HONEY ROASTED

Coyle’s latest Coffeehouse mystery is a honey of a tale.

Village Blend manager and master coffee roaster Clare Cosi is laser-focused on her wedding to NYPD detective Mike Quinn and the fabulous honey-processed arabica beans imported by her former husband, Matt Allegro. Little does she know that honeybees are about to put her in a sticky situation. Although she’s actively planning her honeymoon, her relationship with Quinn has been on rocky ground lately, as he seems obsessed with work. When a swarm of bees invades the shop, Clare calls on the little-known NYPD beekeeping unit to round up the buzzing rascals. Realizing that the bees smell of lavender, she’s certain they belong to Bea Hastings, an old friend of Matt’s mother’s and a supplier of gourmet honey for the shop. Bea is a wealthy woman who’s built a vast greenhouse on the roof of her apartment building, where she grows lavender for the bees. Upon their arrival at the greenhouse, Clare and Matt find damaged hives, bees dead from the cold, and Bea lying on her terrace after falling from the roof. Rappelling down, Mike confirms that Bea is comatose but alive. The police assume that her fall was an accident or a suicide attempt. But Clare, certain that queen Bea would never kill herself, gets entangled with a hive of her past and present enemies. She discovers the boyfriend of Bea’s missing niece, a dicey food-growing startup, and a connection to drug dealers who’ve been dumping bodies in an obscure Brooklyn neighborhood. Will Clare be stung by her attempts to solve the mystery?

A primer on bees, coffee, and some of New York’s most unusual and exciting areas make for a fascinating and mysterious read.