Sandra Balzo - Free Library Land Online - Reference

Any Pot in a Storm

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 08:51:47 +0300

Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when she's caught up in a storm - and murder - at a writers' retreat.

Coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen has reluctantly travelled north with her business partner, Sarah Kingston, to cater for a weekend writers' retreat at Payne Lodge log cabin. The remote location deep in the Wisconsin forest is the perfect setting for mystery writing workshops . . . and murder.
Maggy's no fan of the outdoors, but forest bugs are the least of her worries when lightning strikes the lodge during a storm and she and Sarah discover the body of the retreat's organiser, editor of the local newspaper and president of the Brookhills Writers' Club, Kate McNamara. It seems that Kate had annoyed many of the retreat's attendees, but who hated her enough to plot her murder?

Death of a Bean Counter

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 18:14:45 +0200

Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her barista's wealthy beau is murdered.
Maggy Thorsen's head is spinning thanks to partner Sarah Kingston's latest idea – selling luxe espresso machines in their Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But Maggy soon faces a far bigger problem when her fiancé, sheriff Jake Pavlik, makes an official call on the coffeehouse's star barista, Amy Caprese.
Amy's wealthy new beau, investment adviser Kip Fargo, has been shot dead in his bed – and Amy is the last known person to see him alive. Kip had just proposed to Amy, but she turned him down, triggering a terrible argument and making Amy the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista's innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle lies, jealousy and Kip's shady dealings in time to avert the disaster that's brewing?

3 Bean There, Done That

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:43:52 +0300

6 A Cup of Jo

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:43:51 +0300

Flat White

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 19:41:51 +0300

Coffee and romance - the perfect way to warm a freezing winter at Uncommon Grounds! Until Maggy Thorsen's new barista's beau turns up on the doorstep, bringing a deadly chill with him...
Maggy Thorsen and her business partner Sarah Kingston have taken on a new barista at their Wisconsin coffee house, Uncommon Grounds, to fill Amy Caprese's boots while she takes a much-needed vacation. Unfortunately Christy Wrigley's barista skills are as underwhelming as her love life, but is her luck about to change with her new beau?
Christy gushes about her long distance, online relationship with Barry Margraves from Denver, leading Maggy to urge caution. When the new love of her life turns up unexpectedly on the coffee shop's doorstep on a snowy winter morning, Christy is shocked - but what follows next is even more staggering, and Maggy is soon drawn into a deadly blend of betrayal, deception and lies.

7 Triple Shot

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:43:48 +0300

5 From the Grounds Up

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:43:50 +0300

Murder a la Mocha

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:38:00 +0200

Coffee, a canine and a corpse: a bad feeling leads to an even worse discovery when Maggy tries to return a Chihuahua to its owners in the new coffeehouse mystery.
Maggy Thorsen's evening with her fiancé Sheriff Jake Pavlik and his parents in Chicago takes a dramatic turn when Jake's mother falls ill, then a Chihuahua jumps in front of Maggy's car on her drive back to Uncommon Grounds, her Wisconsin coffeehouse. Attempting to return Mocha to her owners, George and Marian Satterwite, the following day, Maggy comes face-to-face with Arial, their dog-sitter and her business partner Sarah's niece. But something doesn't feel right . . .
Returning to the property, Maggy and Marian make a shocking discovery. And where are George and Arial? With Jake still in Chicago and Sarah desperate to find her niece, Maggy is soon drawn into another deadly puzzle.

French Roast

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 00:50:36 +0200

Things go from bad to worse for Wisconsin coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her cousin Jacque Oui finds himself in hot water.

Wisconsin coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen's cousin, Jacque Oui, is in trouble. Big trouble! Not only is his cash-strapped Schultz's Market facing competition from a major new grocery chain, but his ex-wife Paulette has arrived from Paris, spectacularly claiming that she and Jacque are still married, despite Jacque being engaged to Maggy's friend and star barista Amy Caprese.
When a huge fire rips through Schultz's Market overnight and a gruesome discovery is made in the shop's upper flat, Maggy is drawn into her cousin's affairs. But where is he? With Jacque suddenly missing, can Maggy uncover the truth behind the disturbing events triggered by Pauline's arrival, or is she about to be scorched by a determined killer?

2 Grounds for Murder

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 19:43:49 +0300

Maggy Thorsen Mysteries Box Set 1-3

Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:21 +0300

Book Description:

Now for the first time, the first three titles in the cozy coffeehouse mystery series, Maggy Thorsen Mysteries, in a box set!

"Wonderfully rich and sharply written." –Chicago Tribune

Uncommon Grounds (Book 1)

In her delightful debut, Balzo puts a 21st-century spin on the traditional cozy, replacing tea with coffee as the comfort beverage of choice. Maggy Thorsen, a divorcée whose husband left her for his 24-year-old dental hygienist, and two women friends are eager to open a coffee shop, Uncommon Grounds, in the small Wisconsin town of Brookhills, whose inhabitants include such recognizable types as the local gossip and tennis moms. In a world where Starbuck's and other chains are ubiquitous, Maggy and her friends have their work cut out for them. The challenge becomes even greater when Maggy discovers the body of one of her partners, Patricia Harper, on the floor of their coffee shop.

Determined to find out who killed Patricia and why, Maggy delves into the mystery with a sense of humor that would make Miss Marple smile. In her search for the truth, she works with, and sometimes against, the new and unpredictable county sheriff, Jake Pavlik—and uncovers at considerable personal risk the secrets of some of the town's most prominent citizens. Readers will want to curl up with this winner with a cappuccino or maybe even a Viennese cinnamon latte.

Grounds for Murder (Book 2)

Exactly how hot is the competition at the annual coffee trade industry conference in Milwaukee? Scalding!!

What's not hot? Finding Marvin LaRoche, owner of the HotWired coffeehouse chain store stone-cold dead under a banquet table in the middle of the convention.

And everybody knows that Maggy was no great fan of Mr. LaRoche, nor of his overly competitive business practices - so it's up to Maggy's own amateur sleuthing skills to get herself out of the hotseat!

Mrs. LaRoche, newly widowed, certainly seems a bit too cheery. But then there's the angry activist who denounced LaRoche's practice of exploiting Third World coffee growers.

As the conference coordinator and the number one suspect, Maggy is on a countdown to find the murderer, save her coffeehouse and maybe, just maybe heat up her love life...

Thank goodness for caffeine!!

Bean There, Done That (Book 3)

Here's a tip: if your ex-husband's mistress-cum-missus asks for your help in proving that he cheated on her while he was married to you, just say no.

And you most certainly should not invite this new missus, Mrs. Rachel Thorsen, in for a cup of coffee. But big-hearted Maggy can't seem to help her own hospitality.

Unfortunately, most unfortunately, this mistress-cum-missus disappears shortly after her coffeehouse confab with Maggy and is later found murdered...making Maggy's ex, Ted, the chief suspect.

Despite the tempting satisfaction of seeing her ex go down, Maggy knows Ted is innocent. Cheater? Most definitely. Murderer? Most definitely not. So Maggy reluctantly agrees to help him. Rachel's wealthy family, however, disagrees and spares no expense in trying to put Ted behind bars.

Now it's up to Maggy to discover the truth...even if it upsets her on-again, off-again relationship with the handsome Sheriff Jake Pavlik...

About the Author

Sandra Balzo turned to mystery writing after twenty years in corporate public relations, event management and publicity. Triple Shot, her seventh Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery, was just released, and Sandy's second series, Main Street Mysteries, debuted with Running on Empty. The books, set in the popular vacation destination of North Carolina's High Country, will alternate with the Maggy Thorsen mysteries. Heaven's Fire, about a fireworks show gone badly wrong, was released directly to Kindle with excellent reviews.

Balzo's novels have been nominated for both the Anthony and Macavity awards and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. In addition to her books about coffee-maven Maggy Thorsen and displaced journalist AnnaLise Griggs, Balzo writes short stories, two of which have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, winning the Macavity, Derringer and Robert L. Fish awards. Those psychological thrillers, along with a third original story, are available in The Grass is Always Greener and Other Stories.

Balzo has handled publicity for three Bouchercons (World Mystery Conventions), as well as the International Association of Crime Writers, and has served a national board member of Mystery Writers of America. A native of southeastern Wisconsin, she currently splits her time between Florida and the High Country of North Carolina.

And roots for the Green Bay Packers.

www.sandybalzo.com

1 Uncommon Grounds

Sat, 03 Apr 2004 19:43:51 +0300

The Big Steep

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 17:45:22 +0300

Wisconsin coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen attempts to solve a mystery steeped in shocking family secrets, tragedy and murder. Maggy Thorsen's new neighbours, Philip and Vivian Woodward, are forging ahead with their plans for The Big Steep tea shop. Philip's enthusiasm to turn the neglected cottage once owned by Vivian's reclusive grandparents, the Koepplers, into a tea lover's paradise is infectious, but Vivian seems less excited. And when Maggy's sheepdog Frank arrives at Uncommon Grounds coffeehouse bearing a 'gift' he discovered in the Woodwards' compost heap, the tea shop project takes a chilling turn . . . As the Woodwards' backyard becomes a crime scene, a deadly chain of events is set in motion. Can Maggy dig up the truth of what happened at the cottage many years ago before further tragedy strikes?

Maggy Thorsen Mysteries Box Set 4-6

Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:45:23 +0300

Book Description:

Now for the first time, the second set of three titles in the cozy coffeehouse mystery series, Maggy Thorsen Mysteries, in a box set!

Brewed, Crude and Tattooed (Book 4):

A torrential spring snowstorm leaves Maggy and her friendly (and not so friendly) neighboring tenants stuck in the strip mall where her coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, leases space in Brookhills, Wisconsin.

Shut up in her coffeehouse with little light and no heat, Maggy looks for help from her neighbors in the plaza...but while crossing the snow-filled parking lot, Maggy nearly trips over the mall's landlord, Way Benson, who has a hatchet in his back and looks very, very dead.

Since Way's plan was to evict all the tenants and sell the space to a superstore chain, the list of enemies and suspects is hardly meager. Figuring out who had the means to do it...that was going to be the tricky part.

But when Way's ex-wife is also killed, the clear and obvious motive goes out the window. Then when there's another death, Maggy is scrambling to pick up the pace and solve the murder...before she's next...

From the Grounds Up (Book 5):

When a freak spring snowstorm destroys her beloved coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, Maggy Thorsen resolves to reopen. With her best friend, Sarah, as an ally, they find the perfect spot right near the train station – and lucky for Maggy that she’s just in time for the opening of a new commuter route. Seems things are finally looking up for the amateur sleuth and barista extraordinaire!

But then Sarah’s uncle dies under suspicious circumstances…and Maggy’s instinct tells her that his death was no accident. And when there are more suspicious “accidents,” Maggy must uncover the link between the deaths…or she may just never be able to reopen Uncommon Grounds!

A Cup of Jo (Book 6):

Maggy Thorsen, cynic extraordinaire, has a few things to feel optimistic about lately. After her original coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, was destroyed in a freak May blizzard, Maggy and her best friend, Sarah Kingston, have found the perfect spot to relocate – right next to the new commuter train in Milwaukee.

After successfully securing the spot, Maggy and Sarah plan to piggyback the city’s celebrations for the train and re-open Uncommon Grounds on the same day. In fact, Maggy’s feeling so positive, she even digs deep in her budget and hires a giant inflatable coffee cup to attract more notice to her grand reopening.

All seems to be running right according to plan…until Maggy’s event manager is found dead – and now Maggy must find the killer before the killer finds her!!

About the Author

And roots for the Green Bay Packers.