More by Cleo Coyle: On What Grounds Through the Grinder Latte Trouble Murder Most Frothy

Clare's learned a thing or three about recognizing a lie or a stretched truth -- and Matt and Ric aren't telling her everything. Det. Quinn is no slouch in picking up clues and Tucker already mentioned the mugging in the alley; so Quinn gives Clare a bit of advice to keep her out of trouble. However, Clare can't just ignore it as more and more it begins looking like Matt may have pulled them into something that could backfire on them all. Once the bodies start to pile up, even Matt has to agree something is wrong and maybe, just maybe, Clare might have a point.

The characters are becoming more finely drawn as the series continues and as backstory and emotional history are layered in with the plot. Ric and Matt were friends when Matt and Clare were married so a few flashback memories add to the texture of the story.

Previously, coffee has been only a side issue to the crime and investigation, in Decaffeinated Corpse it's all about the coffee: who buys it, who controls it, who develops it, and how soon it can come to market. Coyle manages to fill the reader in on the history and tangled commercial business of the coffee world, or at least enough to allow the reader to understand what is involved and how it could be seen as a deadly serious enterprise.

The series keeps getting better and better and you should try the recipe for Clare's Cappuccino Muffins -- perfect with a nice cup of coffee and a good book, preferable Decaffeinated Corpse.