Bulletproof Barista: 02/04/24

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle and Rebecca Gibel (Narrator) (2023) is the twentieth book in the Coffeehouse mystery series. The Village Blend is a shooting location for the second season of hit streaming show, Only Murders in Gotham. Unfortunately its plagued with bad luck and possibly sabotage. And that's before the murders start.

What sets Clare on the sleuthing warpath this time is the mishandling of a gun that could have cost Tucker his life. Tucker, actor that he is, is understandably cautious around firearms. He knows things can and do go wrong. If the hadn't been so on top of things he would have been the first body in this book.

The mystery this time is centered on how television is made, whether it's for traditional distribution or for streaming. To drive that point home, the modern day series has ties to an older show that filmed sometimes at the Village Blend when Madame was running the place.

My one complaint with the book is a recurring one; namely the scenes that are from the POV of the murderer. They don't add anything to the book and at least to me are a distraction. I don't care how the murder seems themself or refers to themself or to their victim(s). If anything, these side scenes make the murder's identity more obvious in that it will invariably be someone who on outward appearances is the exact opposite of their internal monolog.

Four stars

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