books

Tyora Moody

Books: Mystery

Joss Miller Mysteries: Double Mocha Blues (2023), A Latte Mayhem (2024), Mint Flavored Trouble (2024)

Joss Miller Mysteries

Double Mocha Blues (2023)

Double Mocha BluesJocelyn “Joss” Miller is releasing a podcast on the murder of her grandfather–an unsolved murder from more than fifty years ago.

This series is a spin off from another series, where apparently Joss discovered who her maternal grandmother was–and why her mother had been given up for adoption right after she was born. Joss now lives with her grandmother, while working at the local coffee shop.

Usually, Eleanor Olsen started the day with a caramel latte or, if she was being more health conscious, she ordered a green tea chai. I knew her writing was going strong when she started the day with black coffee.

As with most first books in a cozy mystery series, someone Joss had argued with is found dead, and Joss is suspected by some of murder, but not by one of the detectives on the case.

It’s a cozy mystery, despite the fact it deals with racism and town bullies.

Characters: Joss Miller, Detective Andre Baez, Nyla Masters, Fay Everett, Hailey Ramsey, Joe Phillips, Eleanor Olsen, Sammie Morrison, Claude McKnight, Maggie Nelson, DJ Blaze, Leesa Patterson, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Thelma, Clarice Miller, Chris Black, Officer John Lyons, Briana Jones, Albertine Lancaster, Rae Silva

Cover art: TywebbinCreations

Publisher: Tymm Publishing

Rating: NR

A Latte Mayhem (2024) #2

A Latte MayhemIt’s nearly the anniversary of the disappearance of Rebecca Montgomery, and Joss is considering doing the next season of her podcast about the artist who disappeared–especially since her friend Claude has repeatedly been accused of being behind her disappearance.

We argued the day before. Me and Becca. I never imagined that I would never see her again. It’s truly not a good idea to stay angry with someone.

Like the first book, Double Mocha Blues, I liked the mystery and the story and the characters. But also like the first book, I kept coming across copyediting errors that distracted me and threw me out of the story.

I like Joss and her friends and her family. I like how Joss tries to do the smart and safe thing and takes into consideration danger versus learning more.

I just wish the story had better editing.

Characters: Joss Miller, Detective Andre Baez, Claude McKnight, Fay, Liam Holbrook, Rick Nelson, Louise Hopkins, Simone Masters, Vivian Ashford, Eleanor Olsen, Ethan Turner, Rebecca Montgomery, Olivia Montgomery, Eugeena Patterson-Jones, Detective Grayson Beckett, Police Chief Nolan Whitaker, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Thelma, Nyla, Miranda

Cover art: TywebbinCreations

Publisher: Tymm Publishing

July 2025 | Rating: 7/10

Mint Flavored Trouble (2024) #3

Mint Flavored TroubleThis is the sequel to A Latte Mayhem, and finds Joss trying to prepare herself to testify in front of the grand jury about the incident with Caleb Davenport.

I tried to remember what my therapist had taught me. Breathe. Count. Ground yourself.

She is also wondering about doing a third season of her podcast, despite the problems of the previous season.

I had a list of cases that I’d pulled together, but the first two seasons had affected my mental health. If I continued the podcast, I needed to choose wisely.

The strengths of this story were Joss’s dealing with the aftermath of the attack in the previous book, and recognizing the danger those episodes had placed her in.

Here, she is again involved in looking at an unsolved death, this time a hit and run that had occurred a year before, only the widow and her husband’s family are not on speaking terms and things are fraught.

Joss didn’t do anything particularly stupid–in fact she tried to be as safe as was possible considering the circumstances, but sometimes I really had to wondering about her nosiness.

Characters: Joss Miller, Detective Andre Baez, Briana Jones, Fay Everett, Louise Hopkins, Eugeena Patterson-Jones, KJ / Khalil Rogers, Cindy, Evelyn Foster, Claude McKnight, Lily Hartman, Terrell Hartman, Marianne Hartman, Allison Hartman, Bishop Emerson Hartman, Bishop James Danvers, Grant Carlson, Sophia Carlson, Jake Reaves, Clarice Miller, Nate Miller, Leesa, Phil, Ricky, Devonté, Carolyn Becker, DJ Nyla B, Detective Grayson Beckett, Chief Prosecutor Michael Rutledge, Caleb Davenport

Cover by TywebbinCreations

Published by Tymm Publishing

September 2025 | Rating: 7/10