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Synopsis:
If you’re a fan of the Cozy Mystery genre and you love dogs, you’ll absolutely adore Cappuccinos, Cupcakes and a Corpse by Harper Lin. This is the first book in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery series. The main character, Francesca Amaro, moves back to her hometown of Cape Bay after she inherited the family cafe. During this challenging time in her life of grieving her mother’s passing while establishing herself as the owner of the business, she stumbled upon her neighbor’s dead body. Together with her neighbor’s son, Mateo, and a stray dog, Francesca helps to uncover the killer.
The book is a typical cozy mystery where there is just enough angst to keep the story move along, but you won’t feel too overwhelmed by anything overly sad or gory. There is light romance in the book but typical for most cozies, nothing that would make anyone blush. In fact, the book itself is quick, sweet, light and fun. Lin is a fantastic writer, who can draw the reader in, and introduce a whole new world of characters in the touristy beach town of Cape Bay, while not losing the reader with overwrought details.
Why we are recommending this for dog lovers:
It’s evident from the writing that the author and main character, love dogs. Though it wasn’t written as such, it is clear that it was “love at first sight” between Francesca and a stray dog named Latte. And if you’re wondering why Francesca is referring to this dog as Latte, the author makes it very clear – the different hues in the dog’s fur resembles the perfect Latte!
This book contains coffee, a dog, light romance, a beautiful beach town, friendly neighbors and a fun “whodunit.” What more could a reader ask for?
This book is not hard-boiled. It is also not a frenzied page-turner that will keep you up to all hours of the night. I love those kinds of books as well just understand this book for what it is – it is a cozy. I read this book in between a fast-paced thriller and a tough memoir thinking it would be a “palette cleanser.” It certainly was that, but I discovered something more – a great new book series. I quickly read the next two books and am now on book number four. Cape Bay is a great place to visit and the main character, Francesca, feels like a very wonderful friend.
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