Cannabis Café #3
Just a disclaimer for this review: this book is a part of the Cannabis Café mystery series by Emily George, and legalized cannabis and its uses are major theme in A Cold Dose of Murder. If you find that topic off-putting, please stop reading. Right now. Medical use is the primary motivation, but responsible recreational use is also portrayed. As the book cover, and many characters, emphasize: consume responsibly. This goes for reading about it, too. If you know legalized cannabis isn’t something you are comfortable with, do not read this review or the book. Not every book is for everyone. For those who do not mind or perhaps even enjoy seeing legalized cannabis normalized and represented, this is indeed a review and book for you.
A Cold Dose of Murder is the third book in Emily George’s series and in it we follow the adventures of Chloe Barns in Azalea Bay, California. Her Baked by Chloe cannabis café has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in Azalea Bay. Between her café filling the vacancy of a cannabis-café in the town and her propensity for solving murders, Baked by Chloe became renowned enough to even snag a coveted spot at the summer ice cream festival. Added to that, she manages to snag a slot on a famous food podcast called Starch Nemesis with the host Calista, who is just as feared as she is revered. Her podcasts are known for making or breaking many a restaurant with her reviews. Luckily for Chloe, she impressed Calista and the podcast episode was very favorable to her café. After worrying about so many threatening emails from anonymous cannabis-haters, having to deal with the stress of the previous murders, and her Grandma Rose’s cancer, Chloe is more than ready for good news.
But it wouldn’t be a mystery cozy if everything went well. At the much anticipated ice cream festival, podcaster Calista is found murdered and posed much like the Wicked Witch of the West, which she was called in life. For once, however, it seems like Chloe won’t be involved in this particular murder — until she is dragged in by Starr Bright, her rival café owner and apparent prime suspect due to her dramatic history with Calista. Starr and Chloe have had their own drama in the past, with rivals over customers and notoriety in town. Starr does not serve cannabis-infused products, but her café caters to alternative health and wellness seekers. However, even though they might not professionally get along and only barely tolerate each other socially, Chloe isn’t about to let someone innocent go to jail because the local police have started to hyper focus on a single suspect, especially when she is shown clear evidence that Starr is most likely being set up as a scapegoat.
Chloe has to navigate the world of the deceased podcaster, which includes many past irate restaurant owners and chefs, some of which are from powerful families. Some were in town for the ice cream festival, and Chloe not only recognized them, but became a little star struck when she did. However, regardless of their popularity, she was not about to overlook any incriminating clues. The closer she gets, the more it appears that things might go far beyond a poor podcast review.
Emily George and her heroine Chloe both make it very clear that cannabis consumption is something to be treated carefully and responsibly by anyone considering its use, either recreationally or medically. Education is just as vital as flavors for all customers of the café. Chloe’s selfless nature and dedication to family, as well as her business, draws readers in and gets them invested in her life. The easy flow of the story and Emily George’s writing style will make it difficult to put A Cold Dose of Murder down. For those who have enjoyed the previous two books, A Cold Dose of Murder is a wonderful continuation of Chloe’s tale. I was relieved to get some closure on some cliff hangers from previous books as well. The story would be enjoyable for new readers as Emily George does a wonderful job of setting up the scene and characters. However, there are some plot based pay offs that would be better enjoyed if readers have read at least one of the previous books. – Carla Schantz