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The Maggy Thorsen series...
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See what they're saying about BEAN THERE, DONE THAT...
Bean There, Done That
A Maggy Thorsen Mystery
October 2008
Severn House
ISBN 978-07278-6653-0
Here’s a tip: if your ex-husband’s mistress-cum-missus asks for your help in proving that he cheated on her while he was married to you, just say no. And, whatever you do, don’t invite her in for a cup of coffee...
"Wine?" coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen offers, moving aside reluctantly to let the home-breaking Rachel into her living room and her life. When the new Mrs. Thorsen disappears that same evening, Maggy finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation involving Rachel’s hotelier family -– Milwaukee’s answer to the Hiltons.
Torn between her desire to see her former husband fry and her need to protect their son’s college fund, Maggy decides to search out the truth, both about Rachel and the other other woman.
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 Grounds For Murder
A Maggy Thorsen Mystery
UK: September 2007
US: December 2007
Severn House
Hardcover: 978 0278 65496
Trade Paper: 978-1-84751-027-3
At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry,
egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries,
product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when
coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the
conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential
suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and --
hopefully - put some froth into her love life...
What they're saying about GROUNDS FOR MURDER...
***Booklist -- Starred Review:
Feisty, sassy female lead? Check. Hunky, handsome love interest? Check. Sparkling, witty dialogue? Check. Amateur sleuth outdoes the pros? Check. Balzo’s latest Maggy Thorsen mystery has all the right ingredients to fit the female-sleuth formula, as refined from Marcia Muller forward. Wisconsin PR consultant–turned-coffeeshop-owner Maggy unwillingly agrees to organize the finals for the Barista of the Year contest at the local Java Ho coffee convention. She has arranged everything down to the milk for the lattes, prepped the judges, tested the microphones . . . what could go wrong? Everything, apparently, after Maggy discovers the bludgeoned body of Marvin LaRoche, owner of a rival chain of local coffee shops, lying underneath the trophy table. No one liked LaRoche, so there are plenty of suspects, and Maggy’s love interest, Sheriff Jake Pavlik, is determined to figure out which of the coffee magnate’s enemies killed him. But instead, it’s Maggy who unearths the evidence, uncovers the motive, and nabs the killer.
Maggy is charming and extremely funny, and Balzo’s keep-’em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight. Give this to fans of female sleuths as various as Muller’s Sharon McCone and Maron’s Deborah Knott.
— Emily Melton
Kirkus Reviews:
Can too much caffeine lead to murder?
Though she still has bitter thoughts about her dentist husband dumping her for his 20-something hygienist, attractive divorcée Maggy Thorsen has channeled her energies into making her coffeehouse a success after the untimely murder of her partner (Uncommon Grounds, 2004). Now she faces serious competition from Marvin LaRoche, owner of HotWired, a big chain of coffee shops, one of which has recently muscled into her territory. While Maggy’s up to her eyeballs working on the creative contest she’s running for baristas at Java Ho, Milwaukee’s competitive coffee trade show, her partner Caron asks her to steal Amy, the talented barista who manages the shop run by Marvin’s wife, Janalee. Despite her budding relationship with Sheriff Jake Pavlik, Maggy feels like a suspect after someone burns down Janalee’s Place, and even more vulnerable when she discovers Marvin’s body under a table at her mega-caffeinated contest, bashed to death with the first-prize trophy. Marvin’s opening speech alienated a lot of people, and his tough business practices earned him plenty of enemies. It’s up to Maggy and Jake to figure out who did the deed.
Bright and breezy Maggy makes a charmingly down-to-earth sleuth. A bit of romance and coffee lore provide the froth on top.
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