A Brew Most Bitter

Trouble is brewing. Paige Palmer spent her entire adult life studying to earn her doctorate in philosophy, only to be passed over for the job of her dreams. Escaping academia, the wounded young woman wants to leave her painful past behind and experience the real world. She takes a job as barista at a quirky and cozy shop, The Roastery on 33rd, feeling somehow drawn to the charming spot in the quaint New Hampshire town. The wooden interior walls, worn with age and saturated with the dark, rich aroma of cappuccinos past, beckon to unsuspecting pedestrians, enticing them to enter and indulge in a sip of decadence in the form of a strong brew. But there are secrets in the Roastery that have been percolating for decades. When a body is discovered in a secret room in the building, Paige’s impatient and tough-as-nails boss becomes increasingly convinced that an in-house investigation will be necessary to catch the culprit. The team of would-be sleuths—Paige, and the Roastery’s eccentric owner, Margaret Hayward, along with a “starving artist” who could use a bit of distraction as he attempts to grind out the opening lines of his debut novel—team up to do some investigating without quite realizing what they’re getting themselves into. They need to hurry. As clear as the rising hum of an espresso machine at work, the clock ticks away precious seconds as a ruthless killer lurks in the shadows, ready to strike again.