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    Live and Let Grind
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    Live and Let Grind
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    Live and Let Grind
    Ebook327 pages4 hours

    Live and Let Grind

    By Tara Lush

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this ebook

    Devil’s Beach is percolating with a hot murder case, and reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis could be the next to get beaned in Tara Lush’s third Coffee Lover’s mystery, perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Lucy Burdette.

    Laid-off journalist Lana Lewis is thriving as the proprietor of Perkatory, a coffee shop on quirky Devil’s Beach island, Florida. She’s juggling a relationship with police chief Noah Garcia, enjoying the company of her best friend, Erica, and relishing the companionship of her golden Shih Tzu, Stanley. Only problem is her neighbor, Gus, who incessantly uses his leaf blower, disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. Lana has learned to tune it out, but Erica’s rage boils over and she confronts Gus.
     
    Then Gus is found dead, killed when his leaf blower explodes. Erica immediately becomes suspect number one. But there are plenty of other candidates as well: Gus’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Honey Bailey, who thinks she’ll be written out of his will; Mickey Dotson and Doug Beck, who were scalded financially after purchasing a pirate-themed tourist cruise business from Gus; and plenty of angry neighbors who’ve had run-ins with him.
     
    As the clock ticks down will Lana get someone to spill the beans on the killer so she can clear her friend’s name, or will Erica go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit?
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCROOKED LANE BOOKS
    Release dateOct 11, 2022
    ISBN9781639101139
    Author

    Tara Lush

    Tara Lush is a Rita Award finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and a George C. Polk Award winning journalist. For the past decade, she's been a reporter with the Associated Press, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations. A fan of vintage pulp-fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, and 1980s fashion, she lives with her husband and two dogs on the Gulf coast.

    Read more from Tara Lush

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    Reviews for Live and Let Grind

    4/5

    15 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Loved this third installment in the Coffee Lovers series. Coffee and cozies make a great combination.

      This is a fun series featuring Lana Lewis, a reporter turned coffee shop owner in Florida. Great plot and great secondary characters, too.

      I'm eager to read more from this author.

      (I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
    • 4/5
      This is a well constructed whodunit murder mystery story. Thirty-something former reporter turned barista Lana Lewis and her best friend Erica Penmark investigate the sudden death of their curmudgeonly neighbour, Gus Bailey. Gus was killed when his leaf blower exploded. When Erica becomes one of several suspects in the police investigation of his murder, the pair begin sleuthing to find the real killer and thus clear Erica. There's no shortage of other potential suspects: the victim's ex-wife, his new girlfriend, shady business partners, and even his lesbian neighbours who host a true crime podcast. The story comes to a thrilling climax with Lana chasing a tourist pirate ship on a Jet Ski in order to save Erica who has been kidnapped by the killer.
      This is the third in a series of cozy mysteries set in a small Florida beach town on the Bay of Mexico. It can be read as a standalone and there's sufficient backstory for those who have not read the rest of the series.
      It's a cozy: no explicit violence, no bad language and no graphic sex. There's a dead-end story line from Lana's childhood about her then best friend who disappeared. It's not resolved in this episode, perhaps that's left for a future novel in the series.
      It 's got good dialogue, with some comical corny cliches, for example: "what's shaking', bacon?"; "Holy Pup-Peroni", and other similar ones.
      There's a solid set of characters: Lana, Erica, Lana's father Peter (an aging hippy), and her dog Stanley. The Town's police chief is Lana's boyfriend and romantic interest. Their relationship provides some tension with the amateur sleuthing. Lana is spunky - as a former reporter - she is a definite self-starter in the investigation.
      Overall, while it follows the traditional cozy formula, it's got a sense of excitement and adventure that makes for an entertaining read.
      I received a complementary advance reading copy of the book from the publisher Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for my unsolicited review.
    • 5/5
      former-journalist, island-life, Florida, law-enforcement, family, family-dynamics, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, barista, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor, relationships, pets, roller-skating, secrets*****

      Lana is a former crime writer in Miami and returned to her hometown after she divorced the scum as the owner/operator of the coffee shop. The romantic interest is the local police chief. She didn't find the body this time nor is she at the top of the suspect list, but her bestie is. The dead guy is the obnoxious neighbor, and both bestie and Lana's dad had a row with him before his leaf blower exploded. Lots of interesting characters, plot twists, red herrings, and laughs. Loved it!
      I requested and received a free e-book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!