Fresh Brewed Murder
The Blurb
Portland is famous for its rain, hipsters, craft beers: food trucks, and coffee. Sage Caplin has high hopes for her coffee truck, Ground Rules, which she runs with her business partner, Harley, a genius at roasting beans and devising new blends. That’s essential in a city where locals have intensely strong opinions about cappuccino versus macchiato, especially in the case of one of Sage’s very first customers.
Sage finds the man’s body in front of her truck, a fatal slash across his neck. There’s been plenty of anger in the air, from long-time vendors annoyed at Ground Rules taking a coveted spot in the food truck lot to protestors demonstrating against a new high-rise. But who was mad enough to commit murder? Sage is already fending off trouble in the form of her estranged, con-artist mother, who’s trying to trickle back into her life. But when Sage’s very own box cutter is discovered to be the murder weapon, she needs to focus on finding the killer fast before her business, and her life comes to a bitter end.
The Details
Series: A Ground Rules Mystery – Book #1
Author: Emmeline Duncan
Genre/Category: Cozy – Business/Coffee Shop
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 1496733398
Page Count: 240
Rating: 
The Review
“A Ground Rules Mystery “ is a new series by author Emmeline Duncan. Fresh Brewed Murder is the first installment in this new series. Based on the food truck industry, Sage and Harley open a coffee business in the heart of the city. People are not happy that the girls could grab one of the coveted spots in a prime location while others who have been waiting were denied. Soon after opening their truck, a murder takes place, and Sage finds herself as the prime suspect and worried that one of her upset business neighbors might be setting her up to take the blame.
The main characters in this new series are enjoyable to learn about. Sage and Harley’s coffee truck is described well, and the coffee concoctions sound delicious. Intrigue surrounds some of the other characters, and I would like to see more background on all the characters in the next book, especially Uncle Jimmy and Sage’s mother.
Suspects range from Sage to other vendors that run trucks and some of the coffee drinkers who stop by to homeless teenagers. Motives are not all that clear; however, even when they are spelled out, they don’t quite add up. The killer, once discovered, isn’t a big surprise yet somehow manages to make readers stop and think over what they have read. There may be a bit too much attention to Gen Z and Millennials in this book for some readers. The food truck industry, which at one time ruled the city streets, has made a come back recently. This makes for an original and unique spin on a cozy series. As a long-time coffee drinker who appreciates those who roast their own beans, I look forward to seeing this series and the characters grow. Fresh Brewed Murder is a good start to this series.
The Author
Emmeline Duncan is a mystery writer based out of Portland, Oregon. Her novels include the Ground Rules series, starting with 2021’s Fresh Brewed Murder, food truck/coffee based.
Emmeline also writes YA novels as Kelly Garrett. Her debut YA, The Last To Die, was an Oregon Book Awards finalist and was re-issued by Sourcebooks Fire in November 2019. Kelly is also a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow.
Emmeline/Kelly is a board member of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and co-organizes Friends of Mystery’s Bloody Thursday lecture series. She’s also a member of Sisters-In-Crime, Willamette Writers, and SCBWI.
Other books that have coffee as a major part of the story may enjoy Alex Erickson’s delightful Death by French Roast from the “A Bookstore Cafe Mystery” series.
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