip, an older man since she broke up with (also older) Jacque Oui. When Kip proposes at a fancy restaurant, Amy plans along to save his face, but when they're alone she explains that she will not marry him. That makes her a suspect when Kip is found shot to death--a perfect suicide except for the missing gun. When café owners Maggie Thorsen (whose significant other is the local sheriff) and Sarah Kingston intervene to clear Amy, they find that Kip has stolen a lot of money, including Sarah's, through his investment business. The ending is too byzantine to make this a really satisfying entry into the long-running series, but it's still an agreeable way to pass time.

[Ppcfransen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Bean Counter is the first book I read in the Maggy Thorsen Mystery series, and I’m a fan.

The narrator has a delightful tone of voice. A little bit snarky. Which is what I like. I kept reading passages out loud to my partner. One of my favourites is: ’I like oaky Chardonnay, so sue me.’ Or go to somebody else’s house.

The bean counter of the title is a not so nice financial advisor, who soon after his death turns out to have swindle some money he was supposed to invest, didn’t pay suppliers or his staff very punctually (if at all) and was about to disinherit his kids. That makes for a long list of suspects to go through.

The only down side to this book would be that it is relatively short (176 pages, where most cozies are between 225-275), but that is probably because all the unnecessary fluff was cut out; in the first scene, after the main characters are established - for new readers like me - the cops walk in and announce there has been a murder. Quickly to the point, I like that too.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read all of the books in this cozy mystery series by Sandra Balzo.
Another mysterious death has Maggie stepping up to investigate on behalf of one of her friends.
When her friends new boyfriend is found dead, Maggie can’t stop asking questions, uncovering some secrets that were better left hidden.
Even though this can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading the series to get a better idea of what got Maggie to where she is.