Emmeline duncan has quickly become one of my new favorite mystery writers. I love this series so much its cozy, funny and enjoyable best series to curl up with on a rainy day with a nice cup of coffee.

Why is it never specified how this is part of a series when you request a book??

Anyway, I thought I would give it a try and meh. Sage's dialogue was annoying and just not a fun character. There wasn't a whole lot going on and the writing was splotchy.

Flat White Fatality is a mystery set in Portland’s vibrant hipster community, where coffee culture intertwines with intriguing mysteries.
The plot kept me guessing up until the end, and I appreciated how it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, despite being part of a series. I did not realize it was a series until after I had read it.
I look forward to exploring more of the author’s work after this delightful read.

Thankyou to author Emmeline Duncan, Kensington and NetGalley for this opportunity!
Charlene 📚🌸🤗 @lastnownext

What first drew me into this series were the covers. Bright, colorful & featuring coffee. ☕️💛

What kept me coming back were the mysteries.

Two young women vying for a coffee empire in Portland? Count me in.

Fun locations like a coffee cart in an old train yard, a music festival & a coffee roastery next to a gaming company? Again, count me in.

This latest installment includes a team building scavenger hunt gone wrong & lots of good coffee descriptions 😋 it’s quintessentially Portland through & through.

Basically just count me in for all of this.

Special thanks to @kensingtonbooks for the ARC.

I absolutely love this series and can't wait to see where Emmeline takes it! The setting and characters are perfect, and I never can guess "who dun it"!

Book Review: Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan

A Pretty Decent Cozy Mystery with a Hipster Vibe...⭐⭐⭐ out of 5 Stars

Alright, folks, let’s chat about Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan. This cozy mystery serves up a unique blend of coffee culture and crime. Our main protagonist, Sage, owns a roastery called Ground Rules Roastery and finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. When a mischievous programmer named Robbie winds up dead in her joint, fingers start pointing at Sage and her boyfriend Bax. But hold up, there could be a disgruntled employee in the mix too! With suspects galore, Sage takes it upon herself to crack the case before anyone else bites the dust.

Now, let’s talk about the good stuff. The writing in this book is rock solid. Emmeline Duncan knows how to string words together to keep you flipping those pages. The story is easy to follow, and you don’t need to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. It stands on its own just fine. The pacing is on point too, with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

But here’s the deal: Flat White Fatality just wasn't my cup of coffee. It has this whole hipster vibe going on that just didn't jive with my particular taste buds. It’s all about that trendy roastery setting and all those hipster references. Some readers might find it a bit too niche or over the top. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing—it’s just a matter of personal preference.

So, my fellow readers, if you’re into cozy mysteries with a side of hipster flair, Flat White Fatality might just be your jam. The writing is strong, the plot keeps you hooked, and the coffee culture adds a little extra buzz to the story. But if you prefer your mysteries without all that hipster jazz, you might want to give this one a pass. Either way, grab yourself a cup of joe and get ready for an entertaining ride through the world of coffee and crime. Cheers!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This was a fun cozy with plenty of suspects. I really like this series.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️
This was a nice installment of the series.
Sage’s coffee company Ground rules has their roastery in a shared building with her boyfriend Bax video game company and a gym. Bax is having a team building scavenger hunt when one of his team is found dead in Sage’s roastery.
Now Sage is on the hunt to find whodoneit.
This book was hipster like the previous books. It’s fun to see how Portland is described. The ending is really cute and I’m hoping the next book will be about that.

Thank you #netgalley and #kensingtoncozies for the arc

I wish I was a coffee lover because the Ground Rules Mystery series has so many delectable coffee descriptions throughout its books that it makes me crave some sort of coffee related drink.

In Flat White Fatality, we’re introduced more into the main character’s (Sage) boyfriend’s gaming company employees. On the birthday of the employees, they participate in a scavenger hunt and while on this hunt, one of the staff members/participant is found dead right in Sage’s roastery. When Sage’s business partner is named as one of the main suspects, Sage dives into solving whodunit.

Other mysterious happenings occur amongst the staff and I found these intriguing that kept the plot interesting. The red herrings were done well as I was kept guessing right up close to the end.

I especially love the Portland setting and the author points out some spots that inspire me to visit whenever I make the trek out to Portland.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose!

Sage Caplin's Ground Rules coffee business is growing but she still has time to help out her boyfriend Bax with his gaming business, Grumpy Sasquatch Studio, and take part in the company's team-building event. Bax's partner has organized a scavenger hunt to boost morale. The employees break up into teams but the fun comes to an end when Sage finds something not on the scavenger list. Another employee dead on the floor at the Ground Rules Roastery. The police quickly put Sage, her partner Harley, and Bax at the top of their suspect list. It turns out the deceased loved to prank people and some of the pranks were pretty nasty so Sage decides to do some investigating herself knowing the police are focusing on the wrong people. Can she roast out the killer? or will there be another fatality?

______

In Double Shot Death Bax supported Sage when she took her coffee cart to a music festival so I loved the way Sage is helping him in this story to develop a new game in a fun and interesting way. She also has his back when one of his employees is killed. I enjoy the way this relationship continues to evolve as the series goes on. Harley is having a rough time being on the suspect list and that her favorite place, the roastery, was the scene of the crime. We also meet several other characters in the staff at Bax's company. Sage's baristas are back too. All of Ms. Duncan's characters are unique and cleverly written.

There were plenty of suspects regarding the victim's death and the author poured over several twists and diversions. I really enjoyed following along with Sage as she tried to solve the murder and a couple of other mysteries. The conclusion of the murder mystery had me smiling because the real culprit was who I wanted it to be throughout the whole book.

Again the author brings the Portland, Oregon area alive with the places we were able to visit on the scavenger hunt and the food truck lot, and the area where Sage and Harley's first brick-and-mortar shop will be. I think the focus of Bax's video-game-creation company was fresh and set up some funny moments. It was fun to see what happens behind the scenes about something that takes up a lot of my children's and grandchildren's time. Ms. Duncan does a great job at setting a scene with just the right amount of details.

I was especially impressed that the author shines the spotlight on current environmental issues and the homeless, even having ways for people to buy items in advance for the homeless to get a coffee and/or a baked good when they stop by the coffee cart.

There are six recipes after the story including one for Ground Rules Espresso Brownies that I will have to try. The author also includes a great way to use coffee grounds as a Fridge Deodorizer.

Flat White Fatality is a solid addition to the Ground Rules Mystery Series. The final few pages of the book have me so excited for the next installment. Death Unfiltered is set to be released on March 26, 2024.

Sage is helping her boyfriend and his gaming company, who has right next door to her "Ground Rules Roastery". Doesn't just hearing that make you want coffee??? Well, Bax decides to set out on an scavenger hunt, to help with staff morale. Yes, this does help, until a body is found in Sage's roastery.

Sage must race against the clock to clear up her name, before the coffee and her reputation is burnt, for good.

Business is doing really well at Sage Caplin’s Ground Rules Coffee Cart and Roastery. While she slings drinks to consumers at the cart, her business partner Harley Yamazaki comes up with new blends and roasts in their rented office space. They’re delighted to be gaining a solid toehold in Portland, Oregon’s coffee supply chain as well, selling their beans to cafes and offices in addition to other food and beverage businesses with complementary synergies.

One business that buys in bulk from them is their neighbor, Grumpy Sasquatch Studio. While not in the food industry itself, the video game design company has staff that consumes a lot of coffee, as Sage has seen firsthand both as the girlfriend of its co-owner Lukas “Bax” Baxter, and as a motion-capture actor for their next in-development game. When the company invites her to join the rest of its employees on a team-building costumed scavenger hunt to celebrate the birthday of Bax’s business partner, she doesn’t hesitate to dress up and take part.

Sage has spent a lot of time with the Grumpy Sasquatch crew but never in a competitive environment before. Thus she’s a little surprised by the attitude of one programmer, Robbie Kayle, who immediately starts taking the game way too seriously. This is in stark contrast to Robbie’s usual persona as a playful prankster, though it quickly becomes clear to Sage that not everyone is as enamored of Robbie’s practical jokes as Robbie is herself.

When it becomes apparent that Sage’s team is winning the hunt, a furious Robbie stalks off from her group, vowing to get the win on her own. Sage figures that the other woman just needs some time to calm down. As Sage and her team pursue another clue however, she’s alarmed to find the door to her roastery unexpectedly ajar. Her team willingly pauses their game to go investigate, and are shocked to discover Robbie dead on the floor inside.

Sage soon learns that Robbie’s playfulness had hidden a huge mean streak, and that quiet, quirky Harley had been one of her favorite victims. Had Robbie snuck into the Roastery to spring another nasty surprise on Harley, or had she decided to target Sage for doing better than her in the scavenger hunt? Adding to this headache is a vindictive business rival using Robbie’s murder as an opportunity to smear Ground Rules’ name. Will Sage be able to clear her company of any wrongdoing before anyone else gets hurt?

I always love the social justice bent of this series, and really enjoyed this contemporary, compassionate look at life in Portland, as Sage strives to bring a killer to justice while looking thoughtfully and even-handedly at all involved. The many different plot strands add to the verisimilitude of her daily life. Some of these strands include major relationship steps for the people she loves, so series fans definitely shouldn’t miss this installment!

There were six recipes included here, though all but one were for drinks and syrups. The sole dessert recipe is, however, a stunner:

QUOTE
Ground Rules Espresso Brownies

1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
8 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 shot of brewed espresso or 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with tin foil and give it a once-over with cooking spray (or otherwise grease the tin foil.)

Mix the dairy-free chocolate chips and canola oil in the top of a double boiler, and melt over medium-low heat, stirring regularly. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and one shot of brewed espresso or espresso powder. Put aside.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl. Once it’s combined, whisk in the chocolate mixture. Once it’s mixed, add the cup of flour, taking care to incorporate the flour without over-whisking the mixture.

Pour the batter into a prepared pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes. When a toothpick comes out mostly clean, your brownies are ready. Note that if your toothpick comes out completely clean, you’ve overbaked the treats.

Let the brownies cool for about an hour before removing them from the pan. Cut into squares, store in an airtight container, and consume within a day or two.
END QUOTE

I’ll admit to a moment of panic when I thought I’d overbaked these, but I just hadn’t pushed the toothpick far enough into the pan. I’m so glad I took them out exactly when instructed though, as these are the most deliciously fudgy brownies I’ve ever made! The texture was absolutely perfect, with a good tooth to the external edges and a wonderful chewiness to the insides. The coffee taste doesn’t come across too strongly, serving only to enhance the delicious chocolate flavors (though you still probably wouldn’t want to serve these right before bedtime.) This recipe is definitely worth putting in a prominent spot on your brownie repertoire.

Next week, we travel back to the midwest and whip up an even easier treat while investigating the murder of a rival bakery owner. Do join me!

Immerse yourself in the coffee culture of the Pacific Northwest (Portland, OR, specifically) in this cozy mystery series! Flat White Fatality is the third in the series but is the first one I’ve had a chance to read. I had no trouble following along, but I’m sure that reading the first two would have made all the relationships clearer to me from the start. I enjoyed this one so much that I just might make the time to read books one and two, to get all the backstory!

The main character, Sage, runs a coffee food cart in Portland called Ground Rules. Her roastery shares a building with a video game development company, run by her boyfriend, Bax, and a gym. Bax’s company, Grumpy Sasquatch Studio (ha!) is doing a scavenger hunt as a team building event, and one of the employees winds up dead - in Sage’s roastery! The employees are all wearing duck-suit onesies, which was pretty funny to imagine.

In addition to the mystery, we get a good sense of the Portland area, complete with its “hipster” image as well as its homeless population. I love that Sage has an option for people to prepay for some food items and that anyone who needs one can ask for that item. There’s a diverse group of characters, including one staff member from Newfoundland, Canada - who everyone thinks is Irish, due to her accent.

There are some yummy-sounding recipes in the back of the book, along with advice on how to use coffee grounds as a refrigerator deodorizer!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library, which made the hours of a long flight “fly” by. The narrator, Carly Robins, did a good job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

Sage owns a coffee truck and a roastery. A girl is murdered in the roastery. Sage decides to investigate. She eliminates each person slowly.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to Kensington Publishing.

I love the pace of this series. The story has a lot going on and it moves a good speed. The writing flows so smoothly and keeps you invested in the story. The characters are all fun and interesting. I found the descriptions of how the video game industry works fascinating. I’ve been wanting to visit Portland for so long and this is a nice way to satisfy that need for a little while. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Funny and quirky characters with a great story behind it. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Funny and cute with interesting and quirky characters. The plot is the perfect cozy mystery and the settings are inspired.

Sage Caplin is busy with her coffee business & helping her boyfriend Bax. Besides being a character in his new game, Sage is part of Bax’s team-building event. It's a wacky scavenger hunt with the team dressed as ducks. But then programmer Robbie is found dead in Sage’s roastery. Since Sage & Bax are both considered prime suspects, it's up to her to figure out who wanted her dead.

I liked the small business owner aspects in the plot but the story fell flat for me.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Kensington Books. All opinions are my own.

To top off her coffee business Sage is now helping her boyfriend Bax’s gaming company which is next door to her Ground Rules Roastery. The plan is to boost morale with a scavenger hunt which is going well until Robbie a programmer known for being a prankster turns up dead in Sage’s roastery. The suspects Sage who has no idea how the victim ended up in her place and Bax who allegedly was seen arguing with Robbie the day before. Could it be a disgruntled employee or Robbie rubbed one of her coworkers the wrong way with her sense of humor. Sage is left to find the culprit before another life grinds to a halt . These stories are very enjoyable and easy to follow I love this coffee series.

This series is just so much fun and I feel like I get to know the main characters better and better with each installment. We've seen a lot of action from the coffee carts in the past books, so it was interesting to learn more about the coffee roasting side of Ground Rules (despite the murder that happens there). I love reading about how coffee can be expanded and also utilized in other amazing sounding products. This book also really focused on Bax's business so we got to learn more about him, and read a lot about the making of video games, which even as a non-gamer I thought was so intriguing. As more secrets were spilled about the victim there seemed to be a plethora of suspects and I enjoyed following Sage as she untangles this one. I can't wait for more of this series (especially after that ending!)