Cold Brew Corpse

January 08, 2022

Cold Brew Corpse

Cold Brew Corpse: A Coffee Lover’s Mystery
by Tara Lush

As the clues come together, Lana and the hot chief might be at odds on who will solve the case first. But with the final suspenseful conclusion, all is revealed and the reader is enticed into waiting on pins and needles for the next installment in this delicious series!
~Cinnamon and Sugar and a little bit of murder

About Cold Brew Corpse

Cold Brew Corpse: A Coffee Lover’s Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Florida
Crooked Lane Books (December 7, 2021)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643857886
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643857886
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08Y8DJVGJ
Other Digital ISBN-13: 9781643857893

Espresso bar owner Lana Lewis returns in Tara Lush’s second Coffee Lover’s mystery, a stimulating read that fans of Cleo Coyle and Laura Childs will savor to the last drop.

It’s a steamy September, and business is brisk at Perkatory, the hottest coffee shop in Devil’s Beach, FL. Much of the clientele pours in from Dante’s Inferno, the hot yoga studio next door. But the bright, sunny Gulf Coast days turn decidedly dark-roast when the body of the studio’s owner turns up in a nearby swamp.

Between running Perkatory and training Stanley, her golden Shih Tzu puppy, reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis is too busy to go sleuthing. But when the editor of the local paper asks her to write about the murder, Lana’s dreams of getting back into journalism start to percolate.

Lana discovers that the yogi has a nefarious past and her share of mug shots, so grinding her way through the suspect list is a large task. She learns that the victim was fatally beaned by an SUV before she was dumped in the swamp. But was the killer one of her students? An envious yoga teacher? Or a local photographer who seems to know too much?

But no one tells Lana Lewis what to do. Hunting the caf-fiend who killed the yogi puts Lana and Chief Noah’s relationship–and Lana’s life–in very hot coffee.

About Tara Lush

Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She’s an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and the winner of the George C. Polk award for environmental journalism.

She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush.

Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee, and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and two dogs.

Q&A With the Author
When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?
I became a newspaper reporter in my early twenties, and wrote a lot. Still, I didn’t think of myself as a “writer.” I only considered myself a writer when I wrote my first romance novel in 2014. I went on to publish sixteen romances, and then turned to cozy mystery.

What advice do you have for a new writer?
Read a lot. Read widely, read in the genre you want to write, and read outside the genre. I find it’s really helpful to read quality narrative non-fiction, as well. It’s the best place to read about people’s actual lives, and to figure out motivations and actions. This can all be used as inspiration for fiction. But overall, my biggest piece of advice is to read as much as you can.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
Oddly, it’s sitting down to write. When I have the story mapped out and plotted, I can focus and write every day. Focus is my superpower. Editing, however, is a struggle…

What is your favorite part of this story?
My favorite part of COLD BREW CORPSE is the humor. I tried to incorporate a lot of funny, wacky scenes in this book, like when Lana (the sleuthing protagonist) accidentally walks into men’s candlelight nude yoga while trying to find more information about the crime.

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?
Stanley the Shih Tzu is always the most fun character to write. He’s a little ball of joy and love, and every character in the book adores him. Whenever he’s on the page, people smile—and I think readers smile, too!

Which Character was the hardest to write about? Why?
Lana Lewis, my sleuthing heroine, is the main character, and the most difficult to write. I feel a great responsibility to portray her as a work-in-progress. She’s a character in the midst of a life transition, so she evolves with every book. I’m trying to take her from a place of insecurity to a place of love and acceptance, and similar to real life, that’s not easy!