A High Tide Murder (A Cannabis Café Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Kensington Cozies (February 20, 2024)
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496740505
ISBN-13 : 978-1496740502
Kindle ASIN : B0C6FTVW4F
The newest installment in the Cannabis Café cozy mystery series featuring twenty-eight-year-old, classically trained pastry chef Chloe Barnes—sure to appeal to millennial readers as well as lovers of classic cozy mysteries!
What a long, strange trip it’s been for Chloe. After her dream of becoming a Parisian pastry chef—and a wife—crashed and burned, she returned home to the seaside town of Azalea Bay, California and opened a cannabis café. Despite some residents’ misgivings about how such a business may affect the community’s reputation, Baked by Chloe has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Nothing mellows out people like sweet edibles and frothy drinks with a dash of CBD.
But when it comes to surfers, the only high they want to ride is on a wave. The annual summer Azalea Bay Pro Challenger Surf Competition is underway, and fan favorite Aaron Gill is treading water. Plagued by professional and personal pressures, he finds himself no longer a top contender, and everyone is saddened when he takes his own life.
But his best friend Ethan Wilson knows that despite Aaron’s difficulties, suicide was not on his mind, and he begs Chloe to investigate. Against her better judgment, Chloe dives in and discovers Aaron was surrounded by people motivated enough to help him wipe out—permanently . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
It is time for the annual summer Azalea Bay Pro Challenger Surf Competition and Chloe’s Cannabis Café, Baked by Chloe is ready for the masses of surfers and their followers. This is huge for her new business.
Then fan favorite Aaron Gill is found dead of an apparent suicide. People believe the pressure of the sport and his performance in the competition pushed him to take his own life but his best friend Ethan Wilson doesn’t believe it for a minute and begs Chloe to do some sleuthing and she can’t refuse. She soon agrees with Ethan when she finds plenty of people who had the motive to be sure Aaron Gill had ridden his last wave.
I loved the first book in this series, A Half-Baked Murder, and couldn’t wait to read this one.
Ms. George has created strong characters. Chloe is smart and fun. I love that she and her Aunt Dawn run the cafe together. Dawn’s current hobby is dog dancing. The lady always cracks me up. Chloe’s Grandma Rose is a breast cancer survivor like me so I identify with her easily and was happy to see her life moving in a positive direction. Chloe’s newfound friends, Cal, Ben, Archie, Erica, and Matt, often get together to play Dungeons and Dragons and have welcomed Chloe into their group. Jake is still around but the relationship he has with Chloe is complicated. I enjoy the way these characters continue to develop throughout this story.
Matt’s brother Ethan is a surfer and his best friend was the deceased Aaron Gill. He along with Matt and Chloe found him dead in his hotel room with a note in his hand. I will admit I read the synopsis and knew suicide would be mentioned in the story but had hoped it would be a fleeting moment and the death would be classified as a homicide much sooner. The police did not even look at any other evidence so it was up to Chloe and the others to prove it wasn’t which carried it much further into the story. As a mother who lost an adult son to suicide many observances about Aaron and his behaviors and stressors hit my heart like a sledgehammer forcing me to put the book down to strengthen my heart and to skim certain sections. That being said I knew he was murdered and I had to know whodunit so I focused on the clues, I had a culprit in my sights, and was happy that in the end, I was right. The reveal was tense but the takedown was great.
I find the theme of a cannabis café fresh and new. Ms. George takes the opportunity for Chloe to explain the way cannabis is used clearly for its medicinal benefits and the relief it can provide. Chloe also explains how she prepares the cannabis to be used in her recipes. Three recipes are included after the mystery. I wish I had a Sparkling Canna Gria to get me through the tough times while reading this story.
A High Tide Murder is a well-plotted and well-written mystery with great characters that are engaging and entertaining. I am excited for this series to continue to see if the ending foreshadows what Chloe is going to face next.
*Note – Suicide references could trigger survivors or their family members.
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About the Author
Emily George writes modern murder mysteries that feature her favorite F words: female friendships, family and furry friends. She also likes alliteration. Like her sleuths, she’s an elder Millennial who grew up on a steady diet of late 90’s romantic comedies, Spice Girls songs and Babysitter’s Club books. When she’s not figuring out creative ways to kill people (fictionally, of course) she enjoys knitting, baking, playing video games, and listening to true crime podcasts. She resides in Canada with her husband and can be found online at Emily-George.com. Find her on Facebook and Instagram too.
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