Book ~ "Coffee, Cream Pies, and Crimes" (2023) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ Fran's dream of winning the top prize of ten thousand dollars as a contestant on a new TV baking show is quickly shattered when one of the famous judges, Jeremy Johnson, is brutally stabbed in the middle of filming.

As Fran investigates, she uncovers a web of deceit, jealousy and betrayal among the contestants and judges. With tensions high and suspicions swirling, Fran realizes that the murderer could be someone she knows all too well. Can she find the culprit before they strike again? Or will she become the next victim in this deadly game of cooking and killing in Boston?

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away a year ago.

Fran is a big fan of baking and cooking competition TV shows. She is surprised when Matt, her boyfriend, enters her into one and she is accepted as one of five contestants. The filming is in Boston and Fran invites Matt along. The hours are long and Matt fills his time hanging out with a friend. There are two judges and the nastier one is found stabbed in his dressing room, which shuts down production maybe for good, as the police investigate.

This is the eleventh in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read them all) ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on). It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice. Matt was a jerk ... Fran didn't have a lot of free time and when she did, he already had made plans with his friend and she wasn't invited along. Considering it was Fran who found the body, you'd think he would be more concerned about her safety and want to spend time with her. The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly. It was a quick light read. There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Punch, Pastries, and Poison" (2021) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ Fran throws Matt a birthday party at the cafe and invites all of Cape Bay to attend. Halfway into the party, many of the guests become sick, and some end up in the ER. Fran fears the cause was food poisoning but Detective Mike Stanton informs her that it was actual poison - someone at the party intentionally poisoned the pastries or punch. 

Did the perp mean to target one person or to hurt as many people as possible? Did they want to shut down the cafe and destroy her business? Was it someone she knew or a sick stranger? 

Whoever it was, Fran had likely met the culprit at her party. And that makes her shudder. When another partygoer ends up dead days later, Fran is on high alert. She must find the murderer before anyone else gets hurt.

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away almost a year ago.

Fran plans a joint birthday party for Matt, her boyfriend, and her birthdays and has it at her café. Everyone in their small town is invited and Fran and her staff do all the preparation of the food and punch. During the party, though, everyone gets sick and food poisoning is suspected. When the police investigate, though, it's discovered that someone intentionally poisoned what Fran has prepared and she wonders why?

This is the tenth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read them all) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on). This book is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice. The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Macchiatos, Macarons, and Malice" (2019) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ When Matt whisks Fran away on a romantic spa weekend at the Alford Inn, she’s excited to try French macarons from Jacques de Gaulle, the inn’s famous in-house baker. 

But when an off-duty employee is murdered in the spa - during a mud wrap treatment no less - Fran must use the time she could’ve been relaxing to solve another murder case. A friend’s crumbling marriage depends on it!

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away almost a year ago.

Fran is busy getting ready for the upcoming summer season at the café and not spending a lot of time with her boyfriend, Matt.  He wants to spend some time away with her so books them into a fancy hotel, complete with spa treatments, for a couple days.  Within hours of arriving, they are doing a tour of the spa when a masseuse is found murdered.

Coincidentally also at the hotel is Mike, their friend who a police officer in their home town.  He is there trying reconcile with his wife, Sandra.  Mike is afraid that Sandra will no longer want to try to work things out now because of the murder.  So Mike tells Fran to solve the murder within the day so Sandra will feel more comfortable in getting their couple's massage the next day and will continue to work things out with him.  And Fran doesn't think twice about it.  Huh??!!  Matt, after having to bug Fran to go away with him for a couple days, is okay with Fran investigating.  He rarely sees her over the next couple of days and when they are together, she is preoccupied with solving the murder.  And he doesn't seem pissed about this at all.

This is the ninth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read them all) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  This book is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly, as always, and this one was non-believable.  It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  I don't expect much from this series but this was the most ridiculous one.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Double Shots, Donuts, and Dead Dudes" (2018) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ In the middle of Fran’s date night with Matt at Cape Bay’s best Mexican restaurant, Fran’s favorite waiter drops dead. Everyone else thinks Pablo had a stroke but Fran believes he was murdered because he had been getting strange, threatening notes in his apron at work. 

As Fran digs deeper into another murder case she shouldn’t be involved in, she learns her beloved waiter had some secrets stewing in his personal life.

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away about nine months ago.

Fran and and her boyfriend, Matt, are having a date night at a Mexican restaurant.  Their favourite waiter, Pablo, is his usual friendly self until the lottery numbers are announced on TV.  When he doesn't win, his manner changes immediately ... he is distracted and has a stroke.  Patrons try to save him but he sadly passes away in the restaurant.

The medical reports confirm that Pablo passed away from a stroke but Fran immediately assumes he has been murdered.  Huh?  And so she proceeds to investigate to find his murderer and discovers that Pablo was mixed up in something and desperate for money.

This is the eighth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read them all) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  This book is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly, as always, but it was an interesting twist.  It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Espressos, Eggnogs, and Evil Exes" (2018) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ On New Year’s Day, Fran takes her dog Latte on a walk. Luck of all luck, she finds a dead blonde on the sidewalk - right outside Ryan’s house. Sammy, Fran’s best friend, has been staying with Ryan and she becomes the police’s number one suspect. 

The victim was Ryan’s ex-girlfriend, an out-of-towner who has been secretly terrorizing and stalking Sammy. Sammy’s DNA has been found on her body, so the police think she has motive for killing the ex. Everyone in town knows Sammy wouldn't hurt a fly but Detective Mike Stanton has been thrown off the case, and a tough detective from Boston takes over who is convinced Sammy is the killer. 

 Fran can’t just sit back and watch her best friend - and the café’s best latte maker - go to jail. 

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away about six months ago.

This is the seventh in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read them all) by this author.  In the last one, there was a side story with Sammy, Fran's friend and employee, being harassed by Cheryl, her boyfriend, Ryan's ex-girlfriend, who he broke up with 10 years ago.  Not a big surprise that she was found murdered on New Year's Day ... on Ryan's front yard ... by Fran.

The town's police chief, Mike, is removed from the case and a detective from Boston is brought in to take over.  It wasn't a big surprise that Sammy was the only suspect.  The evidence is slim and circumstantial yet the police don't look elsewhere.  Mike and Ryan, who is also a police officer, aren't involved in the investigation anymore so sneak Fran clues so she can solve the murder because Sammy is arrested, which she does.

This book is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly, as always.  It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  Fran and Matt, her boyfriend, are finally having sleepovers.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Cremas, Christmas Cookies, and Crooks" (2017) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ It’s almost Christmastime in Cape Bay and another murder has everyone in town talking. A despised new drama teacher at the local high school is killed in the school’s parking lot. The police arrest a beloved teacher, Mrs. Crowsdale, but everyone else thinks she is too nice to murder anyone. Mike, however, says they have solid evidence that proves she did it.

Sammy is particularly devastated. Mrs. Crowsdale was her favorite teacher and still her hero. Sammy begs Fran to find the real culprit. Fran isn’t so sure. Mike would be angry with her for butting in on another case. And what if more danger befalls her? After all, there are some pretty dangerous people in town.

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away in the summer.

Veronica is a new teacher in town who was hated by all.  When she is murdered, no one is grieving.  Ann, a well-loved teacher, is arrested but no one can believe she did it because she is so nice.  Sammy, Fran's employee and friend, asks Fran to look into it.  Mike, the police chief, tells Fran to back off because they have video evidence that Ann did it ... but, of course, Fran doesn't which causes friction between the two.  A side story has Sammy being harassed by her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, who he broke up with 10 years ago.  Seriously?

This is the sixth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read the first five) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together quickly, as always.  It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  Fran and Matt, her boyfriend, are finally having sleepovers, though.  One thing I wasn't buying was Brett, a teenager, contacts Fran with info about the murder and she agrees to meet him in a park at night ... even after Mike had told her that his mother was threatening to press charges against her AND she's meeting a minor alone at night.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Americanos, Apple Pies, and Art Thieves" (2017) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ It’s almost Thanksgiving and Fran is baking her family’s famous apple pies for the café. While pie fever spreads through Cape Bay, a world-famous artist holds a special art show in the town’s modest museum in honor of his late mother, who grew up there.

Louis Cliffton’s paintings are encrusted with valuable gems and gold. At the opening night, the centerpiece of the show is stolen. When Fran investigates the case, she receives threats, and someone follows her home and vandalizes her café. 

What kind of thief would do this? A crazy outsider - or someone from her very own town?

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away a couple months ago.

Famous artist Louis Cliffton is having an art show in the town because that's where his mother was from.  In fact, she had worked at Fran's café years ago when her grandparents had owned it.  The first night of the show the splendid painting of his mother was stolen.  Fran was so taken with the painting (it brought back feelings of missing her mother) that she's determined to find out who stole it.

This is the fifth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read the first four) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together really quickly and I was okay with this one.  It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  I find the writing of Fran and Matty's relationship unbelievable.  They are both in their mid thirties yet at one point she "soaked up enough of his love" that she felt she could get through the new few minutes without burying her face in his chest again.  I kid you not!

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Lattes, Ladyfingers, and Lies" (2016) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ Fran is anticipating her trip to Italy with Matty… until a precious diamond ring is stolen from the town’s jewelry store and an employee is murdered. Fran suspects the storeowner of insurance fraud, but what if she’s wrong? Would her life be at stake again if she butts in on another police investigation?

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away a couple months ago.

A jewelry store across the street from Fran's café was robbed one night and Georgina, an employee, was killed during the break-in.  The robber/killer only stole one thing ... a $50,000 ring.  Fran is curious so goes over to talk with Dean, the owner.  Because she has a reputation of solving murders, he asks her to investigate and, though she is heading to Italy next week on vacation with her boyfriend, Matt, of course, she does.  There are many who could have robbed the store and killed Georgina.

This is the fourth in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read the first three) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together really quickly (as always).  Fran solves the mystery on day three, ahead of the police (as always), which is unbelievable considering she is just a café owner.

I keep reading them because they are a quick light read.  It is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  Fran has been dating Matt for a couple months and in this book, there is finally some kissing.  I'm assuming there is more going on considering they are heading to Italy for two weeks.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Margaritas, Marzipan, and Murder" (2015) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ Summer tourist season is winding down, but the Cape Bay police find a dead body in the alley beside Mary Ellen’s Souvenirs and Gifts. Police rule it a suicide but Francesca Amaro knows it’s murder. Who would buy a bag of souvenirs, including a box of delicious marzipan, only to commit suicide moments later? 

Even though the police tell her to stay out of the case, Fran is too curious not to investigate, even though she’s running a busy and popular café.

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away a couple months ago.

Fran is out with her friend and employee, Sammy, and Sammy's friend, Dawn, celebrating that Sammy has finally broken up with her boyfriend after ten years of going nowhere.  Dawn hears that a body has been found next to a souvenir shop and rather than continuing to celebrate, she wants to go check it out ... so off they go.  Mike the police detective tells Fran that it's a suicide but she wonders why would somebody buy candy and souvenirs and then kill themselves outside the store?  So she starts asking questions to find out what really happened.

This is the third in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I've read the first two) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the others to know what's going on).  It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together really quickly but it worked for me.  Fran has been taking kickboxing classes at her local gym for less than two months and is able to use the moves from the classes to defend herself when she is attacked by the killer and subdue them.  Really?  I've taken boxing and kickboxing classes for years and don't think I would have the ability or confidence to not only beat someone up but keep them down on the ground by putting my foot on their throat.

It's a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  Fran has been dating her high school friend, Matt, for a couple months and in this book, there are finally some "light kisses", which given their ages is unrealistic.

Sammy's friend, Dawn, is nasty and way too sarcastic (and not in a funny way).  I don't know why such a nice person like Sammy would put up with her.  I found her annoying and hope she doesn't pop up in future books.

I find it unbelievable that café owner Fran would be so proactive in investigating the murder of a stranger and be able to gather more information than the police, who she acknowledges are competent.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys" (2015) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ When Francesca’s old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don’t believe Todd’s story, and neither does Matty. 

During the busy summer tourist season at Cape Bay, Francesca sets out to prove Todd’s innocence. Matty, however, investigates to prove Todd is guilty. Why does Matty detest Todd so much? But what if he’s right—what if Todd is a murderer?

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and worked in New York for many years in PR.  She moved back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts when her mother passed away a couple months ago.

A man named Joey is found murdered outside Todd's Gym.  The police investigate and it seems like they are focusing on Todd, the owner of the gym, since that's where the body was found and Joey worked out at the gym.  Pretty slim reason to suspect Todd, I thought.  Fran had a crush on jock Todd when they were in high school more than 15 years ago and they haven't seen each other since then.  All of a sudden he has a crush on her now that she's back in town and is putting the moves on her.  She automatically thinks he's innocent and sets out to find out who killed Joey.

This is the second in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series (I read the first a couple weeks ago) by this author ... it works as a stand alone (you don't have to read the first one to know what's going on).  It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together really quickly.  It's a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.  Fran has been dating her high school friend, Matt, for a couple months and though there have been a couple hugs, I don't think they have actually kissed yet, which given their ages is unrealistic.

I found it unbelievable that café owner Fran would be proactive in investigating the murder of a stranger even though the police, who she acknowledges are competent, are on it.  She's adamant that Todd didn't do it, which I found hard to believe considering she hasn't seen the guy since high school and he barely knew she existed in high school.

There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse" (2015) Harper Lin

From Goodreads ~ Francesca Amaro moves back to her hometown of Cape Bay, Massachusetts, and takes over the family business, Antonia’s Italian Café. She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect.

The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town.

Francesca is in her mid-thirties and working in New York for many years when her mother recently passes away.  So she moves back home to run the family Italian café in a small town in Massachusetts.  As she is taking a shortcut home one day from work, she discovers Mr. Cardosi dead in a chair on his porch.  Mr. Cardosi is the father of Fran's childhood friend, Matt, and they assume Mr. Cardosi had had a heart attack ... until the autopsy report comes back that he was poisoned.  Mr. Cardosi was a cranky easily annoyed man but who would want to murder him?  Because she found Mr. Cardosi, Fran feels the need to investigate and see if she can find out what happened and Matt encourages her to.

This is the first in the Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Series and the first I've read by this author. It is written in first person perspective in Fran's voice.  The "whodunnit" and ending came together really quickly.  It's a quick light read and I look forward to reading the rest in the series.  It's a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.