Description

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As the owner of Portland, Oregon’s popular Ground Rules coffee cart, hard-working young master barista Sage Caplin is excited to expand her business with a brick-and mortar store. But not everyone gives her a warm welcome . . .

Ground Rules isn’t the only newcomer set to open in Portland’s grand new Button Building. Fortunately, most of the fellow micro-restaurant owners and patrons are great—with two exceptions. There’s Rose, a true-crime podcaster and active TikToker who’s pestering Sage for an interview about her estranged con-artist mother; and Bianca, the familiar and perpetually unpleasant owner of Breakfast Bandits. Bianca is abrasive to everyone, so Sage doesn’t feel singled out. . . . Until Bianca falls dead at the building’s grand opening—a to-go cup of Ground Rules coffee in her hand. Laced with Ketamine, also known as Special K.

It doesn’t help that just before she collapsed, Bianca was publicly rude to Sage. Or that Bianca’s boyfriend points the police toward Sage. Or that Rose, still hung up on investigating Sage’s mom, has declared she’ll solve the murder. Now it will be up to Sage to sift through a complex blend of motives, blackmail, and old and new rivalries to get to the truth of a very bitter brew . . .

About the Author

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Emmeline Duncan is the Portland, Oregon-based author of the Ground Rules Mystery Series, as well as YA novels written under the name Kelly Garrett. She is a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow, a board member of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and co-organizer of the Friends of Mystery's Bloody Thursday lecture series. She's also a member of Sisters-In-Crime, Willamette Writers, and SCBWI. Visit her online at EmmelineDuncan.com, on Instagram and Facebook as @writeremmelineduncan, and on twitter as @duncanemmeline.

Praise For…

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Praise for the Ground Rules Mystery series by Emmeline Duncan:
 
“Portland’s beloved food carts provide a tantalizing backdrop for a new cozy mystery by Portland author Emmeline Duncan…A creative way to address both the quirkiness and the more dismaying aspects of life in contemporary Portland.” —The Sunday Oregonian on Fresh Brewed Murder
 
“Duncan’s strong debut and series launch…Lively characters help propel the intricate plot. Cozy fans will hope to see a lot more of Sage and friends.” —Publishers Weekly on Fresh Brewed Murder
 
“Coffee-lovers, this book is for you…Sage Caplin is wise beyond her years thanks to her troubled early childhood. Her deep love and knowledge of Portland, as well as her motley crew of relatives and friends—encompassing bar owners, lawyers, street-wise social workers, and a grifter mother—will undoubtedly populate future storylines.” —Criminal Element on Fresh Brewed Murder

“[A] clever sophomore installment…embraces coffee and music culture in an entirely wholesome way, even as Sage has to puzzle her way through a murder mystery that is light on clues and heavy on suspects. Bonus points, too, for the introduction of an adorable orange cat who adopts Ground Rules for its own.” —Criminal Element on Double Shot Death
 
“A clever sleuth, music trivia, and plenty of West Coast vibes add up to an enjoyable read.” —Kirkus Reviews for Double Shot Death
 
“Solid prose, a well-crafted plot, and plenty of coffee lore draw the reader in.” —Publishers Weekly on Double Shot Death
 
“Great characters, fun setting and coffee–lots and lots of coffee.” —Lisa Joyce, Portland Public Library (Portland, ME)
 
“All of the delicious coffee talk you could want without it ever becoming overwhelming to the story…Perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle, Abby Collette, or Tara Lush.” —Laura Eckert, Clermont County Public Library (Milford, OH)