by Sandra Murphy
Sandra shares about some fun mystery short stories & a fun dog related mystery book series, while offering some great coffee suggestions to go with them from Classical Coffee Company. At the end of this article is a chance to win some of that coffee to warm you up on these cold winter nights!
A Mobster’s Recipe for Cupcakes by Beth Mathison
Jeremy, Charlie and Harry are mobsters, just not very good ones. And Jeremy is trying to leave the family business. When you are trying to be a former mobster and don’t have a lot of socially acceptable skills, what kind of business do you go into? Well, you open a cupcake shop, of course.
Retiring isn’t as easy as it sounds.
I’d recommend Sweetheart Blend coffee to go with this short story. The white chocolate and hazelnut flavors will complement the sweetness of the cupcakes, virtual or in hand.
This short story is second in a series; first was A Mobster’s Guide to Cranberry Sauce.
Now, on to March, St. Paddy’s Day and A Mobster’s Toast to St. Patrick’s Day.
Jeremy is back and the cupcake shop is in trouble. So is Jeremy. His girlfriend Carla is threatening to say goodbye, Harry and Charlie have gotten themselves into another fine mess and Jeremy can’t even drown his sorrows in green beer without more problems arriving. You’ll find these characters addicting—better plan on buying all Mathison’s stories.
For a St. Paddy’s coffee, go with an Irish Crème coffee. You won’t have a green beer hangover.
Wind up your read with A Mobster’s Menu for Mother’s Day Brunch.
The mothers take a day off and leave the kids with Aunt Shirley who does her best to keep the olive throwing to a minimum and the mimosas flowing for those unlucky enough to chaperone the brunch. Will this cement Jeremy and Carla’s romance or send them running for the hills?
For a stressful day like Mother’s Day, you’ll need Simply Sinful coffee. The caramelized deep, dark chocolate flavor, combined with a full-bodied vanilla hazelnut will calm your nerves and make you forget all your problems so you can focus on Jeremy’s instead.
The Bavarian Krisp Caper by Kaye George
What lengths would you go to just to have your favorite treat? You deserve it, you know you do. When you only have one donut and six squawking Mallard ducks get to it before you do, it’s enough to push anybody over the edge.
Have some Love Potion coffee. The sweet taste of chocolate and raspberries will calm your craving until you can get to the nearest donut shop.
These short stories are available at www.untreedreads.com. During the month of January, also look for sales prices on short stories by Missouri writers—including these of mine: Superstition, Sweet Tea and Deviled Eggs. The stories are also available for Kindle in Amazon’s Fingerprints short story series.
And now for the dog mysteries—full books, not just short stories this time. Spencer Quinn is the author and he understands Dog—Dog, the language I mean. The books are about Chet and Bernie, dog and private investigator, respectively. There’s a lot Chet doesn’t understand—what is cash flow and why do we need it? Child custody and divorce? More puzzlers. But Chet knows “the perp.”That’s the guy Chet gets to grab by the pants leg and hold onto until the police arrive. When Chet catches the perp, the case is solved, money comes in and Bernie’s happy. And if Bernie’s happy, so is Chet.
The books are told from Chet’s point of view. He’s definitely ADD and loses track of conversations, remembers what’s important but not why and has total devotion to Bernie. Chet’s happy-go-lucky attitude and slightly noir voice make the book—the rest of the characters, mystery and plot are just gifts to the reader.
Be sure to watch for Chet’s explanation of why he flunked out of police dog school—something to do with a cat, but that’s a story for another time, he’ll tell you.
Books include Dog On It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, To Fetch a Thief and The Dog Who Knew Too Much. Look for book five in the fall of 2012. Learn more about these books on the authors website.
Since Bernie and Chet are such down-to-earth guys, Joe’s Blend would be the coffee to have when reading this series. A blend of Central American, South American, and East African coffees, this medium roast coffee is our most popular blend. With more body and taste than the House blend, it is slightly spicy, with an excellent aroma and a very pleasant lingering aftertaste.
And since Chet was a rescue himself, he’d appreciate it if your next dog or cat came from a rescue or shelter. Too many of his kind need a Bernie of their own.
To enter to win an 8 oz bag of coffee from Classical Coffee Company, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife.com with the subject line “coffee giveaway”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 28, 2012. U.S. residents only.
To purchase some of this great coffee, check out Classical Coffee Company online where you can find even more of Sandra’s recipes as well coffee store!
I enjoyed reading the post. The title is very creative. Thanks for the giveaway.
We have a winner thanks!
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher
Look for another pairings article, coming soon. This time we’ll see if cats want to play along. They’ve been neglected with dogs getting all this attention.
Glad you liked the article.