This is a classic cozy complete with an intrepid amateur who owns a fun business and chases down a bad guy in order to clear, in this case, a relative. Krissy makes a fine member of the club of women in this genre- she's well developed (I had not read the earlier books but totally got her) and smart. Liked her relationship with her dad and with Dolan. This is easy quick reading that won't stress you (the mystery isn't too twisty). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Death by Vanilla Latte: A Bookstore Cafe Mystery
Author: Alex Erickson
Publisher: Kensington


Krissy Hancock has a way of getting involved with murder. Ever since she moved to Pine Hills and opened her cafe, Death by Coffee, she has come across too many killers. Sooner or later, no matter how hard she tries, she steps right in the middle of trouble. When her father, famed mystery writer James Hancock, decides to pay a visit there is no way murder is not going to follow.

Krissy is surprised by her father's sudden visit, she'd missed him and although elated to see him she is worried that with a new book, and a book signing tour he might be endangering his health. The fact that he brought his longtime agent with him, a man Krissy has never liked or trusted worry’s her even more. But in her wildest nightmares, she never thought that her father would become the main suspect in the agent's death.

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Krissy Hancock is always sticking her nose where is doesn’t belong, she keeps stepping into murder investigations and stepping on the local police officers toes in the process. Many people in the small town are not fond of her and fear that whenever she shows up, murder is soon to follow. So when her father comes to town with his literary agent, there is bound to be trouble. The agent ends up dead, and her father may be the killer. It becomes apparent that the police are at a loss, they have no clues and no other suspects. Krissy tells herself to stay out of it, let the cops figure it out but… their suspect is her father, and she uses this fact to justify getting involved and solving the murder before the police blow the investigation and arrest her dad.

Although this is a cute, fast-paced cozy with nice characters and settings, it is more of a romance based story than an actual mystery. The main character, Krissy is supposed to be a business owner, yet she acts and is treated more as an employee. She seems to be needy when she is meant to be a strong independent woman. The other characters in this story are unremarkable and lack any depth, except Krissy’s father. James Hancock is an excellent character that deserves far more attention and should be more involved in the plot and investigation. The ending is almost predictable. However, the character revealed as the killer is not plausible in the sense that the character is barely mentioned in the book at all.

The agent is a colorful and unlikeable character which is the perfect victim that no one will actually mourn. Readers may be disappointed with the love triangle in this story as it plays a bigger part than is warranted. Overall this book has some good qualities and is well written and will appeal to those readers who are looking for something lite and easy to read.

I received an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed book 4. Books 3 and 4 have been my favorites. I can't wait until book 5 is out! I hope it tells a little more about officer Buccanon.

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A so-so cozy mystery. Nothing new here. Forgettable characters and a yawn worthy plot. The novel does follow the formula of a cozy novel, but is so much written to formula as to lack any sense of sincerity on the author's part. If you are look for a quick, easy read to simply de-stress this novel is fine for that purpose.

Oh my gosh, Krissy's dad needs to visit more often! I loved how his character was written, and he added a lot to the story. The mystery was great, with lots of suspects and a personal connection to Krissy.

Death by Vanilla Latte is the fourth installment in the Bookstore Café Mystery series featuring coffee shop/book store co-owner Kristina "Krissy" Hancock set in the small town of Pine Hills, Ohio. Things at the shop have finally settled down and the newly established Death by Coffee sees to be picking up a following especially amongst the local book lovers.

Pesky busybody and local gossip Rita Jablonski is beside herself with glee that her idol, James Hancock, famed mystery author and Krissy's father is in town for a book signing. James is accompanied by his literary agent, Rick Wiseman and the man's assistant Cameron Little. Rick has always given Krissy the creeps as he's shown an unhealthy interest in her ever since she was a little girl.

The local mystery group offers up their novels to the agent and are both astonished and angry when the rude man laughs in their faces. Not deterred, the group descends on his hotel later that evening and when he won't answer the door leave their manuscripts at his door. James witnesses one of Rick's unwanted advances on Krissy and he arrives at the hotel for a confrontation with the agent resulting in Rick's bloody nose.

It's really no surprise when the agent doesn't appear at Death by Coffee the next morning, Krissy volunteers to go look for him and finds him dead in his hotel room. Obviously first on nemesis Officer John Buchannan's suspect list are Krissy and her father. Determined to clear both their names, Krissy sets out to find the real killer.

Things about this series continue to annoy me, mostly the fact that Krissy does little work at her shop instead relying on Vicki and the two shop employees to pick up her slack. Krissy still seems to have no friends in the local community and the dreaded love triangle seems to be coming to the forefront in the series. I was happy to see Krissy's father come to town and hope that we will be seeing more of him in the future.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I always enjoy the books in this series, Bookstore Cafe Mystery. This is book 4 and the characters keep growing into friends. The small town of Pine Hills is fun to visit and Krissy and her aunt are keeping the bookstore-cafe, Death on Demand humming. Krissy's dad is visiting to do a book signing and when his agent is found dead he is suspect number 1. Great read, the mysteries are getting better and better.

Krissy Hancock, part owner of Death by Coffee, is delighted that her father, James Hancock, has decided to visit her and the bookstore to sign his latest published novel. But, when his agent is found dead, Krissy has to find the murderer before her father is hauled off to jail.
I loved this cozy mystery. I was drawn in by the unique characters then the plot kept me turning the pages. The author made sure that every character was different from the others so there would be no confusion. I thought I knew whodunit, but was totally surprised in the end. I want to read more from this author. An Advanced Reading Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

Great book, loved it, can't wait to read the next one!

This series is a hit or a miss for me. Unfortunately this latest offering is more of a miss.
Although I enjoyed the fact that we saw more of the main character's father in this story, the book just underwhelmed me.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Krissy owns the Death by Coffee shop, and her dad,who is a semi-famous mystery author, comes to visit But now there's been a real murder in town which needs solving. Predictable cozy mystery for fans of the series.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Death by Vanilla Latte is the 4th book in the Bookstore Cafe series, and it didn't matter that I hadn't read any of the other books. The characters and story were easy to get into and it was an enjoyable cozy mystery read.

Krissy Hancock owns a bookstore/cafe with her friend Vicki, and her dad James is a well-known mystery writer. He comes to town for a book signing with his agent, Rick and Rick's assistant, Cameron. Rick has known Krissy since she was a child and makes advances on her one night. When her father finds out, he fires Rick, but the next day Krissy finds Rick dead in his hotel room after he fails to show up in the morning. Krissy has to solve the murder to clear her father's name. Krissy is caught between the man she's dating, and the handsome police chief, who doesn't want her anywhere near the murder.

The story is very entertaining, and involves a lot of interesting characters. There is a group of writers who really want their manuscripts read, led by an aggressive woman named Rita, who is personally interested in Krissy's father James. I enjoyed the character's personalities. The plot was well-written and moved along swiftly.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for a cozy mystery with interesting characters and a great setting. I look forward to the next installment in the series!

Death by Vanilla Latte is the fourth book Alex Erickson’s Bookstore Cafe Mystery series. The writing flows smoothly, most of the characters are down to earth, normal, relatable people, and the book is an easy read. The book flows at a steady pace and the mystery is interesting. There are plenty of suspects and twists and turns to make it difficult to figure out who the killer is. There are lots of suspects, clues, and surprises that kept me guessing as to who did it and why until the reveal. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Krissy Hancock and her best friend, Vickie Patterson, are the owners of a combination coffee shop and bookstore, Death by Coffee, in the quaint town of Pine Hills, Ohio. Krissy’s father, James Hancock, is a successful author who is in town for a book reading and signing in her shop, along with Rick Wiseman, his literary agent, and Cameron Little, Rick’s assistant. Krissy’s a little worried she might not be able to spend much quality time with her dad because Rita Jablonski, who wants to be an author and is a huge fan of James (she even has a life-size cardboard cutout of him in her bedroom) throws herself at him every chance she gets. When Krissy’s dad learned Rick had approached her and made unsolicited advances, he confronted Rick at the B&B where he was staying, punched him in the nose, and fired him on the spot. When Rick doesn’t show up at the bookstore the next day, Krissy offers to go to the B&B to make sure he’s okay but discovers him lying in a pool of coffee and blood on the floor of his room. Because of their confrontation, James becomes a person of interest in James’ death. Krissy tries to restrain herself from investigating but, despite Officer Paul Dalton’s warnings to stay out of the case, she can’t resist a good mystery. She loves snooping and investigating and even though he’s a mystery writer, her dad has never investigated, and she thinks he wants to share that experience with her. After talking to people and overhearing what others were saying, she discovered there is no shortage of suspects because Rick had the tendency to rub people the wrong way. Krissy is dating Will Foster, a handsome local physician, but there’s still chemistry between her and Paul.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This series has improved, but my original issues still remain. I still don't think that Krissy thinks or acts like a woman. I am tired of her insecurity and flushes and blushes. I think her Dad and Paul are the most real characters in the book. If I had to say, I'd think Cameron was more the personality and nature of the author than any woman of my acquaintance. I just can't drum up any enthusiasm to care about most of the characters.

Death by Coffee, Krissy Hancock’s cafe is doing well, she’s in a good relationship, life is great… until her father arrives for a visit. The mystery author becomes a suspect in a murder in town after the agent he fired ends up dead. The victim had plenty of enemies, but it’s up to Krissy to find the real killer and save her father in this delightful cozy mystery

I have enjoyed the past entries in the Bookstore Cafe mysteries, so I was delighted to see that there was a new one, and I was not disappointed. Krissy Hancock is the co-owner of a bookstore and cafe called Death by Coffee with her best friend Vicki Patterson, and along with running her business often finds herself embroiled in real life mysteries. In this book when her father, who is a famous mystery writer, comes to see her and becomes a suspect in the murder of his former agent, a man he had recently fired, Krissy will stop at nothing to clear him of suspicion. I really enjoy this series with its quirky characters and bookstore/cafe setting, There were plenty of suspects and plot twists which kept me reading page after page. The plot and characters are well developed, along with just enough humor and romance to make this an outstanding series.