# Murder A La Mode

By Lena Gregory · Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/murder-a-la-mode-68b14afa/

Dani Delaney returns to Long Island with plans to turn Uncle Jimmie’s malt shop into a café. A body in the basement interrupts those plans: the dead woman is her former boyfriend’s estranged wife. Dani, her sister and her childhood friend begin sorting through the suspects.

## What makes it funny?

Dani and her friend Gwen’s attempt to follow a suspect is one of the comic incidents singled out by Cozy Up With Kathy. Dani also has a forceful mother to contend with, alongside the more supportive exchanges with her sister Meghan and Gwen.

### The comedy at work

Coming home revives other people’s expectations of Dani just as she tries to build something of her own. Her friends help with the investigation, but their amateur efforts create difficulties as well as clues.

### Try this if…

The malt-shop setting may appeal to culinary cozy readers. Family relationships and hints of a romantic triangle accompany the murder puzzle.

### Good to know

Dani cannot immediately rule out her former boyfriend as the killer. Her doubts about someone she once knew are part of the investigation.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Amateur sleuth · Cozy mystery
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Length: 292 pages (ebook)
- Published: 2023

## A few distinguishing details

- A planned café conversion meets a murder investigation

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Murder A La Mode by Lena Gregory on Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/us/book/murder-a-la-mode/id6447812752)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.gemmahallidaypublishing.com/lena-gregory)
- Interview: [Cozy Up With Kathy review and author interview](https://cozyupwithkathy.blogspot.com/2023/08/murder-la-mode-interview-review-giveaway.html)
- Book information: [Fantastic Fiction bibliography](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/lena-gregory/murder-a-la-mode.htm)