A production of a murder mystery has Krissy involved in trying to solve a pretend murder, when an actual murder happens to one of the participants. Of course Krissy begins to nose around trying to solve the mystery. There are plenty of suspects but no real evidence of who the killer might be. Lots of rabbit holes to explore and plenty of coffee in this latest book of this long running series. I enjoyed the story and process of discovering the answers. I always enjoy the cat antics in each book!
I was given an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Death by Caramel Macchiato is book 13 in the Bookstore Café series by Alex Erickson. This is my first book in the series so I can say it’s easily read as a standalone, but be warned, you may want to go back and read the previous 12 books.

Pine Hills is involved in hosting a big murder mystery event, with many of the townsfolk participating in the event. Krissy Hancock has teamed up with two of her friends to try to solve the mystery. Unfortunately. The day the event begins, Krissy and her friends find the body of one of their fellow competitors, putting an early end to the event.

Death by Caramel Macchiato was an engaging mystery, with lots of suspects due to the presence of many people involved in the mystery competition, many of whom had a history with the victim.

With many secrets to be revealed, Krissy and the local police had their work cut out for them, but Krissy, with a reputation for solving murders, was up to the task, and soon the town of Pine Hills was back to normal.

I would recommend Death by Caramel Macchiato to anyone looking for a light cozy mystery with a small town setting.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Yet another great book in the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series by Alex Erickson. This story brings us back to Pine Hills for an interactive mystery production put on by a rather annoying director from a neighboring city. Oliver Quick thinks this production will be the greatest thing to ever happen to Pine Hills and is determined that all those participating in teams of three will find the murder nearly impossible to solve as they race across town gathering clues. Krissy Hancock, local coffeeshop owner and real-life murder mystery sleuth is on one such team and ends up finding more than clues to lead to the staged murder ... she and her team find an actual murder victim. She, of course, decides that she needs to do all that she can to help find the killer before they strike again, even as the lead detective and her police officer boyfriend try to dissuade her from "helping". There are more suspects than you could cast in a full theater production and it isn't easy to weed out whodunit, but, as always, Krissy manages to get to the truth. This was a really well written book with a good storyline, great characters, and some great red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. A definite must read for cozy mystery fans.

This is book Thirteen in this charming cozy series. Krissy and friends are back with a fun murder mystery game weekend planned for the town. When a real murder occurs Krissy has put on her investigation hat much to the chagrin of her detective boyfriend. As she delves into the victim and finds substantial clues she soon finds secrets abound among red herrings. The sleuth is well crafted, the characters all add depth to the series and the protagnist is savvy and smart. A most enjoyable addtion to this fun series.

This is a engaging next in series with great supporting characters and a fun sleuth that kept me guessing to conclusion. I always enjoy returning to this series and look forward to the next in series.. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own .

Geez. The murder mystery game wasn't meant to be played for real but that's what's happened. This latest in the long running series sees Krissy and her friends Rita and Wendy working to find the villain who not only disrupted the Pine Hills game but also killed someone (no spoilers) who was not (in the tradition of all good cozies) liked. It helps I think to have read at least a few of the earlier books as this will help the reader keep all the characters straight. That said, it's a lively one with some good red herrings. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun cozy read.

3/5 Stars for the newest Alex Erickson book!

I’m thankful that I was able to receive an early copy via Netgalley!

While I love Kristy and Alex Erickson’s books, this one fell a little flat for me. It felt a bit disjointed, rushed, and there were too many characters. I still enjoyed being back in this world, but it just didn’t hit the same way as the other books in the series. The previous book left me on such a high so this was just slightly disappointing to read.

I enjoy this one so much!

Krissy owns a cafe’/bookstore in Pine Hills, Ohio. She is also a part-time crime solver. Much to the dismay of her cop boyfriend.

When she and Rita team up on an exclusive murder mystery weekend, the drama begins.

Oh what despicable characters show up! And then a body. A real dead body.
As the police close down the show, the director is furious, the other actors are acting fishy and everyone is looking like a killer.

The characters really make this series.


NetGalley/ Kensington November 26, 2024

Krissy Hancock, owner of the Death by Coffee bookstore and cafe, has a busy few days ahead which she's quite looking forward to. Pine Hills is about to hold its first murder mystery weekend where teams interact with role players in various locations and watch a theatrical production while hoping to be the first ones back to base. With the groups desperate to get a head start not everyone plays fair but the last thing Krissy expects to find is an actual dead body.

With the police cancelling the event and no one trusting anyone else, Krissy and her friends Rita and Wendy know they have to begin their own investigation. With the competition organiser desperate to save face and Krissy’s nemesis detective sharing very little information can they find the killer before they cause even more danger and destruction?

Book thirteen in this fun series takes most of the action out into the community and was a good read which I enjoyed very much. The new characters in this story were well formed with some more likeable than others and meant that once again I have enjoyed my regular visit to Pine Hills.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, Kensington Cozies, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is always an entertaining series and is recommended. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.0.

"Death By Caramel Macchiato (A Bookstore Cafe #13) by Alex Erickson has Krissy and some of the gang, plus others, chasing clues around town to figure out a pretend murder. That is, until they find an actual murder. I was a little confused as to if the pretend sleuthing was being filmed or just for fun/prizes. The guy running it was acting like it was some sort of reality tv show but there wasn't really mention of it being that way otherwise.

The mystery part came down to who was left alone. Everyone was either with someone or traveling between groups with too short a time frame to have enough time to commit the crime. I didn't really suspect the actual culprit until just before the reveal. So, it at least got me there.

I like the characters, but the actual storyline made me feel frustrated. It just goes around in circles about the suspects. It kind of feels like the author is playing eeny-meeany might mo with them. #DeathbyCaramelMacchiato #NetGalley

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. It does read a little slower and more drawn out then others in this genre, but overall a fun read.
When Krissy, and members of the town, are forced to stay and participate in a Who Done It game, things go deadly wrong when a body of a participant is discovered. Trying to trace the steps of everyone involved is almost impossible. But, sleuthing is what she does best, and Krissy is determined to figure this real mystery out.
I love these characters, and the plot was a bit different than others, which made it interesting.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a pre-release of Death by Caramel Macchiato.

I’m a huge fan of this series - I just can’t get enough! I especially love this newest book in the series. Our heroine finds herself inside a game of clue…..

cozy-mystery, bookseller, small-business, small-town, amateur-sleuth, local-law-enforcement, pet-cat, contemporary, friends, friendship, mystery, investigations, weekend, sequestered, community-theater, adversarial, pastries, baker, Ohio****

Sometimes-sleuth Krissy Hancock is the bookstore/café owner in Pine Hills, Ohio. She, her boyfriend Officer Paul Dalton, nearly all of her friends and fellow community players are involved in an inter-town murder mystery game/theatrical production/RPG. There are the expected temper tantrums and rivalries, but things go alright until one contentious player is found dead and the investigation gets real. Lots of suspects and red herrings completed by a couple of amazing plot twists.
I requested and received a temporary ebook from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you. Avail Nov 26, 2024
#DeathbyCaramelMacchiato #Kensington #NetGalley #BookstoreCafeMysteriesBk13

I would highly recommend this series. I enjoyed this book. Krissy once again finds herself involved in finding a body and trying to solve a murder.

Kristy is participating in a murder mystery weekend where each team needs to solve the clues given to uncover
the murderer. When a member of another team is murdered, Kristy is determined to discover who among the players
had reason to kill the man.
Enjoyable read.
#DeathbyCaramelMacchiato #Kensington #NetGalley

Loved reading this book and series. Had a hard time putting the book down. Hopefully others enjoy it as much as I do. Looking forward to the the next in the series

~Murder-mystery, Small-town, Secrets, and more!~

Death by Caramel Macchiato by Alex Erickson follows Krissy Hancock, owner of the Pine Hills local bookstore/cafe shop, who has a habit of finding and solving murders. When a weekend-long murder mystery competition happens, no one expects an actual murder to take place. With actors and clues spread all across town for the different teams to find and solve, Krissy stumbles upon a real dead body. The competition is immediately called off, and a real investigation begins. As much as the police and everyone around Krissy asks her to leave it to the police, she can't help but try to lure out the killer herself. Will Krissy be able to figure out who the killer is and what happened? And does it have anything to do with the completion?

4| This book was a lovely and cozy murder mystery. I enjoyed the pacing of this book and how nothing felt like it was being dragged on. It was fast but didn't feel rushed. While this is the first book I've read in the series, the descriptions and explanations throughout the book allowed me to understand the context and backstory of certain situations and characters, which was great. I loved hearing Krissy's internal monologue and how she worked things out in her mind. It helped me better understand her character and why she made certain choices. There was a good balance between her day-to-day life and the investigation, that I was able to understand the town and who she is at the same time. I enjoyed her many friendships throughout the book; it got across the small-town vibe well of her knowing almost everyone. I loved getting to see Pine Hills and its quirks. The concept of this book was unlike anything I had read before. The competition allowed me to get to know the characters before the murder happened, which I enjoyed.

One thing I enjoyed about this book was how the more modern references like Netflix didn't take me out of the story. I always struggle with and dislike this about most books, but it was well done here and added to the story instead of taking away from it. My one issue with this book is how many characters there were. It felt like many names at once and confused me about who was who. Between the actors, Krissy's friends and family, and the locals, it was just a lot of information to remember. I could figure out who was who, but it initially felt overwhelming and made me want to put the book down. I wish the characters were introduced gradually instead of all at once so I had time to process everything. The murder mystery aspect of this book was great; it had me guessing who it was til the end. I loved the grand reveal of who the killer is and how Krissy was able to work it out in her mind. The ending was nice and wrapped everything up perfectly.

Overall, this book was a great cozy read. It was fast-paced enough that I didn't lose interest but slow enough that I didn't feel rushed. Krissy's character is relatable, and the writing allowed me to grasp who she is as a person. This book honestly had great balance with great characters. I am excited to see what's next for Krissy and Pine Hills!

Death by Caramel Macchiato was a fast-paced, exhilarating read. In a live role playing game gone wrong, Krissy stumbles upon a dead body and raced to solve the real mystery.

Krissy, coffee sho/bookstore owner and sometime sleuth is part of a team in a local murder mystery game. With actors, locals and out-of-town folks in town for the game she has more than enough suspects when a murder occurs.

#DeathbyCaramelMacchiato #NetGalley is a fast paced story that really grabbed my attention.
Krissy is participating in a live role playing game, which also includes a theatrical production that includes some interesting people.
Krissy can't wait to see if she can solve the puzzle before the other teams do, especially the one that includes the local police.
It isn't until they stumble upon a dead body does the game turn real, and Krissy and pal Rita race against the clock in order to bring this mystery to an end.

I enjoyed the story, definitely a favorite in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.