Deliciously Chill with a Killer Kick—A Must-Read Culinary Cozy!

A Cold Dose of Murder is everything you could want in a modern cozy mystery: a vibrant coastal setting, a witty and relatable heroine, mouthwatering (and mind-altering) culinary creations, and a murder that melts through the town’s sunny facade faster than a popsicle in a heatwave. Chloe Barnes is back—and she's serving up sass, sweets, and sleuthing with irresistible flair.

Chloe’s journey from burnt-out Parisian pastry chef to cannabis café queen of Azalea Bay has been anything but ordinary—and watching her thrive with her delightfully quirky Baked by Chloe café is half the joy of this series. Her latest adventure finds her preparing to dazzle at the town’s summer ice cream festival, introducing cannabis-infused flavors that are the talk of the town. And when food critic and viral podcaster Calista Bryant gives her glowing coverage, it seems like nothing can go wrong.

Until Calista is found dead under an ice cream truck. Chilled to death, literally and figuratively. Highly recommended for fans of culinary cozies with a twist, empowered female leads, and mysteries that blend good vibes with deadly secrets.

A Fresh Twist on the Culinary Cozy Mystery Genre!

I was immediately intrigued by this unique take on the cozy mystery genre, combining culinary elements with a (legal) cannabis twist. As a legal cannabis user myself, I found the concept of Baked by Chloe, a cannabis café in the charming seaside town of Azalea Bay, California, to be particularly appealing. It's the kind of place I’d love to visit.

When influential podcaster and food critic Calista Bryant gives Chloe's café a glowing review, business takes off, sending her sales skyrocketing. Everything seems to be going smoothly—until Chloe discovers Calista’s lifeless body under an ice cream truck, her fate as grim as the Wicked Witch of the West.

With so much already on her plate, Chloe is initially determined to steer clear of any detective work. However, when rival café owner Starr Bright, who is quickly becoming the prime suspect, pleads for her help in proving her innocence, Chloe reluctantly embarks on an investigation full of twists and turns.

The story is captivating, with well-developed characters and an intriguing setting. I truly enjoyed the journey and would highly recommend this novel to fans of cozy mysteries with a fun and original premise.

#AColdDoseofMurder #NetGalley

3.5 ⭐️/5

Another adventure with our dear Chloe and her Cannabis cafe, Baked by Chloe! A Cold Dose of Murder begins with Chloe receiving a rave review on a food podcast, which is bringing a staggering amount of business to her new pastry shop. She is so thankful for the publicity, especially coming from someone as critical and influential as Calista Bryant.

However, Sprout, the health and wellness café in town did not get such a glowing review and its owner Starr Bright, took to Facebook to vent her frustrations and conspiracies about how other businesses got in Calista’s good graces.

Shortly after, Azalea Bay is hosting an ice cream festival and Baked By Chloe has a booth in the Adults Only section selling cannabis infused ice cream treats. Calista is back in town reviewing treats and hosting a book signing… however, before the festival begins, Calista’s body is found dead on the grounds, and signs are pointing to foul play.

I previously read the first two books in this series and this story just didn’t have me as interested as the others. It felt a bit long and there were a lot of new characters to keep track of (in addition to the ones from the first two instalments). There were also too many suspects with very real motives, that made it difficult to guess alongside Chloe as she sleuthed to find the answers the police couldn’t.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series because it's so unusual, not the usual bakery or librarian, and highly entertaining. The mystery is solid and the sort of trasgressive touch make it more intriguing.
Thoroughly enjoyed
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Cold Dose of Murder is the next installment of A Cannabis Cafe Mystery series. Chloe, thoroughly enjoying her new life in Azalea Bay, can't wait to showcase her new cannabis recipes at the local ice cream festival. She's hoping that her spot on a famous foodie's podcast will increase her popularity and sales at the fairgrounds. Unfortunately, when the podcaster is discovered murdered under a food truck, Chloe's hopes for a fun and successful weekend are diminished. While Starr is not Chole's favorite Azalea Bay local, she does respect her, and when Starr is arrested for the murder, Chloe knows she must once again throw on her amateur sleuthing hat.

A Cannabis Cafe Mystery series is such a great cozy series with fantastic characters, a charming setting, delicious recipes, and intriguing mysteries. I highly recommend these books to anyone looking for a foodie-inspired, cozy mystery series with all the charming aspects of a hallmark movie.... and cannabis! I will absolutely be following Chloe and her friends on all of their next adventures!

Cannabis cafe owner Chloe Barnes is thrilled when a famous podcaster not only features her on the wildly popular series Starch Nemesis, but also has nothing but complimentary things to say about her business, Baked By Chloe. Calista Bryant’s podcast has a reputation for tearing eateries that she dislikes apart, so avoiding derision was Chloe’s number one goal when she agreed to be interviewed. Being praised to the skies is icing on the cake, with a corresponding uptick in sales as the cherry on top.

Unfortunately, not every restaurant in the small town of Azalea Bay, California received the same positive treatment. While Calista gave some nice shout-outs to several of Chloe’s fellow business owners, she reserved a substantial chunk of air time to eviscerate the LA-inspired health and wellness cafe Sprout, owned by the improbably named Starr Bright. Starr is furious at the bad press, and is more than happy to share her anger about it on social media.

Chloe is hoping that by the time the Azalea Bay Ice Cream Festival gets going a week later, everyone will have calmed down, especially since Calista is coming back to town to sign books at a festival booth. But when she herself stumbles over Calista’s dead body right as the festival is set to begin, she knows that someone was still murderously angry at the outspoken podcaster.

Given the circumstances, it’s unsurprising that Starr quickly becomes the police’s prime suspect. She swears she didn’t do it, and begs Chloe for help in clearing her name. Chloe has acquired something of a reputation for crime-solving, and though she’d really rather not be involved, she also can’t let an innocent person go to jail. How far will she go to prove Starr’s innocence though, when her own life is unexpectedly put on the line?

I really hope this isn’t the last of Chloe’s crime-solving adventures! A Cold Dose Of Murder is written in such a way that it sounds like it’s concluding the Cannabis Cafe Mystery series, and I sincerely hope that isn’t so. Chloe and her friends and family are all endearing characters, and while I don’t partake in marijuana myself, I really enjoyed spending time with the cast as they work at the cafe and solve crimes. It doesn’t hurt that Chloe’s standing Dungeons & Dragons game also sounds super fun: if I’m not mistaken, this installment had the most descriptive chapter of a tabletop roleplaying session in the series so far and I’d love to read more.

As with the two prior books, there were cannabis-friendly recipes included. As I simply refuse to learn how to make ice cream, I decided to try out this recipe instead, lightly edited here for space:

QUOTE
Cannabis-Infused Cream
Yield: 2 cups

Infused cream can be used in a variety of recipes, sweet or savory! Try mixing with salmon and fresh herbs for a delicious creamy pasta or [...] make your own cannabis ice cream.

1-5 grams decarbed cannabis flowers depending on personal preference (decarbing method in the book)
2 cups heavy cream

Combine decarbed cannabis flowers and heavy cream in a saucepan and place over low heat.

Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer for a minimum of forty minutes, up to one hour, stirring regularly and checking the heat to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn.

Strain infused cream through a cheesecloth or fine paper strainer.

Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
END QUOTE

Since, as I stated earlier, I don’t consume cannabis, I figured I’d try infusing heavy cream with rosemary instead, and then using that as a sauce for fish and pasta as suggested. I’ve never infused cream before, and thought hard about adding garlic to it as well, ultimately deciding against it in order to make the resulting cream more versatile. I did, however, boil spaghetti, saute the thawed fish fillets I’d previously had languishing in the freezer, and microwave some asparagus while I was overseeing the infusion process.

Firstly, that process smells heavenly. The low and slow simmer really does create an amazing fusion that tastes even better than it smells. The resulting cream is astonishingly tasty, and neutral enough to be used in either a savory dish or sweet.

I added it first to the sauteeing fish fillets – that I’d broken up into smaller chunks – then spooned the resulting mixture over the pasta, with the asparagus on the side. The resulting dish felt positively luxurious on the tongue, but without being too heavy like some cream sauces can be. I also added a drop of the cream to a cup of hot black tea, which made for a deliciously herbal twist on one of my staple drinks. This is such a fantastic and versatile recipe: other online sources suggest a much shorter infusion time, but I’m sticking with Emily George’s recommendation here, even if I used a different herb than she intended.

Next week, we travel back east to whip up a tasty side dish while investigating a case that may not be as cold as long thought. Do join me!

A Parisian-trained pastry chef, Chloe Barnes never expected to find herself baking cannabis-infused treats in her California hometown of Azalea Bay. But after a breakup and career-tanking bad review, Chloe finds herself specializing in the pastries that were initially created to help her beloved grandmother combat the side-effects of chemotherapy. Now fully invested in her café’s success, Chloe is anxiously anticipating a critical food podcast review of her Baked by Chloe. As it turns out, “Starched Nemesis” gives them a rave review, but podcaster Callista Bryant lambasts the health-themed Sprout restaurant and its owner Starr Bright. So when Callista is found dead underneath a food truck during the Azalea Bay Ice Cream Festival, Starr immediately becomes a prime suspect due to her retaliatory social media post attacking both Callista and those who received favorable reviews.

While the Police Chief comments on Chloe’s talent for discovering bodies, she prefers to state that her knack is for baking, whereas finding corpses is her unfortunate luck. Evidence and motive point towards Starr, but Chloe also happens to meet Callista’s ex, his fiancée, and someone who may have been stalking the victim. So when not crafting ice cream concoctions with cannabis-infused cream, Chloe questions those who knew the food influenster podcaster.

This third in the series continues to surprise through its unique perspective of a cannabis-specializing pastry chef. No boring pot brownies will appear here, as instead Chloe creates CBD-infused lattes and cannabis-cream blueberry ice cream floats. Despite the very CBD-friendly California culture, there are those in the community still wary of the “drug” culture and send Chloe threatening emails. Her approach to baking is from the perspective of a culinary expert and not a “pothead,” delicately balancing the flavors of cannabis strains with her drink and pastry flavors. Recipes at the end may be a bit adventurous for those where cannabis is less legally-welcoming, but the health benefits that combat cancer treatments are highlighted as well. This is definitely less of a “stoner” mystery series and more of a cozy one, featuring not just Chloe’s chihuahua Antonio but a budding (hah) romance with former Wall Street businessman Jake Reed. They’ve been taking their relationship slowly, understandable considering that her last ex is the reason Chloe had a job-ending bad day of cooking. An all-too-brief depiction of Chloe’s Dungeons and Dragons expedition as a human cleric brings back her fun and fascinating adventures with her D&D friends, and one hopes for future explorations of their games and how it forged their new friendships. This is a compulsively readable culinary mystery that will appeal to foodies and mystery fans who will be charmed when meeting these engaging, witty, and very likable characters.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

We arrive in Azalea Bay just in time for their Summer Ice Cream Festival and Chloe Barnes is thrilled that her Baked by Chloe Cannabis Café has landed a booth in one of the prime spots. Her cannabis-infused ice cream flavors should be a big hit, especially after the rave review she received from influencer, food critic, and podcaster Calista Bryant.

Before the festival opens Chloe is making the rounds and makes a dreadful discovery. Calista Bryant is dead – under a food truck in a scene that could be right out of The Wizard of Oz. Chloe decides to just chill and focus on her business and let the police worry about the influencer’s murder but then Starr Bright, a rival café owner begs her to help clear her name. It seems the outspoken critic was a buzzkill for so many people. Chloe has her hands full trying to catch a killer while bringing her Baked by Chloe treats to the masses.

As a breast cancer survivor, I identify with Chloe’s Grandma Rose. Chemo and radiation take such a toll on your body. I wish I had had a Baked by Chloe cannabis café nearby when I was going through treatment. I love that Chloe came back to help her grandmother and continues to learn and try new processes and recipes. Her Aunt Dawn is a great business partner and fun with her various hobbies. The Dungeons and Dragons crew are great friends and give Chloe support whenever she needs it. She and Jake are still trying to have some kind of romantic relationship, it finally seems to take hold by the end of the story.

Chloe and Starr were by no means friends but Chloe is a good person and can’t say no. The author does a good job of blending Chloe’s everyday life with her sleuthing. Sleuthing that sometimes gets her into trouble. She has plenty of clues to follow and tries to follow them quickly while on breaks from her booth at the festival. Thankfully she has plenty of backup help. Even Jake lent a hand. I was delighted to tag along with Chloe everywhere she went. There were some interesting twists and Chloe got help from someone unexpected. The guilty party was on my shortlist and I found the showdown both exciting and emotional.

I have really enjoyed the cannabis café theme. It was entertaining and educational. Reading the Acknowledgements this appears to be the final book in this series and Ms. George does leave Chloe and the other characters in a good place but it felt like there could be 1 more book with Dawn and Chloe talking about a Breast Cancer Awareness event in October and Grandma Rose needing one more round of treatment. So I hope to visit these wonderful characters again.

A Cold Dose of Murder is a lighthearted mystery filled with true-to-life characters and a unique theme. I have enjoyed all three books in the series and fingers crossed there will be more.

Another fun addition to the series! I love the characters in this one; they are realistic and quirky without overdoing it as is the case in some cozies. The settings are always interesting, this time an ice cream festival, and the mysteries definitely keep me guessing. What I love about this series, though, is the creativity with recipes that, though not something I will be trying, make cannabis-infused food sound approachable and tempting. I’m also a huge fan of the fact that Chloe goes to work, a huge pet peeve of mine in cozies, where the sleuth often spends more time sleuthing than actually attending to their business, and there are some great nuggets of business advice sprinkled throughout. Looking forward to their next adventure!

A first! A cozy with a legal cannabis twist!! Chloe was a Parisian pastry who has moved to Azalea Bay California to open a cafe that caters to cannabis food flavors. But when a food critic turns up dead it becomes a race to solve. Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine..

Another really fun book in this series! An ice cream festival sounds like a DREAM location and I would spend my whole weekend there in a second. I loved all the description of the fun things being sold there and cannabis ice cream?! So inventive and intriguing. This book was as mouth watering as the previous books and I love Chloe's commitment to branching out and growing her business. I also love her support system and how close she is with her employees and family. And the romance YAY I am just so happy for her. The mystery had me stumped and I loved all the twists and turns!

I can't wait to continue this series!

Baked by Chloe has a spot in the towns, famous ice cream festival. Having received glowing reviews in a influencers podcast, Chloe is ready for everyone to experience her ice cream and products at the event. However, when site influencer is found dead, it leaves a bad taste in Chloe’s mouth.

Not everyone growing reviews from the influencer, and that leaves quite a few disgruntled people I suspects. Can Chloe suss out who dun it before they strike again?

I really enjoy this series. First, I love that the author has developed the characters and really brings them to life. I also love how she brings cannabis along for the ride and helps to mainstream it across her readership the universe. Come for the solid mystery filled with twist and curves, but stay for the recipes at the end. You won’t regret it.

What a cozy cannabis mystery! This book has everything you need - murder, mystery, romance, family and funny.

This book takes place is the sunny small town of Azalea Bay, California. Emily Barnes is the owner of a local cannabis bakery - Baked by Chloe- taking her prestigious culinary background and making her own twist on it. When Chloe’s cafe receives a glowing review from a famous podcaster and celebrity influencer - Calista Bryant - she feels on top of the world. However, Calista is known for her blunt feedback and while Chloe got a gold star, others weren’t so lucky. When Calista is found dead, everyone is left wondering if she finally took it too far. Chloe promised to leave the investigating to detectives but the facts of this case keep pulling her in. As more comes to light, you learn Calista held alot of secrets in her hands. Secrets people would be willing to kill for. Can Chloe catch the killer without becoming the next victim?


When I first started, I did not realize that this book is the third in a series. Although parts of the previous books are referenced, it didn’t impact my ability to read and enjoy this book. I loved Chloe’s family, the reason she started her bakery and all of the fun characters introduced.

If you are looking for a fun beach mystery this would be a great one!

A Cold Dose of Murder is the 3rd and potentially last book in the cannabis cafe series. Following Chloe Barnes a trained pastry chef who opened her cannabis cafe on the California coast after her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and her fiance in Paris cheated on her. THis book centers around an ice cream festival and the famous chefs and foodies attending.
A popular food podcaster gives Chloe a raving review of her cafe right before the festival which boosts her popularity and sales. That same podcaster pans Starr's restaurant and after she is found killed Starr becomes suspect number one. Chloe is hesitant to get involved this time after some close calls with past killers, but Starr begs her to help.
Chloe obviously can't say no and begins to help investigate. Lots of red herrings and action ensues. In the end the murderer is revealed and we get some sweet moments with Chloe and her friends and family. There's a sense of completion and happiness for Chloe, so if this is the end of the series readers will feel satisfied.

Chloe’s cannabis café, Made by Chloe is heading forward in leaps and bounds, and when she is on a podcast by Calista Bryant, which is very successful just before the ice-cream festival, it is looking like a very busy weekend especially since Chloe has worked hard and created some very yummy cannabis ice-cream for the weekend. Everything is moving smoothly and it looks like it is not only going to be busy but a fun weekend, that is until Chloe and her boyfriend Jake discover a body under one of the food trucks the opening day of the festival and it is podcaster and food critic Calista Bryant.

Chloe does not want to get involved in sleuthing this time but when fellow business owner Starr Bright is the person the police are looking at for the murder, Starr comes to Chloe and begs her to help clear her name and soon Chloe is uncovering so many clues she cannot help but get involved and of course this puts her in danger again, will she discover the real killer before any more people are hurt?

I did thoroughly enjoy this one, catching up with the characters that we have met in the first two books was so good and I do love Chloe she is one very caring and determined woman who wants to see justice done, there are so many fabulous characters in this series if you have not tried this series then I do highly recommend them, not only are they great mysteries but they are very informative regarding how cannabis is used in cooking and why and of course Chloe who is a French trained chef creates the most delectable deserts, they sound yummy.

Thank you MS George for another fabulous read.

My thanks to Kensington Cozies and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

Chloe Barnes, a French-trained pastry chef, returns to Azalea Bay to care for her ailing grandmother and heal from her heartbreak after her fiancé’s infidelity. Her cannabis café, established in the first book, is thriving. Just as Chloe is basking in the excitement of a rave review from the renowned food blogger Calista Bryant, which could boost her business, her crew stumbles upon Calista’s body. Amidst the investigation, the police’s fixation on Chloe’s frenemy, Starr Bright, complicates matters. Determined to uncover the truth, Chloe must navigate the complexities of her personal life and the culinary world to find the culprit. This delightful addition to the series promises to captivate readers with its intriguing plot and well-developed characters. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

I loved the two previous books in the Cannabis Cafe Mysteries and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of A Cold Dose of Murder. This may have been my favorite book of the series with the series’ signature blend of humor, good food, small town drama, and of course a murder mystery. This time a podcaster is murdered on the opening day of the Azalea Bay Ice Cream Festival and a local business owner is a suspect. Chloe of course gets sucked in tot he investigation when she asked to help find the real killer.
I loved the development of Chloe’s character and the secondary characters continued to shine in this latest installment. Fans of the previous books will love this one as well as anyone who is a fan of cozy mysteries or series set in small towns.

Chloe is thrilled to be at the ice cream festival and even more so about the rave review for her cannabis infused treats by podcaster Calista. Except that someone has murdered Calista! Chloe had sworn off investigating but she can't not especially since her family is there to help (love Chloe's family). While this is very much a classic cozy, with a victim hated by many, it's got a big heart and a younger and quite intrepid protagonist. This is the third in the series but entirely enjoyable as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

A fun final installment for this inventive take on the cozy café mystery. This series provides great Summer reads, and this is no exception. It feels like a comfortable conclusion to the series, and though there is a little more I may have wanted from the series, I'm satisfied where it leaves off.

Pastry chef Chloe’s cannabis café is thriving until a food critic turns up dead. Drawn into the murder investigation, Chloe must uncover the killer before she becomes the next victim.

I love the warm relationships in this novel. Chloe is a wonderful character who puts love into everything she bakes. She’s a reluctant sleuth who can’t help stepping in when the police come to the wrong conclusions. The mystery is suspenseful and full of twists.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.