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33rd Street Roastery #1
A Brew Most Bitter
Trouble is brewing.
Paige Palmer spent her entire adult life studying to earn her doctorate in Philosophy, only to be passed over for the job of her dreams. Escaping academia, the wounded young woman wants to leave her painful past behind and experience the real world. She takes a job as barista at a quirky and cozy shop; The Roastery on 33rd, feeling somehow drawn to the charming spot in the quaint New Hampshire town.
The wooden interior walls, worn with age and saturated with the dark, rich aroma of cappuccinos past, beckon to unsuspecting pedestrians, enticing them to enter and indulge in a sip of decadence in the form of a strong brew.
But there are secrets in the Roastery that have been percolating for decades. When a body is discovered in a secret room in the building, Paige’s impatient and tough-as-nails boss becomes increasingly convinced that an in-house investigation will be necessary to catch the culprit.
The team of would-be sleuths – Paige, and the Roastery’s eccentric owner, Margaret Hayward, along with a ‘starving artist’ who could use a bit of distraction as he attempts to grind out the opening lines of his debut novel – team up to do some investigating without quite realizing what they’re getting themselves into.
They need to hurry.
As clear as the rising hum of an espresso machine at work, the clock ticks away precious seconds as a ruthless killer lurks in the shadows, ready to strike again.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2022
500 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Summer Prescott
149 books243 followersSummer Prescott is well-known in the Cozy Mystery realm, having written and published several Best-Sellers in the genre. An avid reader of Thrillers, Horror and Suspense, the author has decided to follow her passion with the debut of her Thriller, The Quiet Type, which launched in the top 50 of the Serial Killer category on Amazon. The novel has received high praise in its reviews, and Summer is considering a possible trilogy or series to continue the story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 10, 2023
I don’t know about this one. I felt very lost throughout the entire book and since I really get into my readings, my own life felt lost and out of place for a couple days. It just seemed that the beginning of the book was missing and that it began about 25 percent in. It was so morose.
I admit that I did like Margaret after getting to know her personality better. She just seemed like a snob at first, but then it turns out that’s just the way she is. Paige…boring really. I think I like Rohan even more and am anxious to hear more of his adventures that will probably be in future books in this series.
Maybe this book didn’t hit the mark for me, but I will read the second book to see if it’s better.
Next is book 2 of 8 - A Motive Most Bitter.
I admit that I did like Margaret after getting to know her personality better. She just seemed like a snob at first, but then it turns out that’s just the way she is. Paige…boring really. I think I like Rohan even more and am anxious to hear more of his adventures that will probably be in future books in this series.
Maybe this book didn’t hit the mark for me, but I will read the second book to see if it’s better.
Next is book 2 of 8 - A Motive Most Bitter.
April 21, 2022
This is the first book in a new series that I hope will have many books to come. The characters are a strange brew of personalities from philosophy doctorate Paige to her boss Margaret who is gruff but collects wounded beings as employees. There's even an aspiring author thrown into the mix. The storyline was appealing and the mystery well plotted. A fun page turner of a cozy mystery.
May 14, 2024
Okay Read
This was an alright read. This is the first book of the 33rd Street Roastery series. I thought this book was not as good as some of the other cozy mysteries that I have read. I thought the story was boring in the beginning. I thought the story didn’t flow smoothly. Also, I thought Paige was an okay character. I really could not connect with her. I thought her character needed a lot of improvement. I did like Margaret a bit more than Paige, but I felt that I lacked a connection with her character as well. I thought the ending was good. The story did pick up by that point, but still could have been way better. I will continue the series to see how the series goes. Overall, an okay read.
This was an alright read. This is the first book of the 33rd Street Roastery series. I thought this book was not as good as some of the other cozy mysteries that I have read. I thought the story was boring in the beginning. I thought the story didn’t flow smoothly. Also, I thought Paige was an okay character. I really could not connect with her. I thought her character needed a lot of improvement. I did like Margaret a bit more than Paige, but I felt that I lacked a connection with her character as well. I thought the ending was good. The story did pick up by that point, but still could have been way better. I will continue the series to see how the series goes. Overall, an okay read.
July 2, 2023
No nudne bardzo
October 11, 2023
2,5
Nie zaglądając w opis spodziewałam się historyjek o zbrodniarzach. A dostałam coś innego i nie było to zbyt dobre.
Nie zaglądając w opis spodziewałam się historyjek o zbrodniarzach. A dostałam coś innego i nie było to zbyt dobre.
January 28, 2024
Dla mnie ciekawe. Lubię klimaty kawiarni i kawy. Przyjemny kryminał
May 6, 2024
Acquired Kindle edition when offered free on Amazon.
WARNING: I am letting you know up front that I have not read all of this, er, book, and I'm not likely to. I don't know what the plot is going to be like or the characters. At the end of the first paragraph I am swimming against the current in chunky peanut butter just trying to figure out what the author -- and I use the term loosely -- is trying to convey.
Many long decades ago when I actually taught creative writing, I told my students that the English language (or whatever language they chose to write in) was their most important tool for crafting stories. They absolutely had to learn how to use that tool and all its attachments, regardless the media they selected, whether prose, poetry, or drama, genre fiction or serious non-fiction, or anything else. Some of those students dismissed that admonishment, insisting that their stories were so good, so compelling, that no editor could possibly reject them just because the verb tenses switched in mid-sentence or some of the modifiers were left dangling in space. In virtually all these cases, the student writers really didn't even understand what verb tenses or dangling modifiers are.
Don't just take my word for it. Virtually every author of how-to-write books says the same thing, in one way or another. But Stephen King -- you've heard of him, right? -- gets to the heart of it in his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft., right smack dab up front in the "First Foreword," which you can read for free via the "Read Sample" feature on Amazon. To quote, with my emphasis added:
But Amy [Tan] was right: nobody ever asks about the language. They ask the DeLillos and the Updikes and the Styrons, but they don’t ask popular novelists. Yet many of us proles also care about the language, in our humble way, and care passionately about the art and craft of telling stories on paper. What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) (p. 11). Scribner. Kindle Edition.
Summer Prescott, or whoever/whatever wrote A Brew Most Bitter, could very well have been one of those students of mine who shrugged off the need, the essential need, to learn how to use the writer's single most essential tool: the language.
Again, let me reiterate: I don't know how good or bad the story is. I'm stopped cold by the brick wall of execrable writing that begins on the first page, the first paragraph, the first sentence. So allow me to walk you through why I think it's bad writing.
Let's start with the blurb posted here on Goodreads and on Amazon:
Trouble is brewing.
Good, simple, straightforward opening.
Paige Palmer spent her entire adult life studying to earn her doctorate in Philosophy, only to be passed over for the job of her dreams. Escaping academia, the wounded young woman wants to leave her painful past behind and experience the real world. She takes a job as barista at a quirky and cozy shop; The Roastery on 33rd, feeling somehow drawn to the charming spot in the quaint New Hampshire town.
First paragraph has problems. Paige studied for a long time, but did she ever actually earn the degree? Did she give up ABD? Was she actually studying Philosophy as a subject, or was she working on a PhD in something else? A PhD, you know, doesn't mean necessarily a doctoral degree in philosophy; one can earn a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in English literature or Architectural History or Gender Studies. Does the reader really need to know at this point that Paige has been passed over for this unidentified "job of her dreams"? Does the reader really need to know at this point that Paige is "wounded" by this "painful" experience or is this part of her character's backstory that could more effectively be presented in the book's text?
The author's throwing both "wounded" and "painful" into the same sentence is an example of overwriting. One or the other should suffice, especially since this is just the blurb, for crying out loud.
(Yes, dear students, the possessive "author's" is the correct adjectival form preceding the gerund "throwing.")
Paige wants to experience "the real world," so she takes a job as a barista in a "quirky" and "cozy" shop in a "charming" spot in a "quaint" New Hampshire town. This is, as perhaps you may have guessed, more overwriting. All this detail is probably not necessary at this point, and I'm not sure how a quaint (small) town in New Hampshire constitutes "the real world" Paige is looking for. The semi-colon is incorrectly used; it doesn't separate two independent clauses
After this first paragraph of the book's blurb, I'm overwhelmed with overwriting. How much better would the prospective reader have been enticed to read further if instead of all this vague and yet redundant language the author had written:
"Disappointed and disillusioned after failing to land the coveted academic position she'd worked so many years for, Paige Palmer leaves behind the only life she's ever really known and settles in small town New Hampshire. A job as barista in a quirky coffee shop seems just the real life experience she thinks she needs to heal her emotional wounds."
Now, on to Paragraph #2 of the blurb:
The wooden interior walls, worn with age and saturated with the dark, rich aroma of cappuccinos past, beckon to unsuspecting pedestrians, enticing them to enter and indulge in a sip of decadence in the form of a strong brew.
None of the information in this short, heavily overwritten paragraph that's still just part of the blurb is really necessary in terms of piquing the reader's interest. The author probably means wood-paneled walls, and we don't need to be told they're interior; that kind of goes without saying. How do the walls beckon "unsuspecting" pedestrians? It's New Hampshire, my friends, where it's very cold a good part of the year, so the doors and windows of this shop are closed to passing pedestrians. Is there no signage announcing that this is a coffee shop, or is the place disguised as something else, so pedestrians don't even suspect it's a coffee shop? And why would such a shop rely only on the unsuspecting? How many unsuspecting pedestrians are there likely to be in a quaint (small) New Hampshire town? Why not regular customers as well? Are only cappuccinos served here? No espresso or lattes or caramel macchiatos? What about pastries and other food? Is everything decadent, or is it possible to get just an ordinary cup of coffee?
Inclusion of just decadent cappuccinos suggests nothing else is served there; learning how to use the language to best effect would tell the author not to use either word at all. The bottom line, however, is that in fact, the whole paragraph is unnecessary.
But there are secrets in the Roastery that have been percolating for decades. When a body is discovered in a secret room in the building, Paige’s impatient and tough-as-nails boss becomes increasingly convinced that an in-house investigation will be necessary to catch the culprit.
The cleverness of "percolating" secrets is a bit cloying, but it might have remained clever if it weren't for all the previous overwriting. The use of "secrets" and "secret" in the same paragraph is indicative of lazy writing; perhaps a "hidden" room would have been the better choice to avoid repetition. "In the building" is simply not necessary. Where else would the room be?
The next sentence, however, presents its own internal problem. The introductory adverbial clause "When a body is discovered. . . " implies that the discovery of the body happens at the same time as the rest of the sentence. The subtle difference of replacing "when" with "after" changes the whole understanding of the sentence. One presumes the discovery of a body instigates an investigation by official agents/agencies that proves, for whatever reasons, unsatisfactory and thus leads to the "in-house" investigation.
The team of would-be sleuths – Paige, and the Roastery’s eccentric owner, Margaret Hayward, along with a ‘starving artist’ who could use a bit of distraction as he attempts to grind out the opening lines of his debut novel – team up to do some investigating without quite realizing what they’re getting themselves into.
So, the team teams up. Makes sense, no? (Insert rolling eyes emoji.) This is why "the language" is so important. Maybe I'm the only nitpicky reader who's going to see things like this, or the repetition of "secret" in the previous paragraph. Are you willing to take that risk? Are you going to assume -- and you know what "assume" means -- that your reader is ignorant and as lazy a reader as you are a writer? Or are you going to take your craft seriously?
Margaret Hayward, who is presumably the "impatient and tough-as-nails" employer of the previous paragraph, should have been introduced by name at that time rather than later. Why? Because the reader is going to be confused and will go back to check. "Well," you say, "you don't know the reader is going to be confused, so why does it matter?" It matters because as the writer you don't want to give the reader any reason whatsofuckingever to stop reading, even if it's just long enough to go back one or two paragraphs to verify a fact in the narrative. Don't even give the reader the slightest excuse to stop or go backward instead of forward if you can possibly avoid it.
The description of the "starving artist" character who becomes part of the sleuthing team is more overly clever puns that just don't work in the context of all the other dreadful writing. I'm sure Summer Prescott thought it cute that this unnamed character is stuck on the first line of his book when she has already spewed so many effortless words herself, but to a reader who appreciates a well-turned phrase rather than being bludgeoned with "look how clever I am," this kind of overkill is annoying.
They need to hurry.
Isn't that generally the case with murder mysteries? And if so, why is it necessary to include this in the blurb?
As clear as the rising hum of an espresso machine at work, the clock ticks away precious seconds as a ruthless killer lurks in the shadows, ready to strike again.
Seriously, folks, by the time I reached the end of the blurb I was no longer interested in reading any further. This is bad, bad writing. It's ineffective writing.
I'm sure you're wondering, "Then why did you buy the book if you thought the blurb was so bad?"
Well, allow me to let you in on a secret: The Kindle edition was offered free, so why not? And once I had downloaded it, I no longer had easy access to the blurb the way one does with, say, a paperback edition where it's neatly printed on the back. I don't always read a book the same day I download it, and by the time I did begin to read, I had forgotten the blurb.
The first paragraph of the Prologue reminded me.
Care to join me?
The floors of her precious Roastery groaned in protest as Margaret surveyed the damage, their loud squawks echoing in the coffee shop. There were no chattering customers in the warm, leather-clothed booths and the rising pitch of the cranky espresso machine had been stilled, so the floor’s creaks shattered the silence, announcing their decades long of faithful service as though they expected to be given a medal for them. Like wounds, lurid brown stains defiled the wide, time-worn planks of the pinewood floors below the counter.
Prescott, Summer. A Brew Most Bitter (33rd Street Roastery Cozy Mysteries Book 1) (p. 1). Summer Prescott Books. Kindle Edition.
Oh. My. God.
In one paragraph, the floors groan, squawk, and creak, yet Margaret never takes a single step. Are the floors protesting Margaret's mere presence? Wouldn't they be used to her walking on them? What are they then complaining about? There are no customers, so they aren't the ones making the floors groan, squawk, and creak. What is causing the noise? We don't know. Is it important to know? Maybe, maybe not, but a hint provided by effective writing would tell us. If Margaret is walking around while she surveys the damage, that might explain it, but no indication is given what she's doing. It's all about the floors and their protest.
Now, it's nice to get some atmosphere at the beginning of a book, but there should also be some action, some hint of what's already happened or going to happen. We get no hint of Margaret's reaction to whatever it is that's going on, but the floors are demanding recognition of their faithful service. Excuse me? What's important here?
Well, here's a note about the use of language: "Decades long of" makes no sense. "Decades-long faithful service" with a hyphen for the compound adjective or "Decades of faithful service" without the "of" would be correct. What's there instead is just wrong.
Regarding all the noises, it would be more effective to have the cranky espresso machine's silence come before its rising pitch, because if you put the noise first, the reader is going to imagine that noise. When you then write that the noise isn't there, the reader has to change gears. While it's true that many readers won't notice, won't care, won't stop, do you want to take that chance? More important, do you want to bet on a lazy, uncaring reader on every page? Because if you're careless on page one, it's pretty likely you're going to continue to be careless on pages two through three hundred eighty-nine, and that just increases the chance you'll make a flub so egregious the reader shouts "That's enough of this shit!" and throws the book either literally or metaphorically against the wall, or just leaves a one-star DNF "I'm never going to read this author again" review.
Booths might be leather-upholstered, but "leather-clothed" seems an awkward description.
Why is the espresso machine "cranky"? Is this something that Margaret thinks about it, or is it author intrusion? I guess with all the anthropomorphizing of the floors and their grievances, the espresso machine is entitled to a share of human emotion, too.
What are the "lurid brown stains"? Where is the counter? Where is Margaret in relation to the counter? We get all this description of the wide, time-worn, pinewood planks, but not so much as a hint of where Margaret is or what she's doing.
As a writer, you only have so many pages, so many paragraphs, so many words to snare the reader's interest. You absolutely must focus on what's important, and -- as Elmore Leonard is often quoted as writing -- "leave out the parts reader's skip." Frankly, I don't give a damn about the floors in the Roastery. I didn't care about them when I began page one, and at the end of page one I care even less about the blasted pinewood planks. If they're important to the story, the writer has failed to make them important to me, the reader.
When the writer buries the story in too many adjectives and adverbs, when they try too hard to be, I don't know, writerly, the failure to achieve any kind of positive outcome is almost always painfully obvious.
I have, I freely admit, spent far more time writing this review than I spent reading the blurb and one page of the book. Why? Because I've read so many of these free, author-published, poorly written books lately that it was time to vent. If you as a writer only care about getting rave reviews from the alleged readers of your ARCs or free digital editions, or of getting that coveted NYT/USA best-seller tag via a 99-cent anthology, more power to you. There's nothing morally wrong with publishing a new book every week and giving away a few thousand copies. If it makes you happy, if it brings you joy, go for it!
I, however, want more than that. I want good writing. This isn't it.
I'm also not a paid editor or book doctor. I resent reading that authors want constructive reviews to help them improve. Here you go, folks. Here's your constructive review.
To add a confirmative note before I end this rant, a few more words from Stephen King, with a few more of my emphases:
I am approaching the heart of this book with two theses, both simple. The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments. The second is that while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) (p. 142). Scribner. Kindle Edition.
The writing in A Brew Most Bitter is dreadful. Could it be improved with competent editing? Maybe, but it would take a complete line by line rewrite. If I were a paid editor -- which I am not and don't wish to be -- I would not take on the job. Yes, Virginia, it's that bad.
DNF after one paragraph, not recommended for anyone. No redeeming qualities at all.
WARNING: I am letting you know up front that I have not read all of this, er, book, and I'm not likely to. I don't know what the plot is going to be like or the characters. At the end of the first paragraph I am swimming against the current in chunky peanut butter just trying to figure out what the author -- and I use the term loosely -- is trying to convey.
Many long decades ago when I actually taught creative writing, I told my students that the English language (or whatever language they chose to write in) was their most important tool for crafting stories. They absolutely had to learn how to use that tool and all its attachments, regardless the media they selected, whether prose, poetry, or drama, genre fiction or serious non-fiction, or anything else. Some of those students dismissed that admonishment, insisting that their stories were so good, so compelling, that no editor could possibly reject them just because the verb tenses switched in mid-sentence or some of the modifiers were left dangling in space. In virtually all these cases, the student writers really didn't even understand what verb tenses or dangling modifiers are.
Don't just take my word for it. Virtually every author of how-to-write books says the same thing, in one way or another. But Stephen King -- you've heard of him, right? -- gets to the heart of it in his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft., right smack dab up front in the "First Foreword," which you can read for free via the "Read Sample" feature on Amazon. To quote, with my emphasis added:
But Amy [Tan] was right: nobody ever asks about the language. They ask the DeLillos and the Updikes and the Styrons, but they don’t ask popular novelists. Yet many of us proles also care about the language, in our humble way, and care passionately about the art and craft of telling stories on paper. What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) (p. 11). Scribner. Kindle Edition.
Summer Prescott, or whoever/whatever wrote A Brew Most Bitter, could very well have been one of those students of mine who shrugged off the need, the essential need, to learn how to use the writer's single most essential tool: the language.
Again, let me reiterate: I don't know how good or bad the story is. I'm stopped cold by the brick wall of execrable writing that begins on the first page, the first paragraph, the first sentence. So allow me to walk you through why I think it's bad writing.
Let's start with the blurb posted here on Goodreads and on Amazon:
Trouble is brewing.
Good, simple, straightforward opening.
Paige Palmer spent her entire adult life studying to earn her doctorate in Philosophy, only to be passed over for the job of her dreams. Escaping academia, the wounded young woman wants to leave her painful past behind and experience the real world. She takes a job as barista at a quirky and cozy shop; The Roastery on 33rd, feeling somehow drawn to the charming spot in the quaint New Hampshire town.
First paragraph has problems. Paige studied for a long time, but did she ever actually earn the degree? Did she give up ABD? Was she actually studying Philosophy as a subject, or was she working on a PhD in something else? A PhD, you know, doesn't mean necessarily a doctoral degree in philosophy; one can earn a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in English literature or Architectural History or Gender Studies. Does the reader really need to know at this point that Paige has been passed over for this unidentified "job of her dreams"? Does the reader really need to know at this point that Paige is "wounded" by this "painful" experience or is this part of her character's backstory that could more effectively be presented in the book's text?
The author's throwing both "wounded" and "painful" into the same sentence is an example of overwriting. One or the other should suffice, especially since this is just the blurb, for crying out loud.
(Yes, dear students, the possessive "author's" is the correct adjectival form preceding the gerund "throwing.")
Paige wants to experience "the real world," so she takes a job as a barista in a "quirky" and "cozy" shop in a "charming" spot in a "quaint" New Hampshire town. This is, as perhaps you may have guessed, more overwriting. All this detail is probably not necessary at this point, and I'm not sure how a quaint (small) town in New Hampshire constitutes "the real world" Paige is looking for. The semi-colon is incorrectly used; it doesn't separate two independent clauses
After this first paragraph of the book's blurb, I'm overwhelmed with overwriting. How much better would the prospective reader have been enticed to read further if instead of all this vague and yet redundant language the author had written:
"Disappointed and disillusioned after failing to land the coveted academic position she'd worked so many years for, Paige Palmer leaves behind the only life she's ever really known and settles in small town New Hampshire. A job as barista in a quirky coffee shop seems just the real life experience she thinks she needs to heal her emotional wounds."
Now, on to Paragraph #2 of the blurb:
The wooden interior walls, worn with age and saturated with the dark, rich aroma of cappuccinos past, beckon to unsuspecting pedestrians, enticing them to enter and indulge in a sip of decadence in the form of a strong brew.
None of the information in this short, heavily overwritten paragraph that's still just part of the blurb is really necessary in terms of piquing the reader's interest. The author probably means wood-paneled walls, and we don't need to be told they're interior; that kind of goes without saying. How do the walls beckon "unsuspecting" pedestrians? It's New Hampshire, my friends, where it's very cold a good part of the year, so the doors and windows of this shop are closed to passing pedestrians. Is there no signage announcing that this is a coffee shop, or is the place disguised as something else, so pedestrians don't even suspect it's a coffee shop? And why would such a shop rely only on the unsuspecting? How many unsuspecting pedestrians are there likely to be in a quaint (small) New Hampshire town? Why not regular customers as well? Are only cappuccinos served here? No espresso or lattes or caramel macchiatos? What about pastries and other food? Is everything decadent, or is it possible to get just an ordinary cup of coffee?
Inclusion of just decadent cappuccinos suggests nothing else is served there; learning how to use the language to best effect would tell the author not to use either word at all. The bottom line, however, is that in fact, the whole paragraph is unnecessary.
But there are secrets in the Roastery that have been percolating for decades. When a body is discovered in a secret room in the building, Paige’s impatient and tough-as-nails boss becomes increasingly convinced that an in-house investigation will be necessary to catch the culprit.
The cleverness of "percolating" secrets is a bit cloying, but it might have remained clever if it weren't for all the previous overwriting. The use of "secrets" and "secret" in the same paragraph is indicative of lazy writing; perhaps a "hidden" room would have been the better choice to avoid repetition. "In the building" is simply not necessary. Where else would the room be?
The next sentence, however, presents its own internal problem. The introductory adverbial clause "When a body is discovered. . . " implies that the discovery of the body happens at the same time as the rest of the sentence. The subtle difference of replacing "when" with "after" changes the whole understanding of the sentence. One presumes the discovery of a body instigates an investigation by official agents/agencies that proves, for whatever reasons, unsatisfactory and thus leads to the "in-house" investigation.
The team of would-be sleuths – Paige, and the Roastery’s eccentric owner, Margaret Hayward, along with a ‘starving artist’ who could use a bit of distraction as he attempts to grind out the opening lines of his debut novel – team up to do some investigating without quite realizing what they’re getting themselves into.
So, the team teams up. Makes sense, no? (Insert rolling eyes emoji.) This is why "the language" is so important. Maybe I'm the only nitpicky reader who's going to see things like this, or the repetition of "secret" in the previous paragraph. Are you willing to take that risk? Are you going to assume -- and you know what "assume" means -- that your reader is ignorant and as lazy a reader as you are a writer? Or are you going to take your craft seriously?
Margaret Hayward, who is presumably the "impatient and tough-as-nails" employer of the previous paragraph, should have been introduced by name at that time rather than later. Why? Because the reader is going to be confused and will go back to check. "Well," you say, "you don't know the reader is going to be confused, so why does it matter?" It matters because as the writer you don't want to give the reader any reason whatsofuckingever to stop reading, even if it's just long enough to go back one or two paragraphs to verify a fact in the narrative. Don't even give the reader the slightest excuse to stop or go backward instead of forward if you can possibly avoid it.
The description of the "starving artist" character who becomes part of the sleuthing team is more overly clever puns that just don't work in the context of all the other dreadful writing. I'm sure Summer Prescott thought it cute that this unnamed character is stuck on the first line of his book when she has already spewed so many effortless words herself, but to a reader who appreciates a well-turned phrase rather than being bludgeoned with "look how clever I am," this kind of overkill is annoying.
They need to hurry.
Isn't that generally the case with murder mysteries? And if so, why is it necessary to include this in the blurb?
As clear as the rising hum of an espresso machine at work, the clock ticks away precious seconds as a ruthless killer lurks in the shadows, ready to strike again.
Seriously, folks, by the time I reached the end of the blurb I was no longer interested in reading any further. This is bad, bad writing. It's ineffective writing.
I'm sure you're wondering, "Then why did you buy the book if you thought the blurb was so bad?"
Well, allow me to let you in on a secret: The Kindle edition was offered free, so why not? And once I had downloaded it, I no longer had easy access to the blurb the way one does with, say, a paperback edition where it's neatly printed on the back. I don't always read a book the same day I download it, and by the time I did begin to read, I had forgotten the blurb.
The first paragraph of the Prologue reminded me.
Care to join me?
The floors of her precious Roastery groaned in protest as Margaret surveyed the damage, their loud squawks echoing in the coffee shop. There were no chattering customers in the warm, leather-clothed booths and the rising pitch of the cranky espresso machine had been stilled, so the floor’s creaks shattered the silence, announcing their decades long of faithful service as though they expected to be given a medal for them. Like wounds, lurid brown stains defiled the wide, time-worn planks of the pinewood floors below the counter.
Prescott, Summer. A Brew Most Bitter (33rd Street Roastery Cozy Mysteries Book 1) (p. 1). Summer Prescott Books. Kindle Edition.
Oh. My. God.
In one paragraph, the floors groan, squawk, and creak, yet Margaret never takes a single step. Are the floors protesting Margaret's mere presence? Wouldn't they be used to her walking on them? What are they then complaining about? There are no customers, so they aren't the ones making the floors groan, squawk, and creak. What is causing the noise? We don't know. Is it important to know? Maybe, maybe not, but a hint provided by effective writing would tell us. If Margaret is walking around while she surveys the damage, that might explain it, but no indication is given what she's doing. It's all about the floors and their protest.
Now, it's nice to get some atmosphere at the beginning of a book, but there should also be some action, some hint of what's already happened or going to happen. We get no hint of Margaret's reaction to whatever it is that's going on, but the floors are demanding recognition of their faithful service. Excuse me? What's important here?
Well, here's a note about the use of language: "Decades long of" makes no sense. "Decades-long faithful service" with a hyphen for the compound adjective or "Decades of faithful service" without the "of" would be correct. What's there instead is just wrong.
Regarding all the noises, it would be more effective to have the cranky espresso machine's silence come before its rising pitch, because if you put the noise first, the reader is going to imagine that noise. When you then write that the noise isn't there, the reader has to change gears. While it's true that many readers won't notice, won't care, won't stop, do you want to take that chance? More important, do you want to bet on a lazy, uncaring reader on every page? Because if you're careless on page one, it's pretty likely you're going to continue to be careless on pages two through three hundred eighty-nine, and that just increases the chance you'll make a flub so egregious the reader shouts "That's enough of this shit!" and throws the book either literally or metaphorically against the wall, or just leaves a one-star DNF "I'm never going to read this author again" review.
Booths might be leather-upholstered, but "leather-clothed" seems an awkward description.
Why is the espresso machine "cranky"? Is this something that Margaret thinks about it, or is it author intrusion? I guess with all the anthropomorphizing of the floors and their grievances, the espresso machine is entitled to a share of human emotion, too.
What are the "lurid brown stains"? Where is the counter? Where is Margaret in relation to the counter? We get all this description of the wide, time-worn, pinewood planks, but not so much as a hint of where Margaret is or what she's doing.
As a writer, you only have so many pages, so many paragraphs, so many words to snare the reader's interest. You absolutely must focus on what's important, and -- as Elmore Leonard is often quoted as writing -- "leave out the parts reader's skip." Frankly, I don't give a damn about the floors in the Roastery. I didn't care about them when I began page one, and at the end of page one I care even less about the blasted pinewood planks. If they're important to the story, the writer has failed to make them important to me, the reader.
When the writer buries the story in too many adjectives and adverbs, when they try too hard to be, I don't know, writerly, the failure to achieve any kind of positive outcome is almost always painfully obvious.
I have, I freely admit, spent far more time writing this review than I spent reading the blurb and one page of the book. Why? Because I've read so many of these free, author-published, poorly written books lately that it was time to vent. If you as a writer only care about getting rave reviews from the alleged readers of your ARCs or free digital editions, or of getting that coveted NYT/USA best-seller tag via a 99-cent anthology, more power to you. There's nothing morally wrong with publishing a new book every week and giving away a few thousand copies. If it makes you happy, if it brings you joy, go for it!
I, however, want more than that. I want good writing. This isn't it.
I'm also not a paid editor or book doctor. I resent reading that authors want constructive reviews to help them improve. Here you go, folks. Here's your constructive review.
To add a confirmative note before I end this rant, a few more words from Stephen King, with a few more of my emphases:
I am approaching the heart of this book with two theses, both simple. The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments. The second is that while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) (p. 142). Scribner. Kindle Edition.
The writing in A Brew Most Bitter is dreadful. Could it be improved with competent editing? Maybe, but it would take a complete line by line rewrite. If I were a paid editor -- which I am not and don't wish to be -- I would not take on the job. Yes, Virginia, it's that bad.
DNF after one paragraph, not recommended for anyone. No redeeming qualities at all.
April 29, 2022
At first I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this series or not, but as I got more into the book, I decided I did really like it. It's a little different from how this author usually writes, can't really explain what's different but I do like it and even gruff Margaret, the coffee shop owner started to grow on me, especially at the showdown. The prologue was pretty cool and set the stage for what was going on.
Once I figured out which characters I could trust, I was able to relax and enjoy the story more, lol. Paige and Rohan made a good sleuthing team, but I was never really sure of whodunit until the showdown which was very satisfying and had the good guys in control. I'm definitely going to borrow the next book in the series from KU when it's out!
Once I figured out which characters I could trust, I was able to relax and enjoy the story more, lol. Paige and Rohan made a good sleuthing team, but I was never really sure of whodunit until the showdown which was very satisfying and had the good guys in control. I'm definitely going to borrow the next book in the series from KU when it's out!
February 8, 2023
I gave this book ✨✨✨ / 5.
Have you ever walked up to a group of friends talking and tried to join their conversation but you were always about 5 steps behind? Well, this book started like that scenario! I felt as though I was trying to catch up the whole time. It was written in 3rd person omniscient and I am not sure if that may be why I didn't enjoy this read, or if it just did not work the way the author hoped.
I felt very distanced from the characters and their backstories and I was unable to let myself believe the story itself fully.
Again, this could simply not be my reading style, or it could have been the effect the author wanted but I am uncertain as to if I will continue reading this series.
Have you ever walked up to a group of friends talking and tried to join their conversation but you were always about 5 steps behind? Well, this book started like that scenario! I felt as though I was trying to catch up the whole time. It was written in 3rd person omniscient and I am not sure if that may be why I didn't enjoy this read, or if it just did not work the way the author hoped.
I felt very distanced from the characters and their backstories and I was unable to let myself believe the story itself fully.
Again, this could simply not be my reading style, or it could have been the effect the author wanted but I am uncertain as to if I will continue reading this series.
June 4, 2024
Gothic, unfeeling, coffee murder that you need a dose of caffeine to get through.
What a bland dark mess with too many dead puns. The story lacked interesting characters. The murdermystery was boring and with no discernable impact. The setting was static, and had no personality, despite proclaiming that the Roastery had charm. The main character was hard to pinpoint and seemed to change personlity/goals every so often. A vague fog and frankly I didn't like it.
I listened to it on Audible. The narrator had a snarky, goth girl voice, which may have suited the theme, but I was not a fan of her tone and sharp s-sounds.
Not my cup of tea. ;)
What a bland dark mess with too many dead puns. The story lacked interesting characters. The murdermystery was boring and with no discernable impact. The setting was static, and had no personality, despite proclaiming that the Roastery had charm. The main character was hard to pinpoint and seemed to change personlity/goals every so often. A vague fog and frankly I didn't like it.
I listened to it on Audible. The narrator had a snarky, goth girl voice, which may have suited the theme, but I was not a fan of her tone and sharp s-sounds.
Not my cup of tea. ;)
April 22, 2022
Paige is sad and upset that after all of her studying to get her Philosophy doctorate, she isn't even considered for
her dream job. She decides it's time to experience the real world and takes a job as a barista. She loves the job and
the cute little shop that she is now working for. Unfortunately, a dead body is discovered in a secret room and all
kinds of secrets start coming out. Paige and Margaret decide to try and solve the murder on their own but they really
don't know what they are doing. Can they catch the killer before another body appears?
Great new series from Summer Prescott. Make sure you read it!
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
her dream job. She decides it's time to experience the real world and takes a job as a barista. She loves the job and
the cute little shop that she is now working for. Unfortunately, a dead body is discovered in a secret room and all
kinds of secrets start coming out. Paige and Margaret decide to try and solve the murder on their own but they really
don't know what they are doing. Can they catch the killer before another body appears?
Great new series from Summer Prescott. Make sure you read it!
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
April 16, 2022
Kindle Copy for Review
Coffee is in the air and so is the smell of death.
In this new series we meet a woman who just missed getting her dream down so she decides to leave her old life and get a job as a barista to experience real life. In a small town in New Hampshire she finds a place where the smells of old cappuccino.
Sees there are old secrets brewing as a body is found. The owner and a starving artist wannabe write will team up with the new barista as they sleuth the way to find the killer. Can they find the killer before they strike again?
A brew worth reading.
Coffee is in the air and so is the smell of death.
In this new series we meet a woman who just missed getting her dream down so she decides to leave her old life and get a job as a barista to experience real life. In a small town in New Hampshire she finds a place where the smells of old cappuccino.
Sees there are old secrets brewing as a body is found. The owner and a starving artist wannabe write will team up with the new barista as they sleuth the way to find the killer. Can they find the killer before they strike again?
A brew worth reading.
May 2, 2022
Loved the story
I'm glad I discovered this series. While the setting of a coffeeshop isn't new, the story behind the characters there was different. They're all a little awkward yet you can't help but be drawn to them. The murder was clumsy and I think that helped them figure it out. There were twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. While we learned some of Paige's backstory, it seems like there's more to tell. Will Rohan stick around? Can't wait to read the next book.
I'm glad I discovered this series. While the setting of a coffeeshop isn't new, the story behind the characters there was different. They're all a little awkward yet you can't help but be drawn to them. The murder was clumsy and I think that helped them figure it out. There were twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. While we learned some of Paige's backstory, it seems like there's more to tell. Will Rohan stick around? Can't wait to read the next book.
March 2, 2023
A Mystery Most Fascinating
Summer Prescott's a great mystery writer, I really enjoy her books. All of the clues unfolded as the Sleuths, the main characters, did their investigating. Great surprise ending, I never saw it coming. Paige is a great character, and I would love to hear more about her life as the series continues. The characters were revealing more about themselves as they worked together on the case. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Summer Prescott's a great mystery writer, I really enjoy her books. All of the clues unfolded as the Sleuths, the main characters, did their investigating. Great surprise ending, I never saw it coming. Paige is a great character, and I would love to hear more about her life as the series continues. The characters were revealing more about themselves as they worked together on the case. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
October 3, 2023
I found this to be a wonderful mystery with some hints of romance and murder.
I love that it centers around my favorite beverage COFFEE lol and how it brings the reader into the world of coffee beans and cafes.
It is a well thought out plot with twists and hunour. Characters were so realistic and quirky.
Narration was great, full of passion, enthusiasm, and great tone and dialect of the story setting.
I love that it centers around my favorite beverage COFFEE lol and how it brings the reader into the world of coffee beans and cafes.
It is a well thought out plot with twists and hunour. Characters were so realistic and quirky.
Narration was great, full of passion, enthusiasm, and great tone and dialect of the story setting.
March 28, 2023
This was a step above some other cozy mysteries I've read. That said, I think this genre isn't too much my thing. As for this book: why was the coffee shop owner such a bitch? She did get a *little* softer toward the end; maybe that would be more fully developed in future books of the series. The mystery and resolution were OK.
December 24, 2023
3.5
This was a good introduction to the 33rd Street Roastery Cozy Mysteries series, but it's fairly short so I felt like some things were skimmed over which made the mystery less satisfying. Still, it was a great venue to introduce the characters and setting with lots of hints at interesting backstories to be revealed in future books which I am looking forward to reading.
This was a good introduction to the 33rd Street Roastery Cozy Mysteries series, but it's fairly short so I felt like some things were skimmed over which made the mystery less satisfying. Still, it was a great venue to introduce the characters and setting with lots of hints at interesting backstories to be revealed in future books which I am looking forward to reading.
May 2, 2024
I did not care for this book. It jumped all over the place and really did not make sense at all. None of the characters were introduced, almost like this was the 2nd or 3rd book in the series and not the first. However, it didn't matter much as none of them were likeable. I will not be pursuing this series.
June 21, 2024
This is the first book in the series. The main characters are Paige and Rohan. Paige was working at the Roastery when the murder happened. Rohan wrote a blog under another name and no one knew it at first. When the owner tries to figure out what happened both Paige and Rohan get caught up in it. Now they are getting some answers but can they figure out where they are going in time?
July 3, 2024
There was just nothing really engaging to draw me in with this story.
It kind of felt like this was a second book. It felt like there were things I needed to know to really follow the plot here even though this was the first book in a series.
I also was not connecting to any of the characters. They all felt very grey to me.
This was a DNF for me.
It kind of felt like this was a second book. It felt like there were things I needed to know to really follow the plot here even though this was the first book in a series.
I also was not connecting to any of the characters. They all felt very grey to me.
This was a DNF for me.
November 11, 2024
A great coffee cozy!
A great mystery in one of my favorite settings, a coffee shop. Interesting characters that seem to grow to their character. I found the story to be very intriguing. There seemed to be a new twist just when I thought I knew the answer. Fun when even the coffee roaster
machine has a personality!
A great mystery in one of my favorite settings, a coffee shop. Interesting characters that seem to grow to their character. I found the story to be very intriguing. There seemed to be a new twist just when I thought I knew the answer. Fun when even the coffee roaster
machine has a personality!
April 23, 2022
great read
Summer Prescott has out did herself. You will love this new series. The building with a life of its own and the people who work there. If you love cozy mysteries you need to buy this one.
Summer Prescott has out did herself. You will love this new series. The building with a life of its own and the people who work there. If you love cozy mysteries you need to buy this one.
August 18, 2023
This book was so-so. I did stick with it to find out who the murderer was, but the ending seemed as if the story was just chopped off. The story didn't flow smoothly and it seemed as if it hopped from place to place. I probably won't read the others.
May 25, 2024
A quick read.
Paige has a lot to contend with in her new job in Margaret’s cafe. The older woman is stern and judgemental. Some of that eases when they are embroiled in a murder at the cafe. Who killed the new barista? A classic whodunnit.
Paige has a lot to contend with in her new job in Margaret’s cafe. The older woman is stern and judgemental. Some of that eases when they are embroiled in a murder at the cafe. Who killed the new barista? A classic whodunnit.
April 23, 2022
Oh my goodness I absolutely loved this one. It had such an entertaining story. Looking forward to the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
April 24, 2022
Different
Love this author. This is the first book in anew series. This one is a little different than others she has written. I look forward to seeing these characters develop.
Love this author. This is the first book in anew series. This one is a little different than others she has written. I look forward to seeing these characters develop.
April 25, 2022
I liked the story but I just never connected with any of the characters
July 3, 2022
Intriguing cozy
Lots of interesting characters, a solid mystery to solve, topped with a good ending . A Brew Most Bitter his a quick, well written cozy.
Lots of interesting characters, a solid mystery to solve, topped with a good ending . A Brew Most Bitter his a quick, well written cozy.
August 18, 2022
Not my favorite.....
September 11, 2022
I fund the book boring.
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