Holiday grind

Christmas in Greenwich Village, and Clare Cosi finds Alf Glockner, a part-time comedian working the season as a charity Santa and a fixture at the Village Blend, shot dead in an alley near the coffeehouse. The police file it as a random killing. Alf's daughter does not believe it, and neither does Clare.

With Detective Mike Quinn buried in a homicide of his own and the detective assigned to Alf's case openly uninterested, Clare works the list of people Alf had been checking twice. The names on it turn out to be a good deal less than nice, and one of them is willing to put Clare over the rail of the Staten Island Ferry to keep her quiet.

A holiday entry in the series, warm with seasonal drinks and Village atmosphere, and closing as always with Cleo Coyle's recipes and coffee-making tips.