So, I opened my email and Cleo Coyle was asking: did I want an ARC. And ARC in this case is neither an acronym for a financial corporation, American River College nor an advocacy organization for folks with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Nor it it a portion of a circle or a anagram for car. In this case, ARC means author's review copy (I think) and it means a funny orange colored book labeled "uncorrected proofs for limited distribution" on the cover and, in this case, signed by the author. Yep, a signed ARC at that. From Cleo Coyle! Her ninth in her coffeehouse mystery series.
As you may recall, Coyle is the (pseudonymous) author of the coffee house mystery series, featuring a place called the Village Blend, its owner (aka Madame and no, the coffee house is not a cover for. . . . ), and its amateur sleuth barista/manager. Set in Greenwich Village, the coffee shop is one fo the series characters (as it were), and allows for some fun fun fun. This book, though, has its roots in something serious: the impact of September 11 on fire fighters. As we all know, many fire fighters lost their lives seeking to save those of others. While a particularly horrific date in history, fire fighters have lost their lives in related work before -- and since. And, this novel takes up their work, looking at the risks they take in the day to day accomplishment of their work. Though, as Coyle writely (rightly) notes, this is light fiction and she takes significant liberties with facts, one does get the sense of the passion such men and women bring to their jobs.
Along the way, there is a fun mystery. There are great characters, good use of an excuse to educate the reader on espresso making, several intriguing recipes (by the way, there is mention of Puerto Rican Pernil; click here and scroll down for more on that!), and a few goofy moments. There is a bit on the tension between fire fighters and cops, some good background on the sleuth's main squeeze Mike Quinn. In fact, I have only one quibble with Coyle: in her acknowledgments she gives a shout out to two coffee wonders. One is Joe the Art of Coffee of New York City (and thanks to Coyle for introducing me to this site!) and the second an upstate New York wonder; Gimme! Coffee! Yes, she does! Hurrah. The quibble -- wish it had been this site that introduced her to Gimme! (Available in Geneva at, for example, normal bread! and listed on this site for a long long time!)
So: when it comes to your friendly neighborhood bookstore get a cuppa and sit right down. Have fun. And, maybe even send a few bits of money to your local volunteer firefighters. Or, as Coyle recommends, try the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund.
And, if you're still looking for places to click, remember this site, listed also on the sidebar, where you can find Cleo (aka Alice) for between mystery cooking ideas and find new foodie mystery authors as well!
