When Lana Lewis loses her job, and her marriage fails disastrously, at the ripe old age of thirty she decides to return home to the island where her father lives, as a kind of beatnik/flower child, as he tries to recover from the death of her mother. Her mom ran a local coffee shop/hangout called Perkatory. It served only “good” coffee. Her mom had traveled the world to find just the right beans, and they all, her mom, pop and Lana, were knowledgeable about coffee and its various ways of being served. Lana and her baristas were preparing for a coffee preparation contest when her most popular lady’s man barista, Fab, was found dead, discovered by Lana as she returned from an award ceremony celebrating her past journalist career. Fab had been trying to train her to make superb decorative lattes, which they would be required to display at the competition.
Lana begins to wonder how Fab died. Was he drunk, did he fall, did he commit suicide or was he murdered? She had had a terrible argument with him the day of his death because he had quit without notice and had left her in the lurch. Her journalist instinct drives her to investigate his death, and she and the local police chief cross paths. He is an eligible bachelor, and although she seems disinterested, not wanting to start another relationship after her marriage failed so miserably, their friendship blossoms. Lana is an old-fashioned girl. Her husband was her first lover. She had helped him polish his style and approach to the public, and he had become a well-known television journalist. He, on the other hand, had demolished her confidence with his infidelity and their divorce.
As luck would have it, prior to Fab’s death, another barista had applied for a job. Erica was now hired. She is a wonderful complement to the insecure Lana, because Erica is overly confident, cheerful and eternally positive. Between this free-spirited woman and Lana’s dad, who is into yoga and medical marijuana, Lana begins to recover from her disappointments in life. So, dear reader, you see that these are not goody-two shoes types of characters, but real, interesting characters, with personalities that will grow on the reader because while not perfectly wholesome, they are not the opposite either.
The characters are so charming, and even likeable when they are heavily flawed, that even with the murder mystery hanging over the story, it is really easy on the eyes. There are no scenes that are over the top. Even the revelation of a life with hints of BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Dominance and Sadism), a practice sometimes described as "sadomasochism", the novel is easy on the palate. The author uses a light hand at all times so that tension is created without the usual heavy hand of other authors. Like a smooth cup of coffee, every scene goes down with ease. This is the kind of book I used to read, when I was younger, and it is really nice to discover that there are still books being written that are reminiscent of a much simpler, kinder time and place.
The reader will want to find a place just like Lana’s mom’s Perkatory. A place where one can simply relax, can just sit and chat while sharing the local gossip, without worrying about anyone being disturbed as they are banging away on their computer. The book is about a time when romance was easy, conversation was fun and not threatening, and everyone wasn’t in the business of being macho. This book is about life without the foul language and over the top eroticism so often inserted into books today, merely for effect. It isn’t about race or rampant crime. It is about how life used to be. The characters accept each other, regardless of background or successful career. The characters are simply human, as we all used to think we were. This coffee shop’s owners and employees enjoy their work and their camaraderie with the customers. They are family. This is a coffee shop the reader will want to visit again and again. Hopefully, there are more coffee shop novels to come.
Like a comfortable pair of shoes or a toothbrush that needs to be replaced, but you can’t bring yourself to do so because it has become a faithful companion, if there are more books like this, they will become your buddies, your comfortable friends. This book was a pleasure to read. The time is before masks, before political firestorms, and it is in a place that is not super sophisticated with technology wherever one turns or super CEO’s and the rich and famous. It is, in short, a place that feels good, feels normal, the way life used to be. It is a nice place to visit and hang around awhile, maybe even to live. I yearn for a place like Devil’s Island, a place to sit and relax without the angst that is present today everywhere one looks.
I believe that every reader will set out to find a Perkatory. after reading this book. Is there such a place? I sure hope so. It won’t be a Starbucks with its hype and noise. Put this book on your nightstand, on your desk, next to your most comfortable chair and begin to read it. You will not be disappointed. The pages will fly by as it contains a little bit of romance, a little bit of humor, a little bit of danger and a little bit of suspense, and even when the plot becomes obvious, and the reader may figure out the mystery, the book will not lose its magnetic pull on you. The book is about a place we would all like to visit, a place where life seems less complicated and relationships less fraught, a place where, in the end, the people seem to genuinely want to like and be kind to each other. It is a place that is not quite nirvana, but it will do quite well.
I received this from Meryl Moss Media, and I was glad I did.