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.

We are back in Azalea Bay, California with Chloe for the ice cream festival. She has a booth for her cannabis cafe. A famous food podcast is about to drop an episode with Chloe. Luckily it was a good review but Calista the podcaster gave a bad review to Starr. Chloe accidentally stumbles upon Calista's dead body. Starr is a prime suspect and she asks Chloe to investigate to clear her name.

I really enjoyed following the clues with Chloe. Also, learning more about baking with cannabis. I'm wondering if this is the end of the series. Which makes me very sad. I really enjoyed the characters and the quirky town.

This seems to be the last book in this series, as it felt like a definite wrap on the story. This book continues with Chloe, Her Aunt, Grandma and boyfriend Jake and their adventures in small town Azealea Bay. Chloe runs a bakery that uses cannabis in her baked goods. The bakery does not figure in this story as much as the previous ones. This one is set at an ice cream festival where a murder occurs.

Chloe, of course, tries to solve the murder. The story then follows her mis-adventures as she follows different clues, some of which place her in danger. The hardest thing about this type of cozy mystery is they tend to follow the same story line, and that does occur here. I wish there had been more character involvement and development. There was a bit at the end where Chloe moves forward with her relationship with Jake and realizes sleuthing it is not worth dying over. This did seem to conclude the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC.

I was fortunate enough to have received an ARC (advance reader copy) of "A Cold Dose of Murder".

Chloe, a former Parisian pastry chef, moved back home to California where she started the Baked by Chloe cannabis café with her Aunt Dawn. In book #3, Chloe has been lucky enough to have been featured in the highly rated culinary podcast "Starch Nemesis". Unfortunately, podcast host, Calista, wasn't as lucky.

After finding Calista's body, Chloe is determined to stay out of this murder investigation. That is, until she suspects an innocent person is being framed for the murder. So, of course, Chloe does her best to help with the investigation in finding the real killer.

I really enjoyed this book. There was plenty of tension to keep me interested, and l loved learning more about the characters. If you enjoy cozy mysteries and do not have an issue with legal cannabis use you will likely love this series as much as I do.

A Cold Dose of Murder by Emily George is a standout in the mystery genre. The protagonist is sharp and incredibly engaging. The supporting characters are quirky and relatable which adds a lot of fun and depth to the story. What really sets this book apart, though, is its unique setting of a cannabis bakery —it's refreshing and adds a fresh spin to the typical whodunit. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) An entertaining read that’s hard to put down!

3.5 stars

Unusual setting for a cozy mystery: a cannabis themed cafe on the California coast. Cordon Bleu graduate Chloe Barnes left a life and career in Paris after her relationship went astray and moved home to help her grandmother, recently diagnosed with cancer.

When Chloe discovered the helpfulness of cannabis with chemo side effects, she decided to open a cafe. With her aunt as her financial backer, Chloe creates an out of the ordinary business. This is not a stoner story -- careful consumption is the theme.

Chloe is a nice person who is trying to settle in to the community and create a niche for herself, personally and professionally. In the way of cozies, she is hampered by the fact that she keeps stumbling over dead bodies. She is one of those heroines who refuses to heed the many warnings of the police to butt out of the investigation and to keep out of harm's way.

The body this time is a very popular food podcaster who gives Chloe's business a rare rave review. This sets off some jealousy by other local restaurateurs, one in particular. The podcaster's body shows up at a local food festival and is found by Chloe.

These are readable. There is some character development here. The ending almost sounded like a wrap of the series, so we'll see what comes next. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Chloe's nemesis, Starr, is accused of murdering a podcaster in town for a food festival. Now it's up to Chloe to discover the facts and potentially clear Starr's name.

This book has all of the charm of its predecessors - sweet small-town vibes, Chloe's fantastic group of friends, her quirky Aunt Dawn and Grandma Rose, and all of the delicious-sounding baked goods. The murder was twisty and intriguing. Fast-paced, cozy fun!

I absolutely loved the idea of mystery book that takes place at a cannabis cafe - so unique and cool. I was instantly drawn to this book. This book included amateur sleuths, podcasts and cannabis infused treats - I loved all of it. Chloe was an amazing main character and I look forward to more of these books.