Sage managed to score a lucrative spot at a music festival and soon found out she had to deal with a murder on the grounds as well as her food cart neighbor staring daggers at her all weekend. That breakfast cart lady had serious issues with fear of competition, so it wasn't like Sage in particular did anything to deserve the stares. Add a very pesky, intrusive podcaster into that mix, and I don't think I'd be enjoying myself there very much lol.

Bax and Sage are so cute together, and he's incredibly helpful when it comes to doing anything she needs. When he started hanging out with one of the women musicians who'd performed the score for a video game he did, Sage got a little jealous but found out later her fears were for nothing.

The showdown was pretty exciting with Sage thinking on her feet as she lured the person into false security. Once the killer was hauled away, the rest of the weekend was peaceful. Podcaster Grace got a surprise scoop, and Bax went home with a new cat. Like Sage, I'm curious as to what her future holds and am eager to read the next in series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Double Shot Death is the sequel to Fresh Brewed Murder, which took Sage and her coffee cart on the road to a music festival just outside of Portland city limits. Everything at the festival is eco-friendly except the dead body Sage stumbles upon, which causes the police to look at her as a suspect. It's up to Sage to clear her name once again.

This is a very millennium cozy type book. I read a lot of mystery books so I was able to figure out who “dunnit” pretty easy but there was plenty of suspects to keep you guess. The coffee references and puns became a bit much for me but over if you enjoy cozies, music and coffee you would enjoy this book.

This book was sadly not for me. While I like the backdrop of the coffee scene, it’s almost a meme of itself (I can’t function without coffee! Coffee cures everything! I may murder someone if I don’t get my morning cup! etc). It’s too much coffee at times.

I also found the characters really hard to get to know. I didn’t really care about the dead guy, or Sage, or the many others who make appearances in the book. Sage seems to not have very much depth… after finding a dead guy she just frolics off to serve her coffee. The characters lacked development and thus I wasn’t rooting for anyone. There’s also a lot of ineffective dialogue and chatter that you could skip through without actually missing anything meaningful to the plot.

The book needs a good edit… there’s a lot of repetition (Sage tells the reader twice within a couple of sentences that the coffee shop has had her “hopping”, and we’re introduced to the boyfriend several times.)

This is a pass for me, but perhaps those who liked the first book will also enjoy this one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Two of my favorite things combine in this book - coffee and a music festival. Campathon is the perfect setting for this second book and introduction of Sage's second mini coffee truck. I love the idea of a reinvented horse trailer and reading about all her inventive drinks throughout the book had me constantly craving anything caffeinated. Here herbal teas also sounded absolutely delish. Sage takes full advantage of the barista effect, where strangers will vent to her and tell her anything that is on their mind / they observe going on, which makes it perfect for her to sleuth without even realizing she's doing it. Though a motive for murder seems very extreme and none of the characters seem vicious enough to do it, there are plenty of people who were seen arguing with the murder victim before his demise. However, the story was laid perfectly and I did not see the true motive coming. I enjoyed all the musical aspects of this book and even reading some lyrics and it just made me want to sit in a camp chair, close my eyes, and enjoy the bands. I love Bax and Sage together and am so glad to see how their relationship is progressing. I already can't wait for more of this series!

The setting for this one was very interesting. The main character, Sage, operates a coffee cart which for the purposes of Double Shot Death is based at a three day music festival. Of course she discovers dead bodies, is a police suspect, and solves the murders herself. That is de rigueur for a cosy!

The story was good, the characters were fine and the murderer was not obvious. All good. However the coffee theme was played a little too hard. I ended up wishing at least one customer would order a plain cappuccino. The VIP customer who keeps coming back for more and more complicated drinks would not only have been zinging on caffeine but also enormously fat by the end of the festival.

Still definitely worth reading and following up with the next book.

Sage is happy to be selling coffee at the Campathon festival with her boyfriend Max. At least until she finds the body of Ian, who manages the band fronted by Bax's friend Maya- and he's holding one of her coffee cup. Sage, daughter of a law enforcement officer, thinks she can find the real murderer and ignores the advice of her brother, an attorney. It's classic cozy territory with a good setting (full of Portland quirks). She's a younger protagonist than many in the genre but that doesn't mean the reader won't find this a rewarding and twisty mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Second in the series but fine as a standalone and I'm looking for a third.

I did not care for this book as much as I enjoyed the first in the series. Love the coffee aspects, but Sage was kind of annoying in this book and spent too much time being neurotic about her boyfriend. Hopefully the series will improve as the offer cart setting is unique.

As I read more cozy mysteries, I find that I am enjoying cozies that are less cutesy and have well developed stories and characters. In Double Shot Death, the second in the Ground Rules mystery series by Emmeline Duncan, we follow along with Sage and her boyfriend Bax to attend a weekend long music festival. Sage was asked to set up her coffee cart at the festival when another coffee vendor had to cancel. Although Sage is hoping for a relaxing weekend of good food and music with Bax, she soon stumbles upon a dead body.

In a lot of cozies, the same formula is followed where the main character is determined to find out who the killer is. I liked that Sage wasn't out to find the killer, customers at her coffee cart kept talking about the death, and gave her information, or she would over hear bits of conversations during the festival.

Sage is kind and introspective. She is able to read her customers and those around her by paying attention to their body language. Sage stands up for herself and others in a way that is empowering. Her brother Jackson also attended the festival, her Dad and uncle Jimmy were mentioned in the story as well as her business partner Harley and new employee Kendall.

There were several characters who could've been the killer, but I was surprised to find out who the killer actually was. I am looking forward to reading more about Sage, her relationship with Bax and her growing coffee empire!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington, and the author for the e-ARC.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed the sequel to Fresh Brewed Murder, which took Sage on the road to a music festival. I loved the setting & felt like I was there. I really wish it were a real place & a real coffee cart so I could visit!! I loved the coffee talk/descriptions (& there are even recipes in the back!!). Honestly, I would read these books just to learn more about coffee (who knew coffee was discovered by a goatherd??). But the mystery/murder in this one felt very secondary & almost insignificant. The motive seemed very weak & I just wasn’t invested in the mystery at all. But I would read about just Sage & her coffee all day long!

Double Shot Death by Emmeline Duncan is the second book in the Ground Rules Mysteries and I loved the first book "Fresh Brewed Murder" so I was excited to read this. The series is set in Portland, Oregon and follows Sage Caplin and her new coffee business. The series is a modern take on the cozy. It's a bit grittier, younger and appeals to the modern mystery reader.
In this book Sage is running her new coffee cart at a sustainable music festival. She attends the festival with her new boyfriend Bax and her roomate/lawyer brother is also there with his friends. This is a new venture for Sage's business and she's very excited to attend. Of course, things take a turn when she discovers the body of a local music manager when opening her coffee cart on the second day at the festival. She's once again a suspect and must try and uncover what's really going on.
There is a lot of development in Sage and Bax's relationship in this book. A side story involving Bax and a female musician friend that has Sage concerned. The introduction of Bax's child and his ex. So there's def. a bit of romance in this one too.
I enjoyed the mystery, although I did miss some of the side characters we got to know in book one. Being away from the city and having this book focus on just a 4 day festival limited the cast of old characters. I'm very excited to read book three, especially with Sage and her partner opening up a brick and mortar.

This second entry into the series offers new characters, a new location, and even introduces the cozy mystery semi-obligatory feline companion. This time Sage and the Ground Rules crew set up shop at a music festival where it doesn’t take long for the bodies to begin piling up. Sage is in the thick of it from the get go and the coffee cart is the one place every suspect is bound to turn up. We don’t hear much from Sage’s interesting family beyond her brother, which is a loss, but we learn more about her boyfriend’s family situation. I look forward to spending more time with these characters and reading about delicious caffeinated concoctions.

This book just wasn’t for me. Although I’m a huge fan of cozy mysteries, this book just screamed millennial. I found the plot boring and the characters annoying - the mystery was easy to solve. My favorite part of the book was the recipes at the end which I’ll be sure to try.

This series continues to delight me. In the second installment of the coffee cart mysteries, Sage is taking the coffee on the road! It turns out murder is afoot at an eco-friendly music festival. The setting was delightful, but I wish it had stayed at the pod to deepen some of the secondary characters. We barely got any Harley in this one! The concept would have been better as book… 3 or 4. However, the mystery was well done with plenty of suspects around. I really like Sage and will eagerly await the next book!

An enjoyable and unique premise for a cozy mystery. Taking the main character on the road to a music festival feels fresh and younger than most cozies. Although this is the second book in the series and I haven't read the first, it was easy to figure out the backstory and learn who everyone was. I was not able to guess the murderer so I would say it's a great mystery. I also loved the recipes at the end. My only complaint is that the world felt a bit small, despite the size of the festival and number of attendees. I truly felt like I was in the coffee cart much of the time and there wasn't enough "non-investigation" plot for my taste.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the second book in the Ground Rules mystery series. I have read the first book and I do recommend reading them in order.

Sage and the new ground rules cart are serving coffee at an annual eco-friendly festival held on a farm outside of Portland called Campathon. Her boyfriend, Bax, has joined her for a weekend of fun and also to see his friend Maya perform.

Unfortunately, there are tensions between Maya and her former bandmates, who are on the cusp of making it big, and with Ian, the band’s manager. Sage is on her way to open the cart when she stumbles upon Ian’s dead body in the nearby woods. Can Sage help to clear Maya and find the real killer?

This is an excellent series and I recommend it for any fan of cozy mysteries. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Sage and her friends!

This was a nice second book in the series. I enjoyed the music festival atmosphere! That was fun. :)

I was able to figure out the killer, but it was still a fun ride to get there.

I preferred book #1 - but I'm really looking forward to more books in this series. I really like Sage and I hope Bax isn't going to turn out to be a jerk! Oh and I really like Maya! Hope she sticks around.

Double Shot Death is the second book in this new series, and I found it to be even better than the first.
Sage and her boyfriend Bax are at Campathon, selling Sage's wonderful selection of coffees and teas.
There's a lot going on in this story, and as I read this book, I could picture every scene in my mind, from the adorable coffee truck, to the scenery, and the little orange kitty who melted my heart.
I was totally wrong about whodunit, I never saw that coming, and was shocked.
I'm looking forward to see what happens next in this fun series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#DoubleShotDeath #NetGalley

This is the second in the Ground Rules mysteries. In this installment, Sage Caplin is taking her coffee cart to Campathon, an eco-friendly music festival in Portland. I love the Portland area and know there is no shortage of quirks to love when it comes to Portland. Everything at the festival is eco-friendly and reusable. I really enjoyed getting to know the new characters, as well as visiting with the continuing characters. Sage's knowledge of coffee is profound and I enjoyed reading about the different brewing methods and types of coffee.

During the festival, Sage gets to know the organizer and some of the musicians, including her boyfriend Bax's friend, Maya, who is in one of the bands. Sage seems to have the most unfortunate luck when it comes to stumbling upon dead bodies, and manages to come across the body of Ian, Maya's band's manager. The detective takes an interest in Sage and continues to frequent her coffee cart, to look for answers. Lucky for Sage, her brother, Jackson is there to step in as her attorney.

I appreciated the relationship growths between Sage and Bax, as well as for Jackson and the coffee carts/shop. I did miss the interactions between Sage and her dad as I find his job as a cold case detective to be fascinating. I am looking forward to this series continuing. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this series! Sage and her coffee company make me happy and feel like I'm a part of their lives. Happy that Emmeline Duncan continued with this series and hopefully keeps going. The charm and comfort from book one transferred over to this book very well. I like the different setup, didn't feel forced, felt natural and real. Again, hopefully we keep following Sage, her friends and her great coffee company! Thank you for this ARC!

Sage Caplin runs a coffee shop with an amazing dedication to coffee. This weekend, she has brought her mobile shop to a music festival. It was supposed to be a busman's holiday, with plenty of time to enjoy the music and her boyfriend, but that was before she stumbled on a corpse.

Sage and her story are very modern. She and her friends are digital natives and that aspect of their lives is handled convincingly. The relationships are complex and the characters are fully developed.

A fun read!