{"id":21176,"date":"2018-04-23T07:00:50","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=21176"},"modified":"2022-10-11T17:00:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T17:00:28","slug":"review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-21176\" data-postid=\"21176\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-21176 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_dzdk112 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_stb1700 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_3bu9959 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle.jpg?w=640\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\">\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_7m7h905 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #fadf00;\"><em>A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body behind and the landmark coffeehouse becomes the center of a whole new scene&#8211;a crime scene.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #fadf00;\">As Village Blend manager Clare Cosi attempts to finalize a date for her wedding, her ex-husband becomes addicted to making dates through smartphone swipes. Clare has mixed feelings about these quickie matchups happening in her coffeehouse. Even her octogenarian employer is selecting suitors by screenshot! But business is booming, and Clare works hard to keep the espresso shots flowing. Then one dark night, another kind of shot leaves a dead body for her to find.\u00a0<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #fadf00;\">The corpse is a successful entrepreneur who became notorious for his &#8220;hit it and quit it&#8221; behavior: prowling for women on dating apps, then devastating his conquests with morning-after insults. Though the NYPD quickly arrests one of his recent victims, Clare finds reason to believe she&#8217;s been framed.\u00a0<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #fadf00;\">Now, with the help of her ex and crew of quirky baristas, Clare starts &#8220;swiping&#8221; through suspects in her own shop, determined to find the real killer before another shot rings out.\u00a0<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #fadf00;\"><strong>Includes a bang-up menu of tempting recipes.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_6wka899 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_fhla076  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16468 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg?resize=170%2C44\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Apr 17, 2018<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Coffee House Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>17<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$13.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Village Blend has become one of the top spots for couples to meet up through a popular new dating app. Clare Cosi who manages the coffee shop has mixed emotions about this. Of course she&#8217;s happy for the increased business, but has strong reservations about the possible dangers of\u00a0so many people looking for love through an app.\u00a0When a woman&#8217;s online romance sours, she confronts him with a gun at the Village Blend and the video footage goes viral, and the negative publicity drives both old and new customers away. When Clare gets involved in a murder investigation, she comes up with a plan to catch the prime suspect and get her business back on track. However, things don&#8217;t turn out as Clare expects and the investigation grows more and more dangerous for Clare and those she loves, but she won\u2019t rest until the killer is brought to justice.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though <strong>Shot in the Dark<\/strong>is the seventeenth book in the series, it&#8217;s able to be enjoyed equally by old and readers alike. The author does a great job of including the background information about the characters and their complicated relationships. For example, Clare&#8217;s business partner is her ex-husband, her boss is her ex-mother-in-in-law, and her daughter dates her new fianc\u00e9&#8217; NYPD partner! Important details are seamlessly blended into the story to inform new readers without boring those who follow the series more closely. I\u2019m only a casual reader of the series, so I appreciate the reminders.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I like the character of Clare and her relationship with New York City Detective Mike Quinn. They are friends and have great chemistry. I also enjoy the rapport between Clare and her ex-husband Matt. Underneath his flirtatious remarks and Clare&#8217;s rebuffs, their underlying friendship shines through and each knows they can count on the other when it really matters. In this installment, Clare enlists the help of both Mike and Matt in this investigation which uncovers a murderer and the dangers and disasters of the &#8220;swipe to meet&#8221; dating culture.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The motive behind the murder is more complex than it first appears and makes things a little more complicated than they need to be, but all is resolved after a couple of tense confrontations. The murder investigation kept me guessing about which one of the unpleasant suspects was really the killer. On the other hand, the mystery surrounding Clare&#8217;s daughter\u2019s boyfriend was obvious to me and should have been to Clare, too, so for me that side plot fell flat. Overall, I enjoyed the book, including the recipes and information about making espresso and flavored syrups at the end of the book. The situations are a bit edgier than some culinary mysteries and will appeal to fans of Diane Mott Davidson.<\/p><p><em>~Christine<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_yvfa022 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2K66uJX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geo.itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/shot-in-the-dark\/id1262896559?mt=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle\/1126840206?ean=9780451488855#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/shot-in-the-dark-17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Cleo_Coyle_Shot_in_the_Dark?id=4OYtDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,89,48],"tags":[152,223,367,404,405],"class_list":["post-21176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-christine","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-cozy-mystery","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"beverley\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\"},\"headline\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":705,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"4 Stars\",\"cozy mystery\",\"Mystery\",\"recommend\",\"Recommended Reads\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Berkley\",\"Christine\",\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/\",\"name\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/23\\\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"description\":\"Where HEAs are guaranteed\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"width\":281,\"height\":265,\"caption\":\"Smitten by Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\",\"name\":\"beverley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"beverley\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/beverley\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books","og_description":"A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/","og_site_name":"Smitten by Books","article_published_time":"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"beverley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"beverley","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/"},"author":{"name":"beverley","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d"},"headline":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle","datePublished":"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/"},"wordCount":705,"commentCount":3,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["4 Stars","cozy mystery","Mystery","recommend","Recommended Reads"],"articleSection":["Berkley","Christine","Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/","name":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle - Smitten by Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2018-04-23T11:00:50+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-11T17:00:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/23\/review-a-shot-in-the-dark-by-cleo-coyle\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","name":"Smitten by Books","description":"Where HEAs are guaranteed","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Smitten by Books","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","width":281,"height":265,"caption":"Smitten by Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle.jpg\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body behind and the landmark coffeehouse becomes the center of a whole new scene--a crime scene.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><br \/><br \/>As Village Blend manager Clare Cosi attempts to finalize a date for her wedding, her ex-husband becomes addicted to making dates through smartphone swipes. Clare has mixed feelings about these quickie matchups happening in her coffeehouse. Even her octogenarian employer is selecting suitors by screenshot! But business is booming, and Clare works hard to keep the espresso shots flowing. Then one dark night, another kind of shot leaves a dead body for her to find.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>The corpse is a successful entrepreneur who became notorious for his \"hit it and quit it\" behavior: prowling for women on dating apps, then devastating his conquests with morning-after insults. Though the NYPD quickly arrests one of his recent victims, Clare finds reason to believe she's been framed.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Now, with the help of her ex and crew of quirky baristas, Clare starts \"swiping\" through suspects in her own shop, determined to find the real killer before another shot rings out.\u00a0<br \/><br \/><strong>Includes a bang-up menu of tempting recipes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Apr 17, 2018<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Coffee House Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>17<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$13.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Village Blend has become one of the top spots for couples to meet up through a popular new dating app. Clare Cosi who manages the coffee shop has mixed emotions about this. Of course she's happy for the increased business, but has strong reservations about the possible dangers of\u00a0so many people looking for love through an app.\u00a0When a woman's online romance sours, she confronts him with a gun at the Village Blend and the video footage goes viral, and the negative publicity drives both old and new customers away. When Clare gets involved in a murder investigation, she comes up with a plan to catch the prime suspect and get her business back on track. However, things don't turn out as Clare expects and the investigation grows more and more dangerous for Clare and those she loves, but she won\u2019t rest until the killer is brought to justice.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though <strong>Shot in the Dark<\/strong>is the seventeenth book in the series, it's able to be enjoyed equally by old and readers alike. The author does a great job of including the background information about the characters and their complicated relationships. For example, Clare's business partner is her ex-husband, her boss is her ex-mother-in-in-law, and her daughter dates her new fianc\u00e9' NYPD partner! Important details are seamlessly blended into the story to inform new readers without boring those who follow the series more closely. I\u2019m only a casual reader of the series, so I appreciate the reminders.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I like the character of Clare and her relationship with New York City Detective Mike Quinn. They are friends and have great chemistry. I also enjoy the rapport between Clare and her ex-husband Matt. Underneath his flirtatious remarks and Clare's rebuffs, their underlying friendship shines through and each knows they can count on the other when it really matters. In this installment, Clare enlists the help of both Mike and Matt in this investigation which uncovers a murderer and the dangers and disasters of the \"swipe to meet\" dating culture.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The motive behind the murder is more complex than it first appears and makes things a little more complicated than they need to be, but all is resolved after a couple of tense confrontations. The murder investigation kept me guessing about which one of the unpleasant suspects was really the killer. On the other hand, the mystery surrounding Clare's daughter\u2019s boyfriend was obvious to me and should have been to Clare, too, so for me that side plot fell flat. Overall, I enjoyed the book, including the recipes and information about making espresso and flavored syrups at the end of the book. The situations are a bit edgier than some culinary mysteries and will appeal to fans of Diane Mott Davidson.<\/p><p><em>~Christine<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2K66uJX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geo.itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/shot-in-the-dark\/id1262896559?mt=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/shot-in-the-dark-cleo-coyle\/1126840206?ean=9780451488855#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/shot-in-the-dark-17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Cleo_Coyle_Shot_in_the_Dark?id=4OYtDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}