Death by Latte by Linda Gerber

(This is the sequel to mystery novel Death by Bikini and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it! Death by Latte will be much more enjoyable & understandable if you’ve read Death by Bikini first)

Although Aphra’s been missing Seth ever since his family was forced to move once again, Aphra’s determined to find the mother that left her years ago. And since Seth’s mother gave Aphra her mother’s address as thanks for helping her family out, Aphra will do just that. Heading to Seattle, Aphra is looking for her mother, Natalie and some answers, but what she gets is a lot more than that.

After arriving and finding her mother, Aphra gets a less than warm welcome and is hurt that her mother wants nothing more than to send her back to her father. She learns that her mother still has ties to the CIA and now works with and shares a flat with fellow CIA contact Joe and Stuart. But Natalie’s hasty plans to get Aphra back to her father and his remote resort island is foiled when Joe dies suddenly after being poisoned and Seth shows up, demanding Aphra give back the ring he had given her before their parting at the island. Seth’s ring, which seemed like a sentimental gift, may just hold a secret that many would kill for… Things are just getting more complicated, especially with some returning mysterious characters that Aphra had hoped that she had lost during her last adventure.

But Aphra won’t have much time to ponder her feelings for Seth as the both of them are on the run again with Natalie and Stuart. They’ll have to come down to the bottom of this mystery or they might just meet a sticky end! Who are their allies and who are their foes? Can Aphra and her mother work this out together? And as tides turn and more twists and turns and thrown into this treacherous journey, can they figure out who the trust and what to do?

This excellent sequel to Death by Bikini was just as thrilling as the first book! Aphra’s struggle to figure out her relationship with her mother and her attempts to understand and get closer to her mother was realistic, as was her struggles over her relationship with Seth. Her feelings are especially well expressed, which made this story all the more believable and characters easier to connect to. Death by Latte is filled with plenty of twists that’ll keep you at the edge of your seat and will leave you thirsty for more (sorry for the bad pun)!