by Lorie Lewis Ham

This week we have a review of the latest Ground Rules Mystery by Emmeline Duncan. We also have a fun guest post and summer drink recipe from Emmeline. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and some swag from Emmeline! We also have a link to purchase the book on Amazon.

Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan
Review by Lorie Lewis Ham

One of my favorite things in a cozy mystery is a coffee-related setting. I also have certain favorite cities that I especially enjoy “visiting” in books. The Ground Rules Mystery series by Emmeline Duncan has both! The main character Sage Caplin, together with her best friend Harley Yamazaki, own a coffee cart and a roastery, with plans to one day have their own brick-and-mortar coffee shop. Their company is called Ground Rules. The books are set in one of my favorite towns Portland, Oregon.

Fatal White Fatality is the third book in a series that keeps getting better with each book. One of the businesses next door to their Roastery is a gaming company called Grumpy Sasquatch Studio—the company is owned by Lukas Even Baxter—or Bax as everyone calls him. Bax is now Sage’s boyfriend. He has asked her to do some motion capture for one of their upcoming games, which makes her a part of his company, so she takes part in a team-building event with his other employees. The plan is to boost morale with a scavenger hunt. It seems to be going well until Robbie, a programmer known for being a prankster, turns up dead in Sage’s roastery . . .murdered.

Suspects include Harper and Bax, so naturally Sage wants to find out what really happened and begins investigating. This does not make the police detective on the case, Detective Will, happy. Robbie’s pranks had a tendency to be cruel so everyone in the company has a motive. As Sage investigates, she learns that Robbie had plenty of secrets. As if that wasn’t enough, other employees appear to be targeted as well. Does someone have it out for Grumpy Sasquatch?

This series makes Portland as much of a character as the people and I love that—I feel like I have been transported to this amazing city each time I pick up one of these books! Obviously, the coffee is also a big part and as I read, I could almost smell Sage’s delicious coffee brewing. The video game element helps make this a mystery that will not only appeal to more seasoned cozy readers like myself but also to a younger generation. I always enjoy visiting Ground Rules and all of the interesting characters in Emmeline’s books, plus you get a good mystery filled with twists and turns to solve along the way. What more could you ask for? Emmeline also addresses real-life issues such as homelessness and the environment, and there are recipes at the back of the book. This has become one of my favorite series! I can’t wait for the next one.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and a contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet. Lorie’s latest mystery novel, One of Us, is set in the Tower District of Fresno and the world of community theatre!<

Hot Summer Treats
By Emmeline Duncan

On hot summer days, nothing beats an iced coffee. Instead of a simple cold brew coffee, you can treat yourself to an easy and refreshing drink perfect for summer: a homemade coffee soda.

Emmeline Duncan

Any flavored simple syrup will work in a coffee soda, but in Flat White Fatality, Sage shares her cart’s house made spiced orange syrup. This syrup works great in a coffee soda, but you can also use it with tea, on pancakes, or even in an old-fashioned.

Spiced Orange Coffee Soda

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cold brew concentrate
1 tablespoon spiced orange syrup
3/4 cup club soda
Ice

Preparation:
Mix the cold brew concentrate and spiced orange syrup in a wide-mouth, pint-sized mason jar (or glass of your choosing). Add ice to the top of the glass, then slowly pour in the club soda. Lightly mix and your soda is ready. Feel free to garnish with an orange slice or sprig of mint.

Spiced Orange Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Orange zest from one orange
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods

Preparation:
Mix water, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, being sure to stir as the sugar dissolves. Simmer, covered, for ten minutes, then remove from heat and cool. Take out the cinnamon sticks and star anise and store the syrup in a covered jar.
(Sage suggests a mason jar with a reusable lid.)

Mason Jar Cold Brew Coffee

Kyoto coffee (aka cold brew) has been popular in Japan since the 1600s, and legend has it that Dutch coffee traders brought the practice with them from Indonesia. Nowadays, you can buy pre-made cold brew concentrate, but making your own is simple. You only need to mix coffee ground and cold water together and let them sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

Cold brew is sweeter and less acidic than coffee made with hot water. You can buy fancy pitchers to make cold brew, but you can also make it in mason jars or a simple French press.

Making coffee is all about the proper ratio of coffee grounds to water. To make a cold brew concentrate, you’ll 3/4 cup of coarse ground coffee to 4 cups of water. You can double, triple, quadruple, etc., this recipe, just keep the 3/4 cups grounds to 4 cups of water ratio intact.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of coarse coffee grounds
4 cups of water

Preparation:
Mix four cups of water and the 3/4 cups of coffee grounds in an appropriately sized mason jar and screw on the lid. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. When the coffee has brewed to your liking, strain it into a clean pitcher or mason jar. Serve over ice and dilute with water or milk at a 1:1 ratio, or to taste. To sweeten, add in simple syrup.

To enter to win a copy of Flat White Fatality along with some swag, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “flat” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 10, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you ented via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up soon.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here to purchase the book.

Like her Ground Rules Mystery series, Emmeline Duncan is based in Portland, Oregon. Her series includes 2021’s Fresh Brewed Murder, Double Shot Death, and Flat White Fatality, plus more to come. When not writing, she spends her time seeking out new coffee shops and hiking trails to explore, frequently accompanied by her Great Pyrenees sidekick. You can track her online at emmelineduncan.com.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.