Book 120, 2025

[chez_jae]

Mocha, She Wrote by Ellie Alexander

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I finished my “spare” book last night. It was Mocha, She Wrote by Ellie Alexander, and it’s the 13th installment in the “Bakeshop” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Juliet “Jules” Capshaw, owner of the bakeshop Torte.

Jules and her entire crew at Torte are excited when their head barista, Andy, is chosen to compete in the vaunted West Coast Barista Cup. Andy is anxious and nervous, which is when Jules learns just how competitive and cutthroat this competition can get. Nevertheless, she has confidence in her barista. When the competition gets underway, one judge in particular gets Jules’ hackles up. It seems Benson Vargas is more interested in belittling the competitors than in judging their creations. When he has the nerve to spit out Andy’s signature latte and is later found dead, Andy becomes a person of interest in the case. Jules immediately sets her sights on clearing her barista’s name. With the help of her flamboyant friend, Lance, she soon learns that other people connected to the competition had motive for murder. The only problem will be proving it.

This is an enjoyable series. Characters are real and relatable, making you want to know them in real life. Jules does not spend the entire time investigating. She goes to work and socializes, along with attending the competition to cheer Andy on. Plot was steady and sensible.

Favorite lines:
♦ “You want us to rough someone up? I can put my pastry posse together.”
♦ “There’s work to be done and an angry mob to incite.”
♦ “I smell coffee. I see coffee. I need coffee.”
♦ “My waistband is beginning to feel like a tourniquet.”

Very good story, four stars