I love being on the ground floor of a new series, so I’m thrilled to share with you the cover for the first book in a new mystery series from Kensington Books, coming March 2021.

Book Synopsis
Master barista Sage Caplin is opening a new coffee cart in Portland, Oregon, but a killer is brewing up a world of trouble. . .

Portland is famous for its rain, hipsters, craft beers. . .and coffee. Sage Caplin has high hopes for her coffee truck, Ground Rules, which she runs with her business partner, Harley–a genius at roasting beans and devising new blends. That’s essential in a city where locals have intensely strong opinions about cappuccino versus macchiato–especially in the case of one of Sage’s very first customers. . .

Sage finds the man’s body in front of her truck, a fatal slash across his neck. There’s been plenty of anger in the air, from long-time vendors annoyed at Ground Rules taking a coveted spot in the food truck lot, to protestors demonstrating against a new high-rise. But who was mad enough to commit murder? Sage is already fending off trouble in the form of her estranged, con-artist mother, who’s trying to trickle back into her life. But when Sage’s very own box cutter is discovered to be the murder weapon, she needs to focus on finding the killer fast–before her business, and her life, come to a bitter end. . .

Purchase Link

Publication Date: March 30, 2021
Format: Print, E-Book
Name of Series: Ground Rules
Number in Series: #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Author Website: emmelineduncan.com

Meet the author
Emmeline Duncan is a mystery writer based out of Portland, Oregon. The first installment of her new Ground Rules series, FRESH BREWED MURDER, releases March 30, 2021.

Emmeline also writes for teens as Kelly Garrett. Her debut YA, The Last To Die, was a 2018 Oregon Book Awards finalist and was re-issued by Sourcebooks Fire in November 2019. Kelly is also a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow.

Emmeline/Kelly is a board member of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and co-organizes Friends of Mystery’s Bloody Thursday lecture series. She’s also a member of Sisters-In-Crime, Willamette Writers, and SCBWI.

You can track her on Twitter as @DuncanEmmeline and on both Instagram and Facebook as @writeremmelineduncan. Or stop by and visit her at emmelineduncan.com.

All comments are welcomed.