Like so many cozy mysteries, this book was chock-full of hilariously cute puns and adorable characters, and I can’t wait to spend more time with them.

About the Book

Perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Lucy Burdette, reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis is back on the case when a body is found in the community garden.

Lana Lewis is brewing up new concoctions at Perkatory, a popular café in Devil’s Beach, when she decides she wants to try her hand at growing her own coffee. She secures a gardening plot in the community garden, thanks to her father and the garden’s owner, Darla. Darla’s list of rules is long, but that doesn’t stop someone from leaving Jack Daggett’s body amongst the gardening plots.

Jack, an environmental activist, had been banned from the garden previously, because of his many fights with Darla about organic produce. Lana promises her boyfriend, police chief Noah, that she’s going to stay out of this case, having been too involved in previous cases. But when she learns that Jack died from an accidental overdose, and Darla is the top suspect because of her shady past, Lana can’t help but poke around in an attempt to clear Darla’s name.

As Lana dives deeper into the case, she learns that Jack had more enemies than she realized. When Darla turns up dead, Lana has to turn up the heat on her investigation. With Lana on the case, it won’t be long before someone spills the beans to crack this case wide open. But will she able to find the killer before they strike again?

My Thoughts

When I first asked for this book, I didn’t realize it was the fourth in a series. I just saw cozy and was like “yes, please.” When I noticed, I was like, well most cozies are kind of standalone. And this one didn’t suffer too much from being the fourth in a series. The biggest issue is that one of the best parts of cozies is the characters, and when a book is the fourth in a series, they are usually written believing that you know the characters already. If, like me, you’re just picking the series up, it leaves you feeling a little like you walked in on a friend group that doesn’t quite have room for you yet.

But it’s okay. Eventually, they ended up feeling like friends. And I definitely want to go back and read the ones before this one. It’s a great cozy. It features a former journalist, one of my favorite type of cozy leads, and the cop boyfriend. She has a cast of cooky friends and town people surrounding and helping her, including a loving and mostly helpful dad. We usually see moms in cozies, so it was nice to see a dad. I loved him and look forward to seeing more of him. Seeing a strong father-daughter relationship is so powerful these days, when so often we don’t see those bonds portrayed. And often growing up, when we saw a dad, he was goofy and mostly a big joke. Once I got used to them, I really enjoyed all the characters and their interactions.

I’m not a big beach fan, so the setting wasn’t my favorite. However, I love coffee shops and dogs, so that kind of balanced it out. Living in a tourist town, I can also appreciate the author’s portrayal of the sometimes annoying nature of dealing with tourists all the time. I’m writing this directly after Mardi Gras, so I’m sure you can somewhat imagine being a New Orleans local this time of year. It’s a love-hate relationship.

The mystery was full of twisted and red herrings. I kept thinking I had it figured out and was then completely surprised by the ending. It definitely surprised me more than the typical cozy mystery, which is a credit to Ms. Lush’s writing. I don’t know if that is because of her style, because it’s the first book I’ve read by her or if it’s because it was the fourth book in a series and I haven’t caught on to her nuances yet. But I always enjoy being duped.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kae Marie Denino. It took me a little time to get used to her voice, but after a few minutes, it was delightful. She really brought the story to life and helped me envision the characters and scenes. And she’s someone I’d have no trouble listening to twenty books of audio by, which is something you have to consider when you get invested in a cozy series. And whatever format I start with is what I like to stick with.

I appreciate the author, narrator, and NetGalley for my copy of this book. Also, I love the name of the coffee shop – Perkatory – sooo much! And “what the fluff!” is one of the cutest non-curse, curse-words I’ve heard yet.

Who’s It For?

If you love a cozy mystery, this is a pretty good one. If you’re tired of winter and longing for some sunshine, this is set in Florida, so the beachy setting might appeal to you. And, if you’ve never tried cozies, they’re full of sweet romance, an adorable cast of side characters, and murder that keeps the story going, but also somehow seems to be beside the point.

Content Warnings: Infidelity, Adult Situations, Murder, Betrayal

Question of the Day

Are you a fan of fancy coffee art? What’s the wildest coffee art you’ve ever seen?

About the Author

Tara Lush is a RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow and the winner of the George C. Polk award for environmental journalism.
She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush. For many years, she was a journalist with The Associated Press.

Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf coast with her husband and Shih Tzu.

Links

Amazon US: https://a.co/d/ccN7D5e
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9781639105458
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/gxNxmYd
Bookshop UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-bean-to-die-for-tara-lush/7586154?ean=9781639105458
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127461877-a-bean-to-die-for
Author Website: https://taralush.com/

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