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Grounds for Murder

(A Coffee Lover´s Mystery #1)

Tara Lush (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 179 ratings · 127 reviews

Barista Lana Lewis's sleuthing may land her in a latte trouble as Tara Lush launches her new Coffee Shop mysteries.

When Lana Lewis' best -- and most difficult -- employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition just days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café's chances of winning the contest are creamed. In front of a gossipy crowd in the smal ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published December 8th 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

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Cozy Mysteries 2020 New Releases

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Dec 12, 2020 Phrynne rated it liked it

Shelves: 5000-2020

This is the first book in a new series about a failed journalist called Lana who returns home to manage her family coffee shop.

Lana is a sad case really - failed career, failed marriage, mother not long dead and father on medical marijuana and not really acting like a father at all. Against all this she learns how to make good coffee, adopts a cute dog, makes some good friends, and falls in love with the local chief of police. Of course she also solves a murder.

This was a quick and entertaining ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-release, arc, own-read, read-on-kindle, net-galley, cosy-mystery

Lana Lewis had moved back to her hometown of Devil’s Beach after she was put off at the Miami newspaper where she was a reporter. Reporting was in her blood, so she was dejected but when her dad asked Lana to join him in their café – Perkatory – as a second barista along side Fabrizio Bellucci, she was keen. Fab and Lana worked well together – until, with the Sunshine State Barista Championship only days away, Fab left Perkatory without a word and went to the opposition. Lana was angry – and tol ...more

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Dec 02, 2020 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Review coming soon.

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Dec 12, 2020 LORI (Dollycas) CASWELL rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2020

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Fabrizio “Fab” Bellucci, the beach’s hottest barista is dead and former investigative journalist turned coffee shop manager Lana Lewis is at the top of the suspect list if the cause of death is indeed murder. You see Fab was her star employee until he quit without notice to work for her competitor. On top of that, they were registered as a team for the Sunshine State Barista Championship. So when she couldn’t hold in her fury any longer she confronts him in front of a crowd of Dollycas’s Thoughts

Fabrizio “Fab” Bellucci, the beach’s hottest barista is dead and former investigative journalist turned coffee shop manager Lana Lewis is at the top of the suspect list if the cause of death is indeed murder. You see Fab was her star employee until he quit without notice to work for her competitor. On top of that, they were registered as a team for the Sunshine State Barista Championship. So when she couldn’t hold in her fury any longer she confronts him in front of a crowd of people at Island Brewnette, the competing coffee shop.

The trouble is, the chief of police, who seems to have a bit of a crush on Lana, is leaning toward calling Fab’s death a suicide until the evidence proves otherwise. Lana knows Fab was a great casanova/gigolo with some shady connections so she finds plenty of other suspects and theories. She just needs to convince Chief Noah Garcia to follow her clues with her. If not, she and her new barista Erica Penmark will steam out the killer on their own.

I liked Lana Lewis right away. Divorced and unemployed she comes home to Devil’s Beach to manage Perkatory. The cafe was her mother’s dream so after her death her dad kept the business going but his heart wasn’t really into it full time. Lana takes over admitting she has a lot to learn about being a great barista but she has great employees and her dad to help her out. She is intelligent and kind and her investigative skills come in handy as she tries to catch a killer. Erika and Lana get along right away and they make a wonderful team whether it comes to sleuthing or coffee brewing. Lana’s dad is a laid back hippie kind of dude that does seem fazed my much but supports his daughter 100%. Police Chief Noah Garica also escaped the big city to come to Devil’s Beach never expecting to have a murder case on his plate but he sure does like dropping in at Perkatory to see Lana. All of these characters developed nicely over the course of the story but there is so much more to learn. The author has done an excellent job of giving readers characters we can care about.

The mystery she has brewed up is darn good too. Personally, I wish the suicide theory would have been put to rest much earlier with more focus on the variety of people who could have been suspects in Fab’s death. He left quite a path of ladies in his wake and at least one was married. The pushy reporter in Lana came out and she just wasn’t going to give up. Her actions lead to a really exciting big reveal.

I do love the beachy small-town setting. While jumping with tourists and busy residents it still had a relaxing vibe and a place I would love to visit.

Grounds for Murder was a delightful whodunit and has set this series off to a grand start. It’s entertaining with just the right amount of humor. I am looking forward to visiting these characters again soon. ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Gloria rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, rated, read-arc, netgalley-2020, reviewed, takes-place-in-florida

Grounds for Murder is a fun debut novel with the setting of a small beach town in South Florida and some colorful characters. What fun to have the story revolve around a coffee shop with the Gulf of Mexico close by.
Lana Lewis moved home to Devil's Beach from Miami after her husband cheated on her. She needed to leave to lick her wounds and her dad wants her to run her family's coffee shop, Perkatory. It was her mom's dream and her dad has been running it since her mom died. He wants to slow dow Grounds for Murder is a fun debut novel with the setting of a small beach town in South Florida and some colorful characters. What fun to have the story revolve around a coffee shop with the Gulf of Mexico close by.
Lana Lewis moved home to Devil's Beach from Miami after her husband cheated on her. She needed to leave to lick her wounds and her dad wants her to run her family's coffee shop, Perkatory. It was her mom's dream and her dad has been running it since her mom died. He wants to slow down now. She is working hard to make the shop a success and one way is by entering a state wide barista contest held in Devil's Beach. She is betting on her barista, flirty Italian Fab Bellucci to help her in the contest but he leaves without notice to work with a competitor. Thankfully, Erica, a customer with experience as a barista had shown up a couple days prior. But then Lana finds Fab's body behind the shop. He had fallen from the roof of the shop where he lived in the apartment. He loved to entertain his lady friends on the roof. Could he have fallen accidentally, committed suicide, or been pushed?
Handsome police chief Noah Garcia thinks it could be suicide but Lana thinks that with all Fab's huge group of adoring women fans and girlfriends, he wouldn't kill himself. Since she worked the crime beat for a newspaper in Miami and the love of journalism is still in her blood, she uses her skills to investigate and write an article for the local newspaper. She finds some interesting things about Fab that she wasn't aware of and meets some interesting characters.
This is a great debut book with a mystery that kept me guessing about happened to Fab and who was involved. The storytelling made the setting easy to picture and this an entertaining read.
I hope to see more of Lana, her new best friend Erica, her wacky hippie father, her swoony new friend Noah and her new puppy Stanley, formerly owned by Fab.
I received a complimentary ARC from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only. ...more

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Sep 18, 2020 Micky Cox rated it really liked it

An entertaining new series to read with a spunky and intelligent main character and an interesting cast of supporting characters that help to enhance a well thought out plot. The main character has come home to run the family coffeehouse after being laid off as a journalist so her inquisitive nature is definitely a well honed personality characteristic that is to be expected. Her pot smoking dad is a hilarious side kick, her new bff is also a fun side kick and the hunky Chief of Police gives a b ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Kristina rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, cozy-mysteries, 2020-netgalley-books, netgalley

Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush has Lana Lewis back home in Devil’s Beach, Florida after a series of setbacks. She is now the manager of the family coffee shop, Perkatory. Lana has entered herself and employee Fabrizio “Fab” Bellucci in the Sunshine State Barista Championship. With Fab at the helm, Lana is sure Perkatory will take home the prize. Then Fab quits and goes to work for the competition leaving Lana high and dry. Lana takes out her anger out on Fab at Island Brewnette in front of a cr ...more

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Oct 13, 2020 Peggy R rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery-books, culinary-cozy, netgalley, 2020-goodreads-challenge, arc

Grounds for Murder is the debut cozy mystery book by author Tara Lush. I thought this book was well done, providing the reader with a very enjoyable combination of characters and mystery. Lana Lewis is a strong likable protagonist who returns home to pick herself up after losing her job and going through a divorce. Just when she thinks her life is starting to turn around, her former barista is found dead. The question is whether he committed suicide or was this murder. This is where Lana's journ ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Craig Pittman rated it it was amazing

Usually when we think about "cozy mysteries," we think of a stodgy English village and a detective like Miss Marple snooping around for clues to who offed the vicar with a vase full of posies. Never in my dreams would I have conceived of a cozy like the one that Tara Lush has come up with.

It's sent in a quirky Florida beach town, where the mysterious death of a horndog barrista sends an ex-journalist coffee-shop owner searching for the killer amid reports of monkeys attacking tourists and an od Usually when we think about "cozy mysteries," we think of a stodgy English village and a detective like Miss Marple snooping around for clues to who offed the vicar with a vase full of posies. Never in my dreams would I have conceived of a cozy like the one that Tara Lush has come up with.

It's sent in a quirky Florida beach town, where the mysterious death of a horndog barrista sends an ex-journalist coffee-shop owner searching for the killer amid reports of monkeys attacking tourists and an odd giant eyeball washing up on the beach. (Tara, by the way, is a longtime friend & fellow reporter, but I'm being honest when I tell you that I was quite taken with this book and zoomed through the whole thing in about four days.)

After being laid off from her dream job at a Miami newspaper and divorcing her two-timing TV reporter hubby, a disappointed Lana Lewis, age 30, returns to her home town of Devil's Beach and takes over her mom's coffee shop, Perkatory. Lana is our narrator, with a bright line of chatter and a serious problem with her self-esteem after what she's been through. She is prone to occasionally blurting out, "Blergh!" to express her disgust with herself.

Her star barista is Fabrizio, a guy so sold on himself he's thinking of starting a pro wrestling career under the name "the Italian Stallion." Fab's got women lining up to get coffee from him because he's Instagram-famous and not at all shy about flirting with anyone with 2 X chromosomes. But one day he shows up working at Lana's competitor, and she yells at him for quitting without giving notice. Even worse, it's right before the big statewide barista competition. The next day, as she pulls her car into the alley behind Perkatory, she finds him dead, an apparent suicide. He must have jumped from the roof four stories up.

At least, that's the judgment of Noah, the hunky police chief who may or may not have eyes for Lana. But Lana's got a nose for news and a suspicious mind. She wangles an OK from the local newspaper editor to write a feature story about Fab, thus giving her a reason to question all the potential suspects. Also, she winds up adopting Fab's little Shih-Tzu, Stanley, who becomes crucial to catching the killer.

As Lana conducts her investigation, she uncovers all kinds of secrets in a town she thought she knew -- swinging couples, S&M play, gator poaching and possible Mafia involvement in the local drug trade. We're a looooong way from Miss Marple when Lana goes to interview a woman who makes a living sewing tails for wannabe mermaids, but hey, that's Florida!

All in all, a fun book, even for a non-coffee drinker like me. You'll be rooting for Lana to solve the crime AND win the contest, and then you'll start looking for the second book in this series. ...more

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Dec 31, 2020 Sarah (sarahlostbutfound ) rated it really liked it

I absolute loved this cosy mystery!!!
Especially the florida setting, the coffee shop, and the main heroine!!

Am desperate for a second book!!!!

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Sep 02, 2020 Jerri Cachero rated it it was amazing

When Lana Lewis, former journalist and now manager of her family's coffee shop - Perkatory - finds her "casanova" barista Fabrizio (Fab) dead of an apparent suicide, she's on the trail of a killer who has her in their sights. With the help of her eccentric father, punk/goth new barista, Stanley the Shih Tzu puppy and the quirky townsfolk of Devil's Beach Florida - Lana decides to find out why Fab was murdered.

I love Lana! She's complicated, smart, kind and curious. The mystery was fast-paced and ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Dee Arr rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery

I usually steer clear of cozy mysteries. They are too “soft” for me, too often fronted by a snarky female whose main job seems to be entertaining me enough so I don’t set the book down. In many cases the murderer is a long shot, pulled out of a back pocket at the last minute as a “gotcha.” I was glad to see that “Grounds for Murder” did its best to stay away from some of those pitfalls.

The lead character, Lana, has a bit of snarkiness about her, but only for a moment here or there. Mostly she is ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Nancy Baker rated it really liked it

Struggling to reclaim happiness after losing her job and a divorce Lana returns home to manage the family's coffee shop. Things were beginning to turn around but then a suspicious death changes that and her crime reporter past kicks in to find the truth.

This story has all the components that make my favorite kind of cozy - likeable protagonist, humor and a tease of romance. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own. ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Rachael rated it it was amazing

What an enjoyable read! My first thought after finishing was that I can't wait for the next one. This cozy mystery was full of funny lines. The author has a great sense of humor. With lines like "creep up on me while breathing like a monster and dressed like a ghost" and quirky names of businesses like Island Brewnette, Whim So Doodle, and main character Lana's coffee shop, Perkatory there is a lot of fun with words. Throw in fun characters like her yoga loving Dad and Noah the police Chief\pote ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Elizabeth Cole rated it it was amazing

Sand, snark, and a Shih Tzu...what's not to love?

I read an ARC of Grounds for Murder, the first book in this new mystery series, and I'm so glad I did. Lush excels at painting the perfect backdrop for quirky, funny characters. The setting is a Florida beach town, and you can practically smell the coffee and sunscreen. The heroine Lana is a down-on-her-luck lady just trying to keep her coffee business afloat, when a body shows up in her alley. Like any good cozy, there are a ton of oddball charac ...more

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Jan 03, 2021 Gina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-books, 2020-releases, audio-books-2021, audio-books-2020

Such a fun cozy mystery! I especially enjoyed the Florida setting and humor, Lana using her journalism skills to solve the case, her quirky dad, and the love interest :) Looking forward to what happens next in Devil's Beach! ...more

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Dec 02, 2020 Rosemary Rey rated it it was amazing

This is my kind of cozy. Bawdy. Smart. Emotional. Funny. Sexy. I loved every aspect of the heroine and the chief. The mystery kept me guessing throughout. I loved the reveal at the end. This is my first cozy by Tara Lush, but it won't be my last. I can't wait until her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a chance to read this awesome cozy mystery. I look forward to reading more from this talented author. ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Kat Faitour rated it it was amazing

I was an early reader of this book and will definitely be continuing the series! I loved the amusing and interesting cast of characters and the setting--a beach town in Florida--is so well done, it's almost like it becomes another character itself. Overall, it's a page-turner that left me charmed, satisfied by the mystery, and wanting more from this author. ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Bri Stone rated it it was amazing

First of all I read this book in ONE DAY! The chemistry and dialogue was so intriguing and a relaxing read. Lana is one of my favorite heroines and I was rooting for her the whole time. I can’t wait to read more from Tara! This book definitely defines cozy mystery, you won’t regret picking it up!

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Dec 10, 2020 K.A. Davis rated it really liked it

GROUNDS FOR MURDER, the debut cozy mystery in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, by Tara Lush, pulled me in from the very beginning and kept me glued to the pages throughout this fast-paced story until the very end. The protagonist, Lana Lewis, has not only lost her investigative reporter job but her marriage disintegrated at the same time. Distraught, she’s moved back to her childhood home on Devil’s Island, Florida. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, the setting has location, location, location, GROUNDS FOR MURDER, the debut cozy mystery in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, by Tara Lush, pulled me in from the very beginning and kept me glued to the pages throughout this fast-paced story until the very end. The protagonist, Lana Lewis, has not only lost her investigative reporter job but her marriage disintegrated at the same time. Distraught, she’s moved back to her childhood home on Devil’s Island, Florida. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, the setting has location, location, location, which Ms. Lush describes in alluring detail. A vacation destination it is! Despite being bereft over the loss of a job she loved, she puts her feelings aside and takes over managing her family’s coffee café, Perkatory. Ms. Lush has created a string of quirky characters with zippy, and often, snarky dialog. I felt like she accurately captures the essence and lifestyles of single, twenty-something-year-olds (along with Lana’s bohemian dad, whose an absolute hoot!) living in a location that embraces free spirts and partying. While at times it may push the boundaries of traditional cozies, I found it made the scenarios and characters more realistic without crossing the line.

The mystery revolved around the lothario barista who worked for Lana, until he quit the day before his death. Although she wasn’t a fan of his lifestyle, Fabrizio brought in a steady stream of women who’d buy her coffee for a chance to partake of the Casanova’s latte art. While hunky Noah, the investigating officer, would rather label the barista’s death as accidental or self-inflicted, Lana can’t quite believe it. She uses her skills honed as a journalist to investigate and ask questions. Ms. Lush writes a well-plotted whodunit with some twists to keep the story moving. As Lana delves into Fabrizio’s life, she finds almost too many suspects. It kept me guessing and turning pages to see what Lana uncovers next. With the adorable Shih Tzu puppy, Stanley, who adds cuteness galore, along with her new misfit best friend, I can’t wait to find out what’s next in store for Lana.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Dec 26, 2020 Jessica Robbins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: blog-tour, own-kindle

*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

What a great start to a new series! We meet Lana as she is running the family coffee shop on an island off the coast of Florida. An adorable small town feel comes with this location as everyone knows everyone else. She has one main employee who is quite the character posting online all the time while flirting with everyone. Things are great until he doesn't show up for work one day. Her dad, who is all ...more

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Nov 09, 2020 Amy rated it it was ok

This book was not my cup of coffee. Although I liked the main character and her passion for journalism as a means to investigate and solve crimes, there was too much sexual innuendo for my cozy genre taste such as multiple mentions of bondage and sex voyeurism and her constant mention of the police chief's physical physique.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. My review is voluntary. ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-series, kindle, netgalley, cozy-mystery, 2020-publications

Puppies and coffee! Who wouldn’t love this book. It embodies everything I love in a cozy mystery. I found myself a little bogged down in the ebook at first. But the author gave me the information I needed to move forward and, after that, I was in reading heaven!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review this book.

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Dec 14, 2020 Sue rated it really liked it

Shelves: cozy-mystery

Lana Lewis's life hasn't been going too well but after losing her job as a reporter and her husband to a younger woman, she's making the best of life at her family's coffee shop. She still has the instincts of a reporter but now her goal is to win the Sunshine State Barista Championship. Her coffee shop is mainly run by her and Fab, her flirting Italian employee. He seems to chase every available female, no matter what her age. When he is found dead in an alley, the local police don't have any c ...more

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Aug 13, 2020 Vintagebooklvr rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery

I'm not a coffee drinker myself but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of this book. The mystery is decent with plenty of suspects and a couple of twists to keep things interesting. I didn't instantly connect with Lana but she grew on me and Stanley, her new puppy, is adorable. It has nice setting and sexual chemistry between people who aren't in their 20s and at the same time not overdone. A light read that can be done easily in a sitting or two and engaging enough to keep you in your sea ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 Lynne Spreen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Following a divorce and being fired from her job as a big city reporter, Lana has no choice but to move home to Devil's Beach, Florida and take over running her family's coffee shop. Soon, a popular barista is found dead, and the mystery is whodunit? Lana can't help her insatiable curiosity, so she employs her skills as a former investigative reporter and looks for the murderer. Filled with plenty of interesting suspects, the story does throw you off the trail, but in fact, there's no trail. The ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Ilaria rated it really liked it

✍️ Former journalist Lana Lewis moves back to Devil's Beach Florida to manage her family's coffee shop. Everything is going well until she finds her barista Fabrizio dead of an apparent suicide. Her inquisitive nature brings her to investigate his death, with the help of her dad, her new barista, and Stanley, a Shih Tzu puppy.⁠
⁠
♥️ I liked:⁠
☕ The coffeeshop and coffee art. I love coffee, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much thought the author put into describing coffee beans, coffe ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 The Bookish Bryants rated it really liked it

Lana‘s life has taken a bit of a turn, lately. She lost her job as a journalist, she divorced her cheating husband, and moved home to her touristy, beach-side hometown. Things are going well for her, though. She’s running her family’s coffee shop; she and her barista, Fab, are preparing for a coffee-centered competition; and the local police chief is showing more than a little interest in her. She’s happier than she thought she would be. But, when Fab is murdered and all eyes turn to Lana, it’s ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Toni rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

This is the first book in the A Coffee Lovers’ mystery series by Tara Lush.

Lana used to be a reporter until she got laid off and is now helping to run her parents coffee bar. All seems to be going well. Lana is learning how to make foam images on the surface of the coffee in order to compete with her barista Fab in the Sunshine State Barista Championship. Then Fab quits without notice and then ends up dead, but not before Lana gave him a good tongue lashing for abandoning her and the co ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cozy-mystery, 2020-books, cozy, 2021-books, contemporary

**I listened to this as an audiobook after the release and the narrator was great as Lana.

I read an ARC of Grounds for Murder and Tara Lush is definitely on my auto-buy list for future cozy mysteries. A coffee shop murder, a quirky Florida town, a savvy former-reporter sleuth, and the cutest little rescue shih-tzu: so much to love here.

Lana's hometown of Devil's Beach, Florida is filled with an eccentric cast of characters and suspects. I found myself wanting to hang out with Lana, Erika, and ...more

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