Kellys Koffee Shop (Cedar Bay Mystery #1) by Dianne Harman

Kellys Koffee Shop (Cedar Bay Mystery #1) Reviews

• 
  Karen B.

  This cozy just didn't make it for me. First, no matter all the other problems I may find in a cozy, I usually end up liking the main character. Not so with this book. Kelly is compassionate and determined, I have that to say about her. And she has a boxer. But for a dog-lover why would she put her dog as well as herself at such great risk? Kelly comes across to me as a busybody trying to act like she is a private detective. Others have mentioned that fact that her boyfriend, the county sheriff, is extremely unrealistic in that he shares too much information regarding an ongoing investigation, as though she were a partner or his deputy. What really got to me was Kellly's stupidity in constantly going out on her own (with the dog) to question suspects in this murder mystery. More than once she puts her dog's life at risk. But after she is told by her boyfriend/county sheriff, not once, not twice, but more to not go talk to suspects she does it anyway. Knowing that she is stubborn and will go anyway why would he be stupid enough to throw temptation at her feet?
  
  *spoiler*
  
  As some other reviewers have pointed out, the guilty party is introduced at the end, which isn't really a good mystery, the reader needs to have someone to suspect. Once the character is introduced, he's identified as the murderer and that's pretty much it. There is no discussion with the boyfriend/Sheriff of why he "might" be guilty. It all was a hurried finish. Added to that, here is this woman he loves, risking her life, almost being a murder victim herself. If I were him I would be angry with her and yes, I'd get over it. But I sure as heck wouldn't want to propose to marry someone just after she pointedly ignored his advice and instructions (as the sheriff he has a right to give her instructions here.) Personally, I just can't see why the sheriff is that much in love with her. He mentions that she's good looking and that she cooks wonderful meals for him. Her cooking, being her livelihood, it's okay to mention it but he always says that's why he wants to be with her, to get a good home-cooked meal.
  
• 
  Karen

  The plot was okay but the dialogue is very artificial and unrealistic. I find it hard to believe that any state health department allows dogs in restaurants, especially in the kitchen. Or that it's okay for owners to cook food at home and bring it in. And what happened to the suspect with the shady past and problems on his computer. Nothing.
• 
  Kimberly

  Disappointing
  
  I wish I could do better than three stars for this book but it just doesn't work for me. To me, the characters had no depth. The main character, a middle aged coffee shop owner, has some serious judgment problems when getting involved in an official police investigation. Just not believable.
• 
  Karen

  This was just an okay cozy mystery. I liked the characters well enough but the dialog wasn't the best and there were a lot of loose ends that didn't seem to be resolved by the end of the book.
  
  Also, the main character Kelly is in a relationship with the local sheriff and apparently this makes it okay for him to give her all the details of the ongoing investigation and sometimes he even follows Kelly's lead! Yes, it is fiction and a cozy mystery but there has to be a limit to what can be shared.
  
  I probably won't be reading the 2nd installment of this series.
  
• 
  Elizabeth

  Fun cozy!
• 
  Krissy Mcmullen

  I could not finish this book. it's so awful. The dialogue is terrible. The main character is apparently an amateur detective who is dating the town sheriff. The sheriff reveals details of a murder investigation to the main character who goes off on ridiculous sleuthing expeditions on her own to solve the case against the sheriffs wishes. The story line is probably okay, but the writing is so juvenile it becomes boring. I simply didn't care to waste another minute reading this book. I also download the other two books in this series, because I liked the idea of a mystery series based in The Oregon coast and assumed I would love to read more. I plan to delete them along with this book. Don't waste time or money on this author!
• 
  Stacey Kennedy

  This book was painful. The characters were unbelievable and written to fit a specific 'part' of the mystery (which was not a mystery). There were five suspects in the murder of the town's most loved high school senior? And the murder was being investigated unlawfully by the diner owner. And her dog. Alrighty. If the plot wasn't bad enough, the dialogue was ridiculous. How many times are you speaking to one other person face to face and use each other's names to start every sentence? Hello?!
  The ending was ridiculous, and one HUGE issue with one of the suspects just gets brushed off and ignored. Literally child porn issues. Ignored. Isn't that cozy?
• 
  Annemarie Manning

  Really hard to read, great that there was an introduction of each character but there was just no flow and no 'setting the scene' whilst reading the book. I got a bit lost at one stage. The basic storyline was good but the editing needs work.
• 
  Mahoghani 23

  A typical chic Lit mystery where the heroine ends up resolving the murder of her goddaughter, Amber. There were multiple suspects to choose from but only two stood out to me. Truly enjoyable book.
• 
  Pam Warner

  Loved this book!
• 
  Grace Cook

  World's Longest Food Blog
  
  Holy crap this was tough to get through. The dialogue is poorly written and the plot, while straightforward, is dull and anticlimactic. None of the characters are more than a few tropes and stereotypes mixed with a dash of small town gossip. It's clear the author did absolutely no research into the Oregon coast and the people who live there. I've lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life and I feel more mad about this than I did Twilight.
  If you are someone who can pick up editorial, copy editing, and proof reading mistakes, do not read this book; you might go crazy.
  The book ends with several recipes and all I can think of is the joke about food bloggers telling really long and uninteresting stories before actually getting to a recipe. And that's all this book is.
• 
  Anita (Hearts and Whodunits)

  Published in 2014. Kelly owns a coffee shop in Oregon and dates the sheriff. When one of her waitresses doesn’t show up, and is found murdered, Kelly is on the case. She will assist her boyfriend in finding out whodunnit. But, if she’s not careful, she will be next on the killer’s list.
  I really liked this fast-paced and suspenseful mystery with a great set of characters and a beautiful setting. But there were some problems I had with the plot. For instance, what amateur sleuth would go to a suspect’s house and confess that he’s a suspect? And what sheriff would take civilians to a potentially dangerous apprehension of someone instead of calling in for backup? These problems interrupted the flow of the story. I’m interested about what happens next. I will read the next one in this series.
• 
  Heart DeCoupeville

  Published 2014; obtained free Kindle edition 8/13/21.
  
  Dull as my grandmother's butter knife. Needed a couple of ruthless beta readers not afraid to say, "This is really bad, kiddo."
  
  DNF two pages into Ch. 2. I tried. I really did. But life's too short.
• 
  Nancy Silk

  "A Warm and Cozy Murder Mystery"
  
  This is a very well written story, the dialogue moves right along, with no tirades or bad words. It's a good book to curl up with on a wintry night. Kelly Conner, in her early 50's, has been a widow for a long time, and raised her two children by herself who no longer live with her. She is the owner of Kelly's Koffee Shop which was started by her grandparents, then her parents ran it with the new name of their one and only child, Kelly. They now enjoy life in a senior community miles away. Kelly lives in the small town of Cedar Bay on the Oregon coast. Her one companion wherever she goes is Rebel, a boxer dog that used to be used in drug investigations. As she and Rebel arrive early at the shop, Amber Cook usually is there waiting to go to work. But not this morning ... she doesn't arrive, she didn't arrive at school, and no one knows of her whereabouts until that evening when Kelly and Sheriff Mike are ready to sit down to dinner. Mike is 54 years old, divorced for a long time, and the two have a close, mostly friendly, relationship. His cell phone rings and he is told that Amber has been found ... found dead by a fisherman, tied to a burlap bag containing weights. There are many interesting characters in this story, of which five may have the motive to cause Amber's death. Kelly has lived all her life in this town and can't help herself, she seems to want to be an investigator herself, only angering Mike because she always seems to put herself in harm's way. This is a comfy, cozy story, with a little romance, good smelling meals prepared at the shop, which will make you hungry! Rest assured, this author wants to please her readers with more than a compelling story. She has included some recipes at the end of the story which are mentioned in this book. Yes, the story and menu items are savory! Enjoy it!
  
• 
  Dolores Ayotte

  Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Author Dianne Harman
  
  Kelly Conner is a widow who lost her husband to cancer at a very young age. She manages to raise her two young children by making a life for herself and her family at Kelly's Koffee Shop. Although Cedar Bay is a tourist town, even in the off season, Kelly's business prospers. The local people in this quaint little town frequent her establishment on a regular basis for good home cooking and the exchange of local news.
  
  On one particular morning, Amber, a local high school student and reliable employee of Kelly's, does not show up for work. Amber is daughter to Kelly's best friend Ginger and her husband Bob. Kelly is also Amber's godmother, therefore, the mysterious absence of Amber hits her especially hard. It doesn't take long to discover that she has been murdered and the residents of this little seaside town are in a state of shock. Before you know it, Kelly is caught up in trying to solve the murder of this young Homecoming Queen. She manages to identify five prime suspects and along with the county Sheriff and her boxer dog, Rebel, she sets out to solve this mystery.
  
  Kelly's Koffee Shop is a well-written murder mystery that is sure to appeal to a wide reading audience. It is a captivating, enjoyable, and similar to a present day Nancy Drew mystery novel. Good clean reading...can't wait to read Book 2 in this series!
  
  Inspirational Author & Book Reviewer ~ Dolores Ayotte
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Up-The-Down-Lad...
• 
  LORI CASWELL

  
  
  Dollycas’s Thoughts
  
  Kelly’s Koffee Shop sounds like quite a gathering spot. Cedar Bay seems beautiful and like a place I would love to visit.
  
  I like Kelly, she seems about my age with grown children and she has a wonderful canine companion too. She has a very close relationship with a certain law officer who willingly shares way too much information with her. They make a good team, but that would get him in trouble in a bigger town. They seem to work together with some assistance from Kelly’s pooch to solve the case.
  
  This is a very quick read but I think the conclusion was a bit forced and rushed. I think I am used to reading cozies that are twice as long that include a little more investigating and chasing suspects and clues. There were plenty of suspects and I would have liked a bit more information and detail about them. Part of the fun is the following the clues and eliminating the suspects.
  
  I did enjoy the story and look forward to reading more about Kelly and the folks of Cedar Bay. Murder at Jade Cove is already downloaded to my Kindle and White Cloud Retreat has just been released.
  
• 
  Andrea

  I like Dianne Harman's stories because they give a mind vacation in different parts of the country. This showed the life of Kelly running at place called "Kelly's Koffee Shop" at a little seaside town in Oregon and serves breakfast, lunch and gossip. Kelly notices that her god daughter, Amber's car wasn't in the usual place and starts looking for her. There is also a dog called Rebel and I love dogs and at the end of her books are recipes.
  
  
• 
  Lisa Morin

  I've seen this book and others in the series posted on Facebook. I decided to try it yesterday and it was a pretty good read. For me, a first in a new series is difficult, there is a lot of information that needs to be given.
  Kelly is the owner of the small town cafe and is a very likeable character. She has two adult children who live elsewhere and her husband has passed away. She has a relationship with the local sheriff and she seems happy with her life. She has a dog who she seems to love.
  This story revolves around a missing teen who seems to be well liked. She is Kelly's godchild and works in Kelly's cafe. When Amber doesn't show up for a morning shift, everyone is concerned. When her body is found in the water by a local fisherman, the whole town is shocked and saddened.
  Kelly seems to be eager to conduct an investigation and seems to put herself in harm's way. I haven't decided if I like such an aggressive protagonist, but I will definitely read the next in the series.
  The story was solid and it was an enjoyable book to read.
• 
  Anna Burke

  A quick read and a fun cozy mystery. This first Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery gets the series off to a great start. Murder, mayhem, a lovely small town setting, good food, and a loyal pooch--what more could you ask for in this lighthearted genre? The main character, and amateur sleuth, Kelly,is a likable, resourceful woman sure to keep readers coming back for more episodes. Since she owns the local coffee shop she's at the center of all the action that goes on in the community. When Kelly's goddaughter, the town's Homecoming Queen, goes missing the scene is set. The story unfolds, taking a few twists and turns, at a fast pace that keeps you on the case, until Kelly discovers who killed Amber? An engaging read, recommended to cozy mystery fans everywhere.
• 
  Julesy

  This is a short cozy that I listened on audio. I enjoyed the mystery very much, I liked the characters, cozy Cedar Bay location, and how the mystery was wrapped up. And that boxer dog, Rebel. What a hero he is! The only beef I had was the narrator Erin deWard. I felt as though everything was in slow motion with the narration. The narrator is very s-l-o-w and methodical. I switched over to using the Audible app where I could speed up the narration. By doing so, I was able to complete this almost 5-hour audio in one day! I am planning to read book #2 but I think I will read the ebook rather than listening to the audio.
  
  I am also interested in trying Harman's Liz Lucas cozy series.
• 
  Dab10 Dab10

  Kelly's Koffee Shop by Dianne Harman
  
  I can't lie I am a big fan of this authors work. Once again her descriptions of places make you want to book the trip and when she describes food my mouth waters. She made a small town that feels so real and characters come to life like old friends. Then she adds murder, mystery, secrets, love, and a great dog to make a cozy mystery that I will read again and again.
  Dab10
• 
  Cyndi

  I thought the characters were interesting, but I have a problem with Kelly being the best friends to the victims parents and we never heard from the parents in the story. I also had an issue that if a teacher or coach or other adult had their computer searched and it was found to have pornographic websites for children that the sheriff wouldn’t of immediately arrested him or at least taking him in for questioning.
• 
  Karen

  To be honest, I read this because it is set in Oregon. I found the premise a bit unbelievable. Kelly owns a café and a waitress that works for her is found murdered. Kelly is dating Mike, the Sheriff of Cedar Bay, and he shares way too much information about the investigation.