Coffeehouse manager and reluctant sleuth Juliet Langley returns in a gripping novel from the bestselling author of Death Before Decaf and Mug Shot. Just as things are perking up in Nashville, a serial killer sends tensions foaming over.

Juliet’s personal and professional lives have recently received an extra jolt of energy. Her romance with the hunky detective Ryder Hamilton continues to simmer, and business at Java Jive has never been better. But her good mood quickly turns as stale as day-old espresso when she finds out that Ryder has been promoted to his precinct’s homicide division. With him risking his life to catch the worst kind of criminals, Juliet’s growing sense of unease ignites when a local college student goes missing.

Suddenly every Nashville resident is on high alert, especially Juliet’s neighbor Chelsea. Juliet does her best to calm the girl’s nerves, but her worst fears are confirmed when she finds Chelsea dead. Even though she tries her best to stay out of it, Juliet’s involvement puts a strain on Ryder’s first homicide case. The situation soon becomes even more personal for Juliet and her best friend Pete Bennett when one of their employees disappears during her shift. As a killer lurks in the shadows, Juliet, Pete, and Ryder seek out a double shot of justice.

Can I just say that I kind of love this series? I don’t know if it’s the absurd predicaments Juliet finds herself in or just the humorous banter between her and Pete, but something about this series keeps bringing me back.

The Java Cafe is booming with business and her relationship with Ryder is going along pretty well. Meanwhile, Pete is still recovering from the death of his girlfriend and his moods shift from day to day. But things change when Juliet stumbles on yet another dead body, this time in her apartment building.

Ryder, a new detective on the force, begins to obsess over Juliet’s life and safety. I was never really a big fan of Ryder, but this book definitely helped me completely make up my mind about him once and for all. For the sake of not spoiling the book, I’ll keep my reflections on him to myself… for now.

I have to admit, I was really pleased to see the return of the funny banter between Pete and Juliet. This was something that seemed to be lacking in Mug Shot and it really is one of my favorite parts of the story. Though there is still sexual frustration between the two, many of their scenes just give you those laugh out loud moments and those can be a rare commodity when it comes to books. This has to be a reflection on the author’s great sense of humor, because this series has definitely had more of those moments than most books.

Overall this is a fun and entertaining cozy mystery and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Juliet can get herself into next! This is definitely a book I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and a series I hope you all will check out. Please tell me what you think when you do!

Reviewer’s note: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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