Reviews

Fresh Brewed Murder by Emmeline Duncan

creativelifeofliz's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I enjoyed this mystery, although I think there were a few too many plots all introduced in this book that would have been better included in future books in the series. 

pumpkinspice89's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

cafeaushae30's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

amberwallace2012's review against another edition

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3.0

I found this read to be okay. I found the plot to be slow and didn’t connect with the main character.

aimzthereader's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

thecandlelightlibrary's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

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3.0

Fresh Brewed Murder by Emmeline Duncan is the debut of A Ground Rules Mystery series. Sage Caplin is twenty-seven with a unique childhood. She is opening a coffee cart with Harley in Portland, Oregon. Sage’s backstory is revealed slowly throughout this first book. We get to meet her friends and family. There are vivid descriptions of Portland that really brought the city alive for me. I did feel that this book was a little all over the place. The focus never stayed on the mystery for long. It felt like more time is spent discussing coffee than the whodunit. I had no idea there were so many varieties of coffee nor ways to make it. The book discusses roasting coffee beans and the flavors it brings out too. I know more about coffee than I ever wanted to know (sorry, but I do not like the beverage). Sage has family drama that dominates the story plus the book delves into the plights of runaway teens who are homeless. We follow Sage about her daily routine which is boring to read. The book needed more action which would have improved the pacing. The mystery of the dead developer is straightforward. There are several viable suspects along with misdirection. Avid cozy mystery readers will have no problem discerning the guilty party before the reveal. I could not get into Fresh Brewed Murder. A Ground Rules Mystery series is not the right fit for me. I believe it will appeal to a younger audience. There are recipes for items mentioned in the book at the end. Fresh Brewed Murder is a lighthearted cozy mystery with scrumptious coffees, a dead developer, cart chaos, a runaway teenager, a determined detective, and a parental predicament.

thetoastedbagel's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The plot is really slow developing. At one point they discover a video camera that would have captured the crime, talked about reviewing it, then just never did? Then the book carried on for another 100 pages? Her mom kept being brought up, but that plot line never went anywhere. Her spotty past was mentioned a few times, and that wasn’t given much detail, so I’m not sure what the point of it was. The dating plot lines were semi-started a couple of times then never picked back up. 
I was hoping the murder was Harley. She has the best motive. The close best friend and business partner. Jealous of the attention she got and always living in her shadow, it was a good set up to frame her for murder rather than a random weirdo that could have just been a report to the BBB.

bookwoman37's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 I really enjoyed this first book in this cozy mystery series. Sage is excited to open her new coffee cart in a local Food Truck area.  When she finds a dead body in front of her truck and the local investigator is determined to prove she is guilty she sets out to solve the crime.  I really liked the Portland Food Truck setting and the cast of characters.  Sage has a lot of secrets and I am hoping to learn more of them.  The mystery was good with lots of suspects and motives.  I was able to solve it.  I look for word to reading the next book.  Enjoy

cnbe's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5