A Cup of Jo (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sandra Balzo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Maggy Thorsen Mysteries | Publication Date: October 1, 2010

The new ‘Maggy Thorsen’ caffeine cozy   - Maggy Thorsen's heart, uncharacteristically, is swelling with optimism. Sure, her original Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, was destroyed in a freak blizzard. But, with new business partner Sarah Kingston, she’s found the perfect place to relocate to – a quaint railroad station that will soon be revitalized by a new commuter-rail connection. Sarah and Maggy hope that the station’s ‘Dedication Day’ will provide great free publicity. But their dream turns into a nightmare when the event manager makes her grand appearance on the day. As a corpse . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Balzo's delightful sixth Maggy Thorsen mystery (after March 2010's From the Grounds Up), Maggy, the co-owner of Uncommon Grounds, a gourmet coffeehouse, which was destroyed during a freak snowstorm, is planning to celebrate the opening of her rebuilt shop at the same time that the town of Brook-hills, Wis., dedicates the new Milwaukee commuter-train line. Maggie is pleased with the giant inflatable coffee cup she hired for the occasion, until it accidentally deflates and reveals the body of missing Brookhills event manager JoLynne Penn-Williams sprawled at the bottom. When amateur sleuth Maggy begins to investigate, she's dismayed that clues point to her boyfriend, county sheriff Jake Pavlik, as the killer. Devastating innuendos that Jake has been unfaithful shatter Maggy, but don't prevent her from seeking the truth. As ever, Maggy's wit and wisdom help keep the pages turning through this lighthearted cozy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Poor Maggy Thorsen (From the Grounds Up, 2010) just can’t seem to get her coffee business going. Her original Wisconsin café, Uncommon Grounds, was destroyed in a blizzard. Now, with a new business partner, Sarah Kingston, and a site in a renovated railway depot that serves a commuter line, things should be going well. They hope to have the grand opening when the new rail line is dedicated. Maggy even commissions a giant inflatable coffee cup and saucer for the roof, but unfortunately, Jo, the event manager, turns up dead inside it. The ensuing investigation turns up some surprising information about some of the community’s most upstanding members. The fast-moving plot makes the most of the author’s quirky characters and will have readers wondering if Maggy will ever be able to make a go of it in the coffee business, but they will be happy to read another installment in hopes of finding out. Solid cozy fare. --Barbara Bibel

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (October 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727869124
• ISBN-13: 978-0727869128
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I turned to mystery writing after twenty years in corporate public relations, event management, and publicity in Milwaukee.

My books are set in a gourmet coffee shop and feature Maggy Thorsen, a down-sized PR person. (Go figure.) In the first book, UNCOMMON GROUNDS, Maggy arrives at the store the morning of their grand opening only to find one of her partners dead in a pool of skim milk in front of the espresso machine. I'm told the books are funny. There are six more Maggy Thorsen mysteries out: GROUNDS FOR MURDER; BEAN THERE, DONE THAT; BREWED, CRUDE and TATTOOED; FROM THE GROUNDS UP; A CUP of JO; and TRIPLE SHOT.

RUNNING ON EMPTY, the first book in a second series (to alternate with the Maggy books), was released in April and is set in the popular vacation destination of North Carolina's High Country:

"It was the call every adult child dreads:
'AnnaLise? You should come home. Your mother Daisy went and drained all the blood out of poor Mrs Bradenham.'
Well, maybe not every adult child . . ."

The second book in the high country series, SOME ENDS ARE DEADER THAN OTHERS, will be out in 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, hilarious, and perfectly puzzling!, July 20, 2010

By 

L. Guerrero - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Cup of Jo (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Sandra Balzo brews up a great mystery in A Cup of Jo the latest in her Maggy Thorsen series! When Maggy orders a huge inflatable coffee cup emblazoned with the Uncommon Grounds logo to promote her coffee shop, it seems like a great idea... until a body is found inside the giant decoration.

With motives all around and suspects close to heart, it's up to Maggy to sort through clues while trying to maintain a booming coffee business. Trouble has a knack for following Maggy, though, and the twists and turns in this mystery are as abundant as the quirky characters. Balzo fills her Wisconsin town with a great supporting cast of friends and fiends ensuring that Maggy's tale is heartwarming, hilarious, and perfectly puzzling.

The challenge is on for the reader to solve the murder alongside Maggy Thorsen. Armchair detectives everywhere will definitely want to cozy up with A Cup of Jo.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Caffeinated Cozy, July 8, 2010

By 

Edie Dykeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Cup of Jo (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Uncommon Grounds coffee house co-owners Maggy Thorsen and Sarah Kingston were checking last minute details for their grand opening in a new location when they began to question why their event planner JoLynne Penn-Williams hired an obnoxious mime for the festivities. And, by the way, why wasn't said planner present and helping them with preparations and the press?

After all, this was a very special occasion for Maggy after she lost her first business due to a freak snowstorm. She was excited about relocating to the Brookhills Junction commuter train station depot where a direct line to Milwaukee 15 miles to the East should bring the the gourmet coffee shop many thirsty customers.

Just as the train carrying the dignitaries arrived, the mime tripped over an air hose to the huge inflated cup and saucer display above the podium area causing the whole display to collapse to the ground. As a hundred people watched the public relations nightmare unfold, Maggy found her missing event planner.

A Cup of Jo is the sixth Maggy Thorsen mystery by Sandra Balzo, and I am sure fans will welcome this new edition. Balzo writes with a sassy sense of humor that makes her stories fun to read. The eccentric characters and entertaining story line keeps readers wondering what can possibly happen next to our heroine.

There is never a dull moment in this story, and the author wisely keeps the reveal to the very end allowing readers the chance to guess who committed the crime and why. Whether you are already a fan or have just discovered this wonderful series, you will definitely want to grab a copy of A Cup of Jo.

A special thank you goes to Sandra Balzo and Severn House publishers for providing an ARC copy for me to review.

A Cup of Jo (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries)

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, light-hearted cozy mystery, August 31, 2011

By 

J Davis (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cup of Jo (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is the sixth story in thec Maggy Thorsen mystery series. The story starts with the grand opening of Maggy, and her new business partner/old friend, Sarah's, new coffee shop (the first one was destroyed in a snowstorm). The new coffee shop is located at an old depot where a new commuter train will start running. Maggy ordered a giant, inflatable coffee cup to be erected on a stand to advertise her shop for the event. All is going well until a body is discovered in the coffee cup and Maggy's boyfriend, the sheriff, is the prime suspect in her murder. It is a fun story, but I get the sense the author might be getting a little bored with the series. Perhaps that is why she recently (2010) started a new series called the Main Street Mystery Series.