Holiday Grind is the 8th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle. This Christmas-themed installment is the perfect read for cold winter nights—alongside a latte or cup of coffee, of course.
In Holiday Grind, Clare investigates the death of a jolly neighborhood Santa Claus (named Alfred “Alf” Glockner) after she stumbles upon his body in a deserted alley.
In addition to doing that, Clare’s also dealing with the new outspoken “do-rag” detective on the police force, and suspects her hottie detective boyfriend Mike Quinn is cheating on her. As usual, Clare lands herself in some kooky situations, including masquerading as Santa’s “sexiest little helper” at a VIP party.
Holiday Grind is probably my least favorite novel in this series so far. The entire story feels distant, detached, and far away. I was never interested in finding out who killed Alf and why, because it was difficult to get into this one. It seems like the book went overboard on the holiday theme, which overshadowed the plot and made the book far too silly to be enjoyable. On the plus side, we do get lots of fun holiday drinks and recipe in this one.
The Clare-Matt-Mike love triangle continues to sizzle and entertain. Sometimes, I think the dynamic between Clare and two two men is more interesting to read about than the mysteries themselves.
There’s a fun bonus section at the end of this book, loaded with information, trivia, and recipes, including instructions for making the perfect “Fa-la-la-la-latte.”
Is Clare even considered an amateur sleuth anymore, considering we’re on book #8? Also, the title of this book sounds more X-rated than cozy mystery, don’t you think?
There are 22+ books in the Coffeehouse mystery series. The books that come after Holiday Grind are:
- #9 – Roast Mortem (2010)
- #10 – Murder by Mocha (2011)
- #11 – A Brew To Kill (2012)
I’ve also reviewed the predecessors to Holiday Grind, which are #6 – French Pressed and #7 – Espresso Shot.
What do you think about this series?
Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by Sarah Ann
Affiliate Disclosure: There may be affiliate links in this content. This means I earn a small commission if you buy anything from those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
Leave a Reply