MY FAIR LATTE – Vickie Fee | Looking For a Good Book

Halley Greer has inherited a movie theatre in Utopia Spring, Arkansas from an uncle that she hasn’t seen in a very long time. With no other decent prospect (business or romantic) happening in her life, she visits the theatre and decides to try to restore it to its previous glory.

Halley makes some good friends with neighboring businesses (and a possible romantic partner?) and everything seems to be going well … until a patron dies in her theatre on opening night. She doesn’t know the patron, but given the way the local police respond to the incident, Halley feels like she is the prime suspect in their eyes. This clearly means that she needs to provide them an alternative possible suspect. But finding a suspect who has already proven they are willing to commit murder is dangerous.

I’ve really been enjoying the mystery books published by Henery Press. I haven’t read all their titles or series, but those that I have read I find to be well-written with charming characters. This title is no different. Halley, a bit of an innocent goody-two-shoes steps into something a little bigger than she can possibly imagine. But she finds support from new-found friends and her natural drive to follow through (as well as some nicely timed luck) help her to safely succeed.

I was interested in this title because of the themes suggested by the title. I’m interested in old films, musicals, and coffee. This seemed like a sure winner!

But I found that the similarities between this book and another in Henery Press’s own catalog, just a little too close. I read and reviewed Murder at the Palace by Margaret Dumas back in July of 2019, and that particular title was strong enough to have made a very good impression on me and I couldn’t help but constantly compare the two as I read. And in this case, Dumas’s book was just a little stronger.

While I really liked the deeper story here, the whole Jesse James connection really didn’t tie very well with the “My Fair Latte” title and theme. I also didn’t think that the ‘latte’ theme was very well realized here.

I like the idea of a mystery with movie theatres and coffee and I like the idea of a mystery with historical figures such as Jesse James and possible hidden treasure. But perhaps trying to do all of this is just a little too much for one cozy mystery of 250 pages.

Looking for a good book? My Fair Latte by Vickie Fee holds the promise of an interesting new mystery series but this first title tries to do a little too much.