Whole Latte Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory
About Whole Latte Murder
Ex-New Yorker and local diner owner Gia Morelli is still getting used to the sweltering Florida sun. But this summer she’ll have to deal with a more dangerous kind of heat — when she’s hot on the trail of another murderer . . .
Summer in Boggy Creek has arrived, and Gia’s best friend, successful real estate agent Savannah, is getting hitched. Now she’s enlisted Gia’s sleuthing talents in a desperate search for the perfect wedding dress. But when Savannah mysteriously vanishes after showing a mansion to a bigwig client, Gia investigates the house Savannah was trying to sell.
The first clue she finds is Savannah’s car in the driveway. Inside the house, they stumble on Savannah’s potential buyer — dead. Someone had apparently closed the deal — with a two by four full of nails to the client’s head. Soon afterward, a woman’s body is fished from the lake near the same house. The townsfolk are now sweating bullets over the murders, and the heat comes down on poor Gia to find her missing friend, and track down the killer . . .
About the Character Guest Post
A Day in the Life of Gia Morelli
Hi, I’m Gia Morelli, owner of the All-Day Breakfast Café. Until last year, I spent my days working behind the counter of a busy delicatessen in the heart of Manhattan. But that was before a series of unfortunate circumstances sent me fleeing to central Florida in an attempt to escape my past. If only I’d known then what I know now, but anyway…
Now, I start off each morning scanning my new yard at the edge of the Ocala National Forest for critters before making a mad dash for my car—if the coast is clear. It’s not always. On the days said critters are blocking my path, I spend my mornings searching for someone to remove and “relocate” them as far as possible from my domain. Don’t judge. I was born and raised in New York City. I’m used to cats, dogs, pigeons, even rats on occasion. I was not prepared for alligators, bears, snakes—poisonous ones!—or the mother of all spiders—the thing had hair, for crying out loud.
I also spend my days creating a mental list and checking off the positives and negatives of living in Florida. The critters definitely go in the minus column, but the amazing new people I’ve met are a big plus.
My best friend, Savannah, goes in the plus column too. I don’t know what I would have done without her for the past couple of years. In addition to being my rock, the only friend who stood by my side when things got rough, she also found my house, helped me set up the café, and lent a shoulder to cry on whenever I needed it. When she insisted on taking me to the animal shelter to pick out a puppy, I thought she must have lost her mind. But then I found Thor, the adorable black, rust, and white Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, and fell in love. Now, I can’t imagine life without him, or our new kitten, Klondike. Other than work, because I’d get shut down for sure, Thor goes pretty much everywhere with me, thanks to Savannah.
She has the uncanny ability to know what I need, even when I don’t have a clue. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. She even keeps her cousin, Detective Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous, from being too hard on me and pushing me for a relationship I’m not ready for.
And now, Savannah’s getting married. I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, I couldn’t be happier for her and her fiancé, Leo, who has loved her since they were kids. On the other hand, Savannah practically lives with me now, and I’m going to miss her terribly, even if she does move close by. So, for now, I’m trying not to think about any of that while we plan her wedding. Now, if we could just get through the wedding preparations without anything else going wrong.
About Lena Gregory
Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, and the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest.
Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.
To learn more about Lena and her latest writing endeavors, visit her website and be sure to sign up for her newsletter.
