[Book Review] Death By Vanilla Latte By Alex Erickson & Gevalia Kaffe Vanilla Latte

Title: Death By Vanilla Latte
Series/Universe: Bookstore Cafe Mystery #4
Author: Alex Erickson
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publication date: May 30th 2017
Page Count: 320 pages
Age Rating: YA & Up (death, descriptions of murder, blood)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received an ARC to review
Publisher’s page: Death By Vanilla Latte

Ever since café owner Krissy Hancock settled into a relationship and—mostly—forgot about old flames, life has become surprisingly serene. Too bad her father, famed mystery writer James Hancock, had to pay an unexpected visit to Death by Coffee and brew up a batch of trouble…

While caught off-guard by her dad’s presence, Krissy never dreamed he’d become the biggest murder suspect in town. But that’s exactly what happens when James’s boorish agent—a man he allegedly fired just hours earlier—is found cold and lifeless, a still-warm vanilla latte resting by his hand…

With Pine Hills divided over her father’s innocence and a fanatical fan keen on locking the author away for safe keeping, Krissy must end the madness and identify the real criminal—even if that means meeting an ex or two along the way. But as her social life becomes increasingly chaotic, Krissy may be caught in a case that’s far too hot to handle…

My Review

Death By Vanilla Latte is the 4^th book in the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series following the adventures of Krissy Hancock, the quirky and inquisitive owner of a small town bookstore café, as she finds herself again and again tangled up in puzzling murder investigations.

In this installment of the series, Krissy’s father, famed mystery writer James Hancock, comes to town for a surprise visit/book launch, bringing along his ill-mannered literary agent Rick Wiseman and his agent’s assistant, sending all the local writers with unpublished manuscripts into a frenzy. When Wiseman is found dead and it looks like Hancock is the main suspect, Krissy becomes determined to prove her father’s innocence by finding the real killer, much to the aggravation of local law enforcement.

Death By Vanilla is the first book in this series that I’ve read, but the author does a great job of catching you up in such a way that it almost feels like a friend bringing you up to date on what’s been going down why you’ve been a way – there’s a warm familiar tone to this book that’s very inviting. Of course that could have been all the mentions of coffee and books and cuddly pets that made me feel right at home within the pages.

There is death and dead body imagery in the book, pretty much a given since this is a murder mystery, but it’s not explicit – although the way the guy was killed was bit squicky to me. While Krissy has a pretty full plate in the romance department – she’s dating a doctor, has a lingering connection with a local cop, and a stalkerish ex who just won’t take a hint – the romance in this book is extremely sweet – the most contact seen is a sweet little kiss Krissy receives on her forehead.

I ended up really liking Death By Vanilla Latte.  I enjoyed how the mystery was presented, giving you enough clues in the course of the investigation to figure out the killer on your own, but also plenty of red herrings to keep things interesting. I thought I had it figured out early on and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. I’m actually pretty excited for the next book in the series, Death By Eggnog, which looks like a cute holiday mystery and I also might look into some of the other books in the series as well.

Krissy’s father’s agent and the murder victim of Death By Vanilla Latte, Rick Wiseman, is kind of obsessed with his vanilla lattes, to the point where he travels with a fancy coffee machine to make sure his lattes are made up to his standards. To make your own fancy vanilla lattes at home, without the need for a fancy coffee machine, I recommend Gevalia Kaffee Vanilla Latte – made with a combination of espresso roast coffee K-Cup and a vanilla latte froth packet, it makes it super easy to throw together a vanilla latte on par, both taste and texture-wise, with what you’d find in a coffee shop, but in the comfort of your home and for a fraction of the price.