# Do you have GROUNDS FOR MURDER? Booklist starred review mystery just $3.99



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Grounds for Murder * _ by Sandra Balzo

. . . earned a *Booklist starred review*:_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

 An excerpt from _*Grounds for Murder*_:

'Slut in a cup!'

It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Congratulations on your book, Sandra!

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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

. . . earned a Booklist starred review:"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight."

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

An excerpt from Grounds for Murder:

'Slut in a cup!'

It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

. . . earned a Booklist starred review: "All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight."

"Bright and breezy Maggy makes a charmingly down-to-earth sleuth. A bit of romance and coffee lore provide the froth on top." 
--Kirkus Reviews on GROUNDS FOR MURDER

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

Other books by Sandra Balzo:

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*
UNCOMMON GROUNDS**
GROUNDS FOR MURDER**
BEAN THERE, DONE THAT**
BREWED, CRUDE and TATTOOED
FROM THE GROUNDS UP
A CUP of JO
TRIPLE SHOT (coming late 2011)

*The Main Street Mysteries*
RUNNING On EMPTY

HEAVEN'S FIRE**

**Available on Kindle


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Over the last month, reviewers have recommended my books to people who like Janet Evanovich, James Patterson (Women's Murder Club), Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett. Oh, and a few months back, Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagardens. God bless Kindle-readers, independent bookstores, libraries and librarians--you're my angels.

With thanks,
Sandy


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Over the last month, reviewers have recommended my books to people who like Janet Evanovich, James Patterson (Women's Murder Club), Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett. Oh, and a few months back, Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagardens. God bless Kindle-readers, independent bookstores, libraries and librarians--you're my angels.

With thanks,
Sandy

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries * . . .    *Also by Sandra Balzo * . . .


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Over the last two months, reviewers have recommended my books to people who like Janet Evanovich, James Patterson (Women's Murder Club), Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett. Oh, and a few months back, Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagardens. God bless Kindle-readers, independent bookstores, libraries and librarians--you're the best!

With thanks,
Sandy

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries $2.99* . . .    *Also by Sandra Balzo . . .* _*$2.99 * _  _*$.99 * _


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

*. . . earned a Booklist starred review:
* _"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _

_"Bright and breezy Maggy makes a charmingly down-to-earth sleuth. A bit of romance and coffee lore provide the froth on top." 
_ *--Kirkus Reviews on GROUNDS FOR MURDER*

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

Other books by Sandra Balzo:

The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries
UNCOMMON GROUNDS**
GROUNDS FOR MURDER**
BEAN THERE, DONE THAT**
BREWED, CRUDE and TATTOOED
FROM THE GROUNDS UP
A CUP of JO
TRIPLE SHOT (coming late 2011)

The Main Street Mysteries
RUNNING On EMPTY

HEAVEN'S FIRE**

**Available on Kindle

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries * . . .    *Also by Sandra Balzo * . . .


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _ and *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT*, the first three in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The fourth -- *BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED * -- will be up in July.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk. 
Grounds for Murder: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *    *Also by Sandra Balzo *


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _ and *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT*, the first three in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The fourth -- *BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED * -- will be up in July.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk. 
Grounds for Murder: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *    *Also by Sandra Balzo *


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

I wrote what became *Grounds for Murder* under the name "_*Hasta Barista, Baby*_" which I thought was perfect (genius, even!!), given the action takes place at a barista competition (think Top Chef, but with coffee instead of food). And there's even a baby! And a murder, of course, though I can assure you the baby is never in jeopardy of anything but a leaky diaper.

Sadly, at the time of original publication, my editor and agent were less enthralled and I was outvoted.

So now, *I'd like YOU to vote* ('cuz with the new Kindle edition, I just realized we can do whatever we please . So what do you think?

_*Grounds for Murder*_ or *Hasta Barista, Baby* ?
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com


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## Guest (Jun 17, 2011)

This thread is bonkers.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

Omg, could you spam any harder?


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

But this is my thread. Can one spam oneself?


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Grounds for Murder * _ by Sandra Balzo

. . . earned a *Booklist starred review*:_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

 An excerpt from _*Grounds for Murder*_:

'Slut in a cup!'

It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Grounds for Murder * _ by Sandra Balzo

. . . earned a *Booklist starred review*:_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

 An excerpt from _*Grounds for Murder*_:

'Slut in a cup!'

It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _ and *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT*, the first three in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The fourth -- *BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED * -- will be up in July.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk. 
Grounds for Murder: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *    *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

*BREAKING NEWS! 
Uncommon Grounds, the first in the Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse series, is this week's Kindle Nation Short Excerpt*

 _*Grounds for Murder, Maggy Thorsen #2 * _ by Sandra Balzo

. . . earned a *Booklist starred review*:_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _

At a scaldingly competitive trade show in Milwaukee for the coffee industry, egos and tempers are steaming over such burning issues as store rivalries, product quality and employee-poaching. But events reach a head when coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference center. As the reluctant conference coordinator -- and a potential suspect - Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and -- hopefully - put some froth into her love life...

 An excerpt from _*Grounds for Murder*_:

'Slut in a cup!'

It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_FreshFiction_ has chosen _*Running On Empty*_, the first book in my second series, Main Street Mysteries, as its Fresh Pick! For those of you who aren't familiar with FreshFiction, their newsletters reach more than a quarter million subscribers a month and their website, which provides FREE accessible information to popular fiction readers on current authors and their available books, gets nearly a million page hits a month.

The Fresh Pick is chosen by a group of readers and is never a purchased advertisement or promotion, so I'm incredibly honored. FreshFiction says their readers have diverse tastes and they like to share books like Running on Empty, which is set in the High Country of North Carolina. They hope everyone will give it a try.

Me, too, AND I'm hoping you'll also enjoy the first four books in my Maggy series, now available on Kindle!


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk. 
Grounds for Murder: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Well, now you can -- and for just $2.99!*_

 _*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.

    _*Also by Sandra Balzo: * _


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Well, now you can -- and for just $2.99!*_

*ALSO* hope you'll check out my two-part article in _Southern Writers Magazine _ on _*"Writing the Killer Series." * _ The first installment is in the current issue, available at www.SouthernWritersMagazine.com.

 _*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.

    _*Also by Sandra Balzo: * _


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk. 
Grounds for Murder: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi, there--Sandy Balzo here!

I'm enroute home from _*Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention*_, which was absolutely wonderful. Not only did my books sell out within ten minutes of my panel (I couldn't believe it: people in my signing line with two or three $27.59 hardcovers!!) and did I get to hang out with my mystery friends (NO, it's not like mystery shoppers....) and the likes of honorees _John L_utz, _Bob Randisi, Val McDermid, Sara Paretsky, Charlaine Harris _ and _Robert Crais_, but this is what my moderator, Catriona McPherson, said about my books:

_*If you like the deadpan wisecracks of Myron Bolitar, you'll love Maggy Thorsen, his female alter ego.*_

SO cool--AND, if you want to read the first four Maggy's--including *Grounds for Murder*--you don't have to shell out $27.95. They're on Kindle and Nook for $2.99 each--what a deal! Now if only I had a virtual signing line for them!



All the best,
Sandy


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Two thumbs up for KindleBoards new "_*KB Books*_"! It at allows you to search for Kindle books by genre, author, title, etc. Not all that unusual, but you can also get a summary of the book, a sample, visit the author's website and even comment on the book all right there. Pretty cool, I have to say. Here's the link to Mysteries/Authors/Alphabetical (and, yes, I know my books just happen to show up on the first page...can I help it my name starts with "B"? :

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kboards.com%2Fbooks%2Findex.php%2F%3Fp_genre%3DMystery%26p_sort%3DTitle%26p_start%26submit%3Dgo%26p_page&h=SAQAxuGK3AQCRlsQ21gTePuaYLAhEbSsc6oxuhNKvcfMEpw

Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and I've just finished the seventh book in the series, TRIPLE SHOT. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot (coming soon)

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *  [/url


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

Hope you'll check out "A Day in the Life of Maggy Thorsen," my guest blog at the wonderful Dru Ann L Love book musings!

http://notesfromme.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/a-day-in-the-life-of-maggy-thorsen-by-sandra-balzo/


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The next two Maggy books--*FROM THE GROUNDS UP  * and _*A CUP OF JO*_--will be out in February.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming in 2012)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.

    _*Also by Sandra Balzo: * _


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The next two Maggy books--*FROM THE GROUNDS UP  * and _*A CUP OF JO*_--will be out in February.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99) is a thriller, and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming in 2012)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

[size=12pt] _*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, the first four in my now six-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99. The next of the Maggy books--*FROM THE GROUNDS UP  *--should be up later this week, with _*A CUP OF JO*_ to follow very soon.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99), is romantic suspense and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming in 2012)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): Fireworks. Death. Romance. A fireworks show goes terribly wrong, pitting the passion of that singular industry -- and the multi-generational families who devote their lives to it -- against the economics and politics of big event marketing and television news.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

[size=12pt] _*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *     *Also by Sandra Balzo *


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, *FROM THE GROUNDS UP  * and _*A CUP OF JO*_--the first six in my now seven-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($2.99), is part thriller, part romance and part family saga and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming soon)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): When a federal investigator and a television producer are thrown together by a fireworks tragedy on Lake Michigan, the man unable to let go of his past and the woman afraid to trust her future must race to prevent another catastrophic explosion--this one at the county's Four of July celebration.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *       * Also by Sandra Balzo *


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

[size=12pt] _*Grounds for Murder * _ *by Sandra Balzo
--the second installment in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Coffeehouse Mysteries*

*Booklist starred review*:

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*An excerpt from Grounds for Murder, *

_'Slut in a cup!'_
It might sound like an expletive, but my friend Sarah Kingston meant . . . Well, I wasn't sure what she meant.

'Are you nuts?' I hissed. 'It's Marvin LaRoche. And he's dead.'

I was trying to keep my voice down in an effort to appear calm. The packed bleachers in front of us held nearly two hundred spectators, all of them staring open-mouthed at us, like we were actors on a stage. Which we were.

Sarah and I stood stage right, holding up opposite ends of the table bearing the trophies for the Second Annual Barista Competition at Java Ho, the specialty coffee convention. A barista is the equivalent of a coffee bartender, with espresso taking the place of alcohol.

The audience had probably assumed we were shifting the table in preparation for the awards ceremony that would follow the morning's finals. The truth was, though, I'd found an oval stain smack dab in the middle of the stage and - obsessive personality that I am - I had to camouflage it.

Putting the trophy table, with its floor-length white tablecloth, over the stain had seemed just the thing. Unfortunately, when we'd lifted the table from its original position, we revealed something nobody could cover up.

Marvin LaRoche, head judge and Java Ho organizer, was lying face up, his burgundy tie flipped over his shoulder. The man was slightly cross-eyed in life, and now his blue eyes seemed to be trying to get a good look at the two bloody dents in his own forehead.

I shivered.

Sarah glared at me. 'I know who it is, Maggy, and even I can tell he's dead.'

She'd been in a vile mood ever since I'd commandeered her from the exhibit hall to track down LaRoche for the finals. You'd think she'd be happy now that we'd found him.

Sarah nodded toward the biggest trophy, which had fallen over when we'd picked up the table. 'I'm talking about the murder weapon.' She dropped her end, and the smaller runner-up trophies toppled over even as the first-place prize began to slide.

'Dammit, Sarah . . .' I protested, like it really mattered at this point. I mean, stiff on the floor trumps statues on the table, right? Nonetheless, I dropped my end, too, and instinctively grabbed for the trophy. I had to lean across the table, propping myself on my left hand to catch with the right.

'Got it,' I said triumphantly, straightening up with the trophy. Feeling something sticky on my left hand, I looked down at the table where it had been standing.

The trophy, when it had fallen over, had left a thick ring on the tablecloth - the kind a wine glass might make if it had been overfilled. With red wine. Thick red wine.

And that wasn't the only thing being thick. Now I finally understood what Sarah had meant.

I looked again at LaRoche on the floor and then back at the barista competition's first-place trophy in my hand. Slut in a cup, as Sarah had called it.

The fifteen-inch bronze sculpture was an artist's rendering of a barista rising like steam from a coffee cup. Since baristi come in both genders and all shapes and sizes, the trophy's steamy barista was supposed to be generic. Unfortunately, the unisex steam-barista had . . . well, boobs. C-cups, if I was any judge. Since it had been too late to do anything about the mistake by the time it was discovered, I'd resigned myself to taking some flak over it.

Still, I hadn't expected anyone to try to bury the boobs in Marvin LaRoche's forehead.

The faintest of tinkling sounded behind me, the only noise in the stunned silence. I twisted around to see the six barista finalists huddled behind us. One was Janalee, LaRoche's wife. She was holding their infant son, Davy, and looking dazed. Next to Janalee was LaRoche's star barista, Amy. In contrast to Janalee's stillness, Amy's multiple piercings - six thin gold rings lining the rim of her right ear, three the left and two in her lips - were quivering so hard she sounded like a human wind chime.

As if on cue, the baby started to whimper and Janalee LaRoche began to scream.

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *       * Also...*


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo--now in ebook and soon to be in audio!*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, *FROM THE GROUNDS UP  * and _*A CUP OF JO*_--the first six in my now seven-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $2.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE * ($3.99), is part thriller, part romance and part family saga and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming soon)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): When a federal investigator and a television producer are thrown together by a fireworks tragedy on Lake Michigan, the man unable to let go of his past and the woman afraid to trust her future must race to prevent another catastrophic explosion--this one at the county's Four of July celebration.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *       * Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------



## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_*Book 2 in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo--now in ebook and soon to be in audio!*_

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, *FROM THE GROUNDS UP  * and _*A CUP OF JO*_--the first six in my now seven-book Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $3.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. They're set in a gourmet coffeehouse in Wisconsin, and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_, the seventh book in the series, just came out. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. I just finished the second book, _*DEAD ENDS, * _ which will be out later this year. The Main Street books are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE, * is part thriller, part romance and part family saga and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends (coming soon)

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): When a federal investigator and a television producer are thrown together by a fireworks tragedy on Lake Michigan, the man unable to let go of his past and the woman afraid to trust her future must race to prevent another catastrophic explosion--this one at the county's Four of July celebration.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *       * Also by Sandra Balzo *


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## SandraBalzo (Mar 10, 2011)

_* #2 in the now seven-book Maggy Thorsen Mysteries by Sandra Balzo. Triple Shot (#7) just released!*_ 

*Booklist starred review:*

_"All the right ingredients...Balzo's keep-em-guessing plot and fresh, breezy prose are more than enough to ensure that this series will continue to delight." _​
*UNCOMMON GROUNDS*, _*GROUNDS FOR MURDER * _, *BEAN THERE, DONE THAT* and _*BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED*_, *FROM THE GROUNDS UP,  * _*A CUP OF JO*_ and _*TRIPLE SHOT*_--all seven books in my Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery series, are now available on Kindle for $3.99.

If you're not familiar with my work, the Maggy books are funny, quick reads--cozies, with a bit of a hard edge. I also have a second series started -- mysteries set in the mountains of North Carolina. The reviews for _*RUNNING ON EMPTY*_, the first of the new Main Street Mysteries, urge fans of Joan Hess, Margaret Maron and G.A. McKevett to give them a try. _*DEAD ENDS * _ will be released September 1. Main Streets are warmer, the Maggy books, well . . . more cynical and laugh-out-loud funny (or so I'm told--bad luck for the author to THINK she's funny!!).

And to further confuse things, my original Kindle novel, *HEAVEN'S FIRE, * is part thriller, part romance and part family saga and the stories in *THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER * ($.99) can probably best be summed up as psychological puzzlers.

Whatever your preference, I hope that something I'm writing will catch your imagination. And if it's not up on Kindle yet, it will be!
All the best,
Sandy
www.SandraBalzo.com

*Maggy Thorsen Mysteries*:
Uncommon Grounds
Grounds for Murder
Bean There, Done That
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
From the Grounds Up
A Cup of Jo
Triple Shot

*Main Street Mysteries*
Running on Empty
Dead Ends

Heaven's Fire (Kindle original)

*Uncommon Grounds*: When Maggy Thorsen's husband leaves the day their son goes off to college, she opens a coffeehouse with three friends only to find one of them dead in a pool of skim milk.

*Grounds for Murder*: Maggy is railroaded into managing the barista competition (think "Top Chef," but with coffee instead of food), with fatal results.
*
Bean There, Done That*: 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, whatever you do, don't invite her in for a cup of coffee...

*Brewed, Crude and Tattooed*: Maggy and her neighbors are trapped in the strip mall by a freak May "thunder-snow." Bad enough, but then she trips over the body of her landlord, Way Benson, who's had a run-in with a snow-thrower...

*From the Grounds Up*: Maggy and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen Uncommon Grounds in Brookhills' historic train depot. But when Sarah's uncle meets the train -- and not in a good way -- it's clear that someone doesn't want Uncommon Grounds to succeed.

*A Cup of Jo*: Sarah and Maggy hope the dedication of a commuter rail line will provide great publicity for Uncommon Grounds' new depot location. Then their tardy event manager turns up.

*Triple Shot* (coming soon): The search for a long-hidden Mafia stash brings fame to Brookhills, but it's whatever is stinking up the coffeehouse that has Maggy's attention.

*Running on Empty* (Main Street Mysteries): Life on Sutherton's Main Street has always been inexplicably hazardous, but the day Daisy Griggs siphoned three pints of blood from poor Mrs Bradenham seemed to set a new standard. Now more and more people are dying and unless Daisy's daughter can figure out why, her mother may be next.

*Dead Ends*: AnnaLise's past comes home to roost in the persons of her ex-lover and his wife and daughter. As you might guess, somebody has to die.

*Heaven's Fire* (Kindle original): When a federal investigator and a television producer are thrown together by a fireworks tragedy on Lake Michigan, the man unable to let go of his past and the woman afraid to trust her future must race to prevent another catastrophic explosion--this one at the county's Four of July celebration.

*The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries *       * Also by Sandra Balzo *


----------

