Cleo Coyle Books

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Cleo Coyle is an American author that writes mystery novels. The pen name belongs to Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini, a husband and wife team. Alfonsi, who comes from an Italian family in a working-class neighborhood, attended Carnegie Mellon University.

Cerasini, who also hails from an Italian family in a working-class neighborhood, attended Ohio University, Athens. Initially, the pair worked separately, writing reviews, articles, fiction, and nonfiction. Cerasini is responsible for ‘O.J. Simpson: American Hero, American Tragedy,’ which sold 700,000 copies.

Alfonsi worked on ‘Hidden Passions,’ a New York Times bestseller, as a ghostwriter. Eventually, Alfonsi’s editor encouraged the pair to collaborate on a literary tie-in attached to the TV series ‘24.’ Alfonso and Cerasini learned volumes during the process, especially when the TV show’s story editor entered the equation and advised them.

They also enjoyed working together. When Berkley started searching for new mystery writers, Alfonsi and Cerasini proposed the Coffeehouse Mysteries and the Haunted Bookshop mysteries.

Both series did so well that the authors abandoned their day jobs to write full-time. Writing as a couple is fulfilling for Alfonsi and Cerasini because most writers live an isolated existence. They spend hours alone, working on their manuscripts, and their relationships always suffer.

Laypeople outside the publishing arena don’t understand why an author obsesses over a manuscript, dedicating months of their year to imaginary characters and daydreaming during conversations because they can’t stop finetuning scenes and storylines in their imaginations.

It doesn’t take long for that kind of mindset to strain platonic and romantic connections. Fortunately for Alfonsi, her husband is a writer. They understand the sacrifices they must make to meet deadlines.

Cerasini has noticed that their individual experiences benefit the collaborative process. Because they don’t necessarily think alike, Cerasini and Alfonsi will occasionally surprise one another, which is always pleasant.

If they can surprise one another with their contributions to each novel, they expect the book to deliver the same experience to the reader. This doesn’t mean things are always smooth sailing. They both get so caught up in the writing and creative process that the housework suffers.

But that is a sacrifice they are both willing to make. They share brainstorming duties. Once they have a rough outline, Alfonso and Cerasini will go their separate ways to develop their respective sections of the story, reuniting later on to discuss new ideas.

Brainstorming never stops. Cerasini won’t hesitate to wake Alfonsi from her sleep in the middle of the night because he just thought of a great solution to a difficult character or plot-related problem.

They don’t restrict their work to a particular time of the day or night. The pair have no qualms about discussing their manuscripts during grocery shopping or as they do the dishes. This is another benefit to their arrangement as a married couple that writes collaboratively.

Best Cleo Coyle Books

The authors keep things fresh by identifying the changes that occur in the real world and applying those changes to their settings and characters. Cleo Coyle’s best books include:

On What Grounds: Clare Cosi manages a historic village blend coffeehouse, and her life is about to take a nasty turn. Someone murdered the assistant manager. Although, no one is using the word ‘Murder.’ Two detectives investigated the death and ruled out foul play.

They found no sign of forced entry. As such, they dismissed the victim’s death as an accident. But Clare is not convinced. Something doesn’t feel right. And if the police won’t listen to her, she will take matters into her own hands. After all, if someone murdered the assistant manager, doesn’t that mean she’s in danger?

Through The Grinder: Clare is a divorcee with a busy life. She has a daughter in college and a quaint coffee shop. Clare is hardly an expert in murder. But murders seem to follow her. This time around, the victims are local singles.

She can’t tell whether the killer is picking his victim from local singles mixers or a dating website. Either way, the last thing Clare wants is for her daughter to date a murderer. She needs to find the killer before it’s too late.

Lieutenant Quinn thinks he knows the culprit. Unfortunately, he has set his sights on a man Clare likes. Clare must put everything on the line to find the real killer.

When Does The Next Cleo Coyle book come out?

The next book by Cleo Coyle is No Roast for the Weary and will be released on April, 1st 2025. It is the newest book in the Coffeehouse Mystery Series.

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