From the Grounds Up (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sandra Balzo (Author)

Book Description

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

 Maggy Thorsen refuses to give in as trouble brews again - When Maggy Thorsen’s coffee house, Uncommon Grounds, is virtually obliterated by a snowstorm, she and her friend Sarah resolve to reopen – and Maggy’s found the perfect spot near the train station, just in time for the opening of the new commuter route. But when Sarah’s uncle dies suddenly, in the first of a series of ‘accidents’, it’s clear that someone doesn’t want Uncommon Grounds to reopen. Maggy, however, has no intention of yielding . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Maggy Thorsen, the proprietor of Uncommon Grounds, finds that rebuilding her coffee shop in the Old Brookhills section of Brookhills, Wis., can be murder in Balzo's witty, smoothly plotted fifth caffeine cozy (after 2009's Brewed, Crude and Tattoed). When Maggy's real estate agent friend, Sarah Kingston, inherits the Old Brookhills depot, Sarah proposes to make the charming depot the shop's new home—and become Maggy's partner. Kornell Eisvogel, the obnoxious husband of the depot's previous owner, threatens trouble until he stalls his car on the tracks just in time to meet the 8:15 commuter train. Kornell's son, a remodeling contractor, soon pitches in as third partner. But someone doesn't want the coffee shop to be reborn. Inexplicable accidents, Sarah's arrest, and yet another death hamper the process. Despite warnings from Jake Pavlik, her county sheriff honey, Maggy is determined to track down the culprit. Fans of sassy, lighthearted whodunits will be satisfied. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Milwaukee coffee house owner Maggy Thorsen seems to have perpetual bad luck. When her store, Uncommon Grounds, was destroyed in a blizzard, she vowed to reopen. When her business partner decided that she wanted out, Maggy enlisted her real-estate agent, Sarah Kingston, in the project. Then their choice of an abandoned railway depot for the location of the new store—a new commuter train would bring customers—turns potentially disastrous when a series of accidents that might not be accidents haunts the neighborhood. Someone does not want Uncommon Grounds to reopen, but Maggy and Sarah refuse to give up. A witty cozy with eccentric characters and a fast-moving plot. --Barbara Bibel

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727868306
• ISBN-13: 978-0727868305
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,432,720 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:

1.0 out of 5 stars 90% silly banter, 10% story., July 20, 2010

By 

Hypoxy (Bath, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Grounds Up (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

So disappointing. I got to page 50 and gave up trying to track a storyline though the thicket of bad jokes and banal repartee. Won't try any more in this series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific amateur sleuth, March 4, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Grounds Up (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

With the economy already hurting her Uncommon Grounds coffee shop, Maggy Thorsen is in disbelief when the freak May blizzard hammers Brookhills, Wisconsin destroying her store. Her caustic friend realtor Sarah Kingston takes her to the train station where a bistro was just closed and a commuter line to and from Milwaukee is to open. Sarah owns the depot inheriting half when her dad died years ago and the rest last week when Aunt Vi passed away. She offers a business partnership, which Maggy accepts.

Aunt Vi's husband Kornell Eisvogel arrives at the depot to hassle with Sarah. He sees the time on the depot clock so leaves as he must drive in daylight. However, the two women hear the train and crunch. They rush out to see that Kornell is dead. Maggy's boyfriend Sheriff Jack Pavlik leads the inquiry and learns the clock was switched and the victim's car tampered to stall on the tracks. When the two partners go to Brookhills Manor to pick up Vi's stuff, they are almost run over by Klepto Clara and her hot rod wheelchair. As they leave the women find Clara dead and Pavlik questioning them again. Someone is killing people associated with the depot, but whom and why remains darker than Maggy's strongest brew.

The latest Uncommon Grounds amateur sleuth (see Bean There, Done That and Grounds for Murder) is the usual terrific tale as the sheriff, his subordinates and readers know that wherever Maggy goes a corpse is bound to precede her. The lighthearted story line is fast-paced and breezy as Sarah provides humor with her in your face veracity and a killer wants to grind Maggy's coffee shop to the ground. Fans will enjoy this fine flavored brew, as Maggy, murder, and mayhem meet in the Brookhills Train Station.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars TRAIN DEPOT ACCIDENTS, April 20, 2010

By 

ITZME "JEANNE" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From the Grounds Up (Maggy Thorsen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is the 5th book in the Maggy Thorsen Mysteries. Maggie has lost her location for Uncommon Grounds and is now looking for a new site. Through her friend Sarah, she is able to find the perfect spot - the old train depot. There are plans in the work that a commuter train will be stopping in Brookhills in the near future, so this would be perfect for a coffee shop. Many "accidents" happen to them and the depot - seems someone doesn't want them opening their shop there.