No Filter (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery)

I am excited to share with you a new cozy mystery series by Heather Day Gilbert. While I love cozies, I start a new one with much trepidation. Will there be sex on the page or a lot of innuendoes? Will there be bad language? I am thrilled to say No Filter , #1 Barks & Beans Café Cozy Mysteries, fits every category I am looking for in a cozy:1. Small town setting2. No bad language3. No sex4. Amateur sleuth5. Murder not presented in gory manner6. Bit of Romance (my addition)In No Filter, we find Macy and Bo Hatfield, unlucky-at-love siblings who decide to retreat to their small town origins, Lewisburg, West Virginia. Not giving up, they open up a coffee shop combo therapy dog petting area. Now Gilbert has my full attention, and the shop gets its dogs from the local shelter, to give the dogs for adoption more publicity. Looking up Lewisburg, WV, right now on my GPS. Think it would be a great place to live.But maybe not. There are the “haves” and the “haves snot.” The mingling of these two classes at the local spiritual center-country club leads to murder, art fencing, and a wealth of possible culprits. I felt there were a lot of characters to keep straight, but we will see many of these players again in book 2, Iced Over, and book 3, Fair Trade.Only one complaint- I am seriously considering whether people can be both coffee connoisseurs and tea aficionados at same time! I’d be surprised if Great Danes don’t become popular after this series. I loved the sibling loyalty and strong bond. I enjoyed seeing the set-up of possible romances (I already have my “teams” going)! I even enjoyed seeing unlikely characters succeed to benefit the town. But watch out! Gilbert manages to find a way to leave you hanging by a thread!I need to cool down. Bring on Iced Over!!Quotes to Note:“No, I'd rather have both feet on the ground than feel them getting sucked in with ocean water where fish pooped, sharks lurked, and currents could catch and kill you.”“She seemed to be a wealth of information, and she had no hesitation in sharing it.”

Oh do I love this new series! Siblings Bo and Macy Hatfield were such awesome characters who definitely used their brains before proceeding into possible danger. Most of the time Macy was very good about keeping her brother in the loop about her investigating until she found out a reason why it was extra dangerous, even to him. I don't want to give away any of the fun details, but after learning more about the brother and sister duo, I kind of suspected there would be an ongoing story line which was actually a mini cliff hanger, but that makes me all the more anxious to read the next book.Dogs and a cafe, win-win to me, and it ended up helping the local animal shelter so much that they nearly ran out of dogs to adopt out. I really liked the character of Summer, the girl who ran the shelter and was glad to see that she and Macy hit it off as good friends. Hopefully she'll get together with Bo. Macy had a couple of possibilities for guys who seemed to like her, so it'll be interesting to watch that play out in future books. There were some great red herrings, and I hadn't guessed the killer. The showdown was absolutely awesome with Coal, the Great Dane saving the day. Macy couldn't have adopted a cooler more intelligent dog!

No Filter utterly charmed this reader! Coffee + dogs + a cozy mystery = pure happiness in book form. Macy Hatfield joins her brother in a new business venture - Barks and Beans Cafe. One side is a coffee shop, while the other side allows guests to visit with (and possibly adopt) shelter dogs. As the owner of one shelter dog and one foundling, I adored this idea and feel it makes a delightful set-up for the series.Macy Hatfield's character is a fun character to me. She's a little jaded and prickly, but she also has a soft heart and an inquisitive nature. Her relationship with her brother, Beau, is endearing, and I enjoyed their banter and care for one another. Little do either of them know that adopting one of the shelter dogs leads to some dangerous consequences.Usually I can make fairly good guesses about the culprit in mystery novels, but in this case, I really didn't have any good guesses. It truly felt like it could have been several different people. I found the mystery to be superbly done. I adore the small town setting and the varying array of secondary characters - it really makes the setting pop when people and places come to life like this. I also appreciate that it's a clean story, too, with no language or suggestive scenes.No Filter is a great start to a new series and an all-around delight to read - the perfect read for a hot summer afternoon - or really anytime you want to while away the time in a fun fictional world.

Heather Day Gilbert starts off a new cozy mystery series with No Filter and it totally works. A coffee shop with a dog petting area. I didn't even need the coffee. Just the dogs would do it for me.Macy Hatfield has come out of a divorce and moves back to her West Virginia hometown and goes in with her big brother on an odd new venture, the Barks and Beans Café. Soon, though, a murder happens and Macy ends up adopting the victim's Great Dane. Now, let me tell you: I love a good mystery and Gilbert does it well, but this dog just made the book in my opinion. I want him to come live with me!Bo and Macy Hatfield make a fine team as they sniff out the suspects in this crime, and more to come in future books! I absolutely love the idea of a petting area in a coffee shop where you can go sit and surround yourself with dog love. The coffee isn't bad, either. Recommended.*My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. The opinions here are entirely my own.

'No Filter' is a solid first chapter in the Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery. I loved the idea of a cafe where the clients can pet dogs, and it fits nicely into the investigation. The dog Coal is also a lot of fun and an integral part of the plot. I see great potential for this series and look forward to the next chapters.

Mystery readers will love the sister and brother duo—and Coal, the Great Dane—in Heather Day Gilbert’s new Barks & Beans Café Mystery Series.Bo’s the coffee guy, and Macy’s the dog lover. Together, they run the Barks & Beans Café. Bo is ex-military, which will come in handy when the mystery part of the story starts. The café staff are an eclectic and interesting group, as are the clientele, and the café treats sound delicious.No Filter is a clean cozy mystery and a fun read, and I’m fond of Coal, the Great Dane. Macy and Bo have a really strong sibling relationship. It’s good to see support instead of bickering. I like their banter and the way each has the other’s back.

That was a very good cosy mystery. I liked the idea of mixing dogs and coffee. The mystery was well written. Good Characters and settings. I'll read the next one!