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Uncommon Grounds (Maggy Thorsen Mystery #1)
by
Sandra Balzo (Goodreads Author)
Patricia Harper is dead, killed by a hot-wired espresso machine, in Uncommon Grounds, her very own gourmet coffee store! Maggy Thorsen wants to know who killed one of her partners. Maggy needs the store to succeed. Starting over after her divorce, she's quit her PR job to open the coffee store. And if things aren't already tough enough, she begins to suspect one of her fri
...more
Hardcover, 245 pages
Published
November 1st 2004
by Five Star (ME)
(first published 2004)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
There's something fun about coffee shop and tea house cozy mysteries. This first book in a new-to-me series didn't disappoint. It was cute, funny, intriguing enough to work - will check out more of the series when I get a chance.
Maggy Thorsen and two associates open a new coffee shop business, but the day of the opening is delayed with one of them is found dead next to the latte machine. The three aren't close friends, but they had set plans that are compromised by one of them being knocked off. ...more
Maggy Thorsen and two associates open a new coffee shop business, but the day of the opening is delayed with one of them is found dead next to the latte machine. The three aren't close friends, but they had set plans that are compromised by one of them being knocked off. ...more
Actually loved this one, too. So far this year's been two for two!
Dec 27, 2013
Ivonne Rovira
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ivonne by:
the website StopYou'reKillingMe
Maggy Thorsen spells her name unusually. But that's not the only unusual thing about her. Although a bit bitter about her impending divorce, she doesn’t let that cloud her judgment — or her curiosity and sense of fair play — and sense of humor. How could you not love a woman who calls the choice between two witnesses shocked by a terrible death “[t]the lesser of two feebles”? Ya gotta love her!
Forty-two-year-old Maggy was living the suburban dream in the fictional small town of Brookhills, Wisco ...more
Forty-two-year-old Maggy was living the suburban dream in the fictional small town of Brookhills, Wisco ...more
Feb 06, 2015
Maria
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Maria by:
Nancy Roessner
Shelves:
murder-mystery
I got this free on Kindle. I really liked this book, about a group of friends who open a coffee shop and on the morning of the grand opening, one of the partners is found dead at her post. What follows is a pretty good whodunit that kept me guessing almost to the end. The story is filled with good character development (although the plethora of names kept me confused most of the time, I chalk that up to my own mental deficiencies!), the humor was not forced and at times chuckle-worthy.
I would ha ...more
I would ha ...more
★★★☆☆Interesting and humorous. Would've given 4* but for foul language throughout, which detracted from main characters', otherwise, comely traits. (no F-bombs) and Christians are, again, the bad guys. TTS-enabled eBook ©2004
#1 Maggy Thorsen mystery set in Brookhills, Wisconsin. Maggy and her business partners Caron and Patricia are set to open their new coffee shop, Uncommon Grounds, in a strip mall in suburban Brookhills. Maggy, late on her first day, opens the door only to find Patricia collapsed on the floor, a pitcher of milk spilled around her. At first it appears to be some sort of natural event but it's later determined that the espresso machine was interfered with and that Patricia was deliberately electroc
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In the interest of full disclosure I confess that I was predisposed to like this book. I recently had the good fortune to have Ms. Balzo as a seat mate on a flight from Atlanta to Harrisburg, and after our interesting conversation I made up my mind to try this series.
That being said, it has been a very long time (read as: years) since I enjoyed a series of this nature. I don't know if my taste has changed or if I have made poor sampling choices. So while I really wanted to like the book, I wasn' ...more
That being said, it has been a very long time (read as: years) since I enjoyed a series of this nature. I don't know if my taste has changed or if I have made poor sampling choices. So while I really wanted to like the book, I wasn' ...more
I must say, I read a lot of mysteries and usually have an inkling of who-dun-it or my suspicions al least. With Uncommon Grounds, I had no idea until the last chapter who had killed Patricia Harper on opening day of her coffeeshop. And to an avid reader, that makes this book a winner.
I was thoroughly engrossed in the story of Maggie Thorsten, co-owner of Uncommon Grounds and suspect in the murder, and the town of Brookhills. It is easy to see why this first book in the series was nominated for a ...more
I was thoroughly engrossed in the story of Maggie Thorsten, co-owner of Uncommon Grounds and suspect in the murder, and the town of Brookhills. It is easy to see why this first book in the series was nominated for a ...more
First Balzo book I have read, well listened to and it was what I would call a cozy mystery. Not bad for a mystery, keep me interested the entire book and I loved the twist to the plot. Took me a minute to figure it out and when I did I was shocked. Anyway, don't want to give anything away but this is a really quick easy read if you are looking for that.
Jun 07, 2016
Selah (abibliophilesstyle)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2016-cruisin-thru-the-cozies
Wow, that was . . . terrible. It was going along in a kind of standard cozy mystery way, until about 3/4 of the way through, when it took an extremely unexpected turn and got really weird. Not quite "aliens did it" weird, but still. Actually, aliens would've been better.
A rollicking good time. I love Sandy/Nero Wolfe
A "coffee cozy" with the typical number of coincidences and enough character surprises to keep the story interesting.
In Uncommon Grounds, Maggie has arrived at her new coffee shop. Today is supposed to be opening day, but when she finds one of her partners dead on the floor, it looks like that's going to be postponed for awhile. The police have lots of suspects, including Maggie herself. However, Maggie is determined to solve the murder so that she was can find out who killed her friend and finally open her coffee shop. Little does she know that she's about to uncover some secrets that involve not only some pr
...more
Maggie Thorsen, former PR exec and current partner in Uncommon Grounds, walks into her new coffee shop on opening day only to discover her partner Patricia dead, death by espresso machine. Who could have killed Patricia, and what does this mean for the future of the shop?[return][return]Signs point to their third partner and friend, Caron, as the possible killer but Maggie won t believe it and sets out to save her friend and their business. During her mission to find the murderer and save Uncomm
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Latte’s can be lethal!
Welcome to Uncommon Grounds, come on thru sit a spell or just walk by and take a smell. Come on in check out the menu, at Uncommon Grounds we’re new its true but don’t worry because we’ve got something just for you!
On Opening day of Uncommon Grounds, instead of serving up coffee, they were served with Murder! Patricia Harper, one of the trio of owners is DEAD found laying on the floor seemingly electrocuted while making her favorite latte!
How could this happen, the machine ...more
Welcome to Uncommon Grounds, come on thru sit a spell or just walk by and take a smell. Come on in check out the menu, at Uncommon Grounds we’re new its true but don’t worry because we’ve got something just for you!
On Opening day of Uncommon Grounds, instead of serving up coffee, they were served with Murder! Patricia Harper, one of the trio of owners is DEAD found laying on the floor seemingly electrocuted while making her favorite latte!
How could this happen, the machine ...more
On its surface UNCOMMON GROUNDS contains all the elements required for the traditional cozy --- small town, mysterious death, amateur sleuth --- while keeping the level of requisite suspension of disbelief to a minimum. The small town in this case is Brookhills, Wisconsin, where the grand opening of Uncommon Grounds, a gourmet coffee store, will be celebrated. A pall is cast upon the event, however, when Patricia Harper, one of three partners in the new business, is found face up and stone cold
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Uncommon Ground is the first in a series by Sandra Balzo. The book centers on a newly separated 40-something who with friends is opening a coffee shop in a seemingly conservative, decidedly religious and mostly Republican small town. We never meet the murder victim since she dies before the book begins, so everything we discover about her character is revealed through and judged by others. Along the way, there is another murder and a series of unbelievable coincidences, so much so that the endin
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Fun. I've had the worst luck with the cozy mystery, until this and then The Edith Wharton Murders, which was a reread.
So I totally guessed who the murderer was, which was very unusual for me because I rarely bother, but I just knew.
(view spoiler)
Except I really kind of liked the character, who grew on me up until his "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it ...more
So I totally guessed who the murderer was, which was very unusual for me because I rarely bother, but I just knew.
(view spoiler)
Except I really kind of liked the character, who grew on me up until his "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it ...more
I had a heckuva time finding a copy of this book after putting it on the WWBL after reading a review or synopsis somewhere a while back. Finally located a copy, then it sat in one of the drawers of Mt Git'r'Read until I was in cozy mode. Then I whomped my way through it in rapid fashion.
It's set in a foo-foo coffee shop in a small town where the three friends and partners are hoping that foo-foo coffee will catch on like it does in the big city. And then the murder on the very first opening day ...more
It's set in a foo-foo coffee shop in a small town where the three friends and partners are hoping that foo-foo coffee will catch on like it does in the big city. And then the murder on the very first opening day ...more
In Sandra Balzo's Uncommon Grounds, the first installment in the Maggy Thorsen culinary cozy mystery series, she took a 21st twist for this central coffee shop theme. It all started at the grand opening of Maggy's coffee shop, Uncommon Grounds, with the two partners. That's when they discovered that Patricia Harper was found dead, electrocution by the espresso maker. A shock to the small town, that's when Maggy butted heads with the new Sheriff in Town, Jacob Pavlik. It was up to Maggy to find o
...more
originally posted: http://newborrowedused.blogspot.com/2...
My Thoughts: This was a great read and excellent start to this series. I was hooked from page one and was able to finish it fairly quickly (about a day).
Maggy's character is what you would expect from someone who's trying to pick up the pieces after her husband has left her for his dental assistant. She is fun and quirky but also has her insecure moments where she is not sure of anything that is going on around her. I thought the rest o ...more
My Thoughts: This was a great read and excellent start to this series. I was hooked from page one and was able to finish it fairly quickly (about a day).
Maggy's character is what you would expect from someone who's trying to pick up the pieces after her husband has left her for his dental assistant. She is fun and quirky but also has her insecure moments where she is not sure of anything that is going on around her. I thought the rest o ...more
Maybe I’m being a little unfair. It’s not that Uncommon Grounds as a mystery novel is boring, it’s more that Wisconsin is not depicted as a very fun or interesting place.
I will admit that I didn’t figure out who did it until it was revealed at the end of the novel, so it did keep me guessing, which is something novels that I’ve read for this challenge with a more interesting backdrop did not do. So there’s that…which is pretty big for a mystery novel.
Part of the Maggy Thorsen series, this book i ...more
I will admit that I didn’t figure out who did it until it was revealed at the end of the novel, so it did keep me guessing, which is something novels that I’ve read for this challenge with a more interesting backdrop did not do. So there’s that…which is pretty big for a mystery novel.
Part of the Maggy Thorsen series, this book i ...more
This story, set in fictional small town and written from the first-person perspective of Maggy, a brand new owner of a coffee shop, has all the strengths and weakness common to many of the cozy mysteries that I've read. The pace is well done for most of the book, although I felt as though the climax occurred without quite enough preparation. In part, the fault seems to lie in sudden changes in characters that are not the protagonist. That is not an unknown feature in these mysteries, as there is
...more
Uncommon Grounds is the selection for the Cozy Mystery Corner Group on Goodreads. This is the first in a cozy series based around a coffee shop. Maggy Thompson, partner in a coffee shop venture to the murder victim Patricia Harper, takes her turn as a sleuth to solve Patricia’s death.
I read another coffee shop based mystery, Cleo Coyle’s Coffee House Mystery series and could not help making comparisons between the two. Unfortunately Uncommon Grounds comes out the loser in this comparison. Maggy ...more
I read another coffee shop based mystery, Cleo Coyle’s Coffee House Mystery series and could not help making comparisons between the two. Unfortunately Uncommon Grounds comes out the loser in this comparison. Maggy ...more
Maggie Thornsen is looking forward to opening her coffee shop with her two friends. However, before they even have the chance one of her friends is found dead in the shop. Maggie is suspect because of the location of the murder and how it happened and she has to clear her name so she isn't closed down for good.
Uncommon Grounds is a fun, enjoyable first book in the series. Maggie is a little rough around the edges and one of her closer friends is a very outspoken, chain-smoking realtor. As with m ...more
Uncommon Grounds is a fun, enjoyable first book in the series. Maggie is a little rough around the edges and one of her closer friends is a very outspoken, chain-smoking realtor. As with m ...more
Maggy Thorsen has started a coffee shop with three women friends. On opening day, she comes into the shop to find both her partners there already. Caron is standing and staring at Patricia's body on the floor. It turns out Patricia was electrocuted by their fancy coffee machine, electrocuted. It turns out to be murder......
Maggy becomes the target of the investigating sherriff's attention, is it romantic or is she a suspect. Driven by the need to clear herself and Caron as well as her own curios ...more
Maggy becomes the target of the investigating sherriff's attention, is it romantic or is she a suspect. Driven by the need to clear herself and Caron as well as her own curios ...more
I had a fun time reading this book. I thought some of the concerns and problems (cell phones and email addresses for example) were a bit out dated, the militia thing was a little strange, and the coincidences a little too serendipitous. But, I did like the main character, her wit and charm were exceptional. She was never a damsel in distress who needed to be saved by the lead male character, and her dogged TV detective skills were far more realistic in a small town that she lived in than many my
...more
This is the start of a new cozy mystery series where the protagonist owns a coffee shop with two friends, one of which is murdered on their opening day. She spends the whole book whining about her ex husband, and how her life USED to be, solves the murder and possibly starts a romance with the cop who had been investigating the murder. It wasn’t a *bad* read, but it could have been better, and the use in the plot of computers really dated the whole thing – having a fully functional adult who has
...more
Sep 06, 2011
Suzanne
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Suzanne by:
Book Crawl - Wisconsin
Shelves:
cozy-mysteries
Not a bad mystery. I like Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse series better. In Coyle's mysteries, I feel like I'm living and breathing coffee, and in Balzo's coffee plays a very distant role. I liked the main heroine, Maggy Thorsen, and I was actually surprised about who committed the murder. The setting and secondary characters were okay - not especially memorable.
I can't say I'd never read any more of this series, but right now I'm in the mood to get the next Coyle coffee mystery!
I can't say I'd never read any more of this series, but right now I'm in the mood to get the next Coyle coffee mystery!
Mar 31, 2012
Susan
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
off-the-shelf-2012,
2012-reads
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could. One of the things I liked about the book is that the murder of one of Maggie Thorsen's partners in her new coffee shop takes place on the very first page. Although Maggie and her other partner discover the murder together, Maggie is the one who does all the investigating and her partner plays a very minor role in the plot. I thought the plot moved along pretty steadily and there is some witty dialogue as well as a developing love interest. I've read another bo
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Sandra Balzo is an award-winning author of crime fiction, including eleven books in two mystery series--one set outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the other in the High Country of North Carolina. MURDER ON THE ORIENT ESPRESSO, the eighth Maggy Thorsen Wisconsin coffeehouse mystery, was released in December, and the series has been optioned for development as a TV series/film.
Balzo's books have gar ...more
More about Sandra Balzo...
Balzo's books have gar ...more
Other Books in the Series
Maggy Thorsen Mystery
(9 books)
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