Fresh Brewed Murder

This new cozy mystery centres around the food truck scene in Portland, Oregon and it is a good blend of coffee and murder with a splash of humour, a sprinkle of potential romance and the promise of intriguing future story lines. 

The plot balances the murder mystery with the local coffee culture well and I appreciated how the author set her mystery within important social issues such as homelessness and gentrification. I learned more about coffee but, at times, the detailed coffee descriptions were a bit too much for this Plain Jane 'double double' coffee drinker. Sage was an okay main character, but she's a bit bland and I hope we see a bit more chutzpah from her (and her friend Harley who was pretty much ignored) in future books.

This is a cozy mystery with a social conscience that has good twists and is a java lover's dream.  I think the author has set herself up with a few interesting plot options in future books - particularly Sage's Uncle Jimmy and her nefarious mother hovering in the wings. Coffee lovahs will enjoy the recipes included at the end of the book.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Kensington Books for my complimentary copy of this book given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Emmeline Duncan

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: #1 in the Ground Rules mystery series

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Kensington Books

First Published: March 30, 2021

Opening Line: I'm still waiting for the day when 

I magically turn into an adult.

Book Description from GoodReads: Portland is famous for its rain, hipsters, craft beers . . . and coffee. Sage Caplin has high hopes for her coffee cart, 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 cart, a fatal slash across his neck. There’s been plenty of anger in the air, from longtime vendors annoyed at Ground Rules taking a coveted spot in the food truck lot, to protesters 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, come to a bitter end.