Dollycas’s Thoughts

Ground Rules partners, Sage and Harley, have teamed up with brothers Tierney and Shay Doyle of Doyle’s Oregon Whiskey to create a canned Irish coffee. The product is set to launch at a celebration over the July 4th weekend on the Doyle’s beautiful property in the “Columbia Gorge with a view of the mighty Columbia River.” Twenty local companies have set up booths, several food carts are serving a variety of festival foods, and the Ground Rules coffee cart has a prime spot. There are cornhole tournaments for youth and adults and a Connect Four tournament for the children. The drawing events are the bands performing on the stage in the meadow.

Things start out so well until Sage sees her rival, Left Coast Grinds owner Mark Jeffries, walking toward her. He has been trying to take down Ground Rules since they opened. He was not invited to be part of the event, but to get around the rules, he is sharing a tent with another vendor. This leads to a huge argument with Harley and Mark escorted out of the area by security.

After the event ends for the night, Sage, baristas Kendall and Sophie head for the Ground Rules Subaru. There, they find a very dead Mark Jefferies creating a huge brouhaha. Sage knows Harley will be the prime suspect after the public altercation, but the man had his share of enemies, some Sage has seen at the festival. With a little help, she hopes to ground the investigation to a halt by finding the killer, but it just may be, the killer will find her first.

Oh, this was a great story with a victim who really needed to go.

Sage is a strong protagonist. She is passionate about coffee and her coffee business, but she really comes alive around her family and friends, especially Bax and Niko. The wedding is coming up fast, and they make such a cute family. Niki is an inquisitive little man, and so cute with his satchel containing “all his gear” and sometimes his cape to help Sage investigate or work on his comic book. He has been writing and illustrating for many months. Harley spent a lot of time hiding from the police, but she can roast and blend those grounds brilliantly and works mostly behind the scenes to make the business a success. Sage’s dad and lawyer brother came to have fun at the festival, but also to be around for whatever Sage and Harley need. Kendell and Sophia are terrific baristas who can hold down the fort when Sage goes sleuthing. I enjoy the core group of characters Ms. Duncan has created for this series. She has surrounded Sage with strong people who have grown throughout the series.

She has also plotted out a solid mystery, with several suspects and Sage going the extra mile to keep Harley from ending up behind bars. A tragic event made the case even more important. There were some great twists, and while they weren’t alone, I did have the guilty party near the top of my list of suspects. Sage had a little help getting all the clues together, but she had a real A-Ha moment when the final clue fell into place. She did notify Detective Ortega, but Sage unexpectedly got up close and personal with the killer. She had to think on her feet if she was going to survive and be sure to have proof in case she didn’t.

Fans will love the final chapter . . . no spoilers here.

Fatal Brouhaha is a delightful whodunit with caring characters, and a top-notch main plot twisted together with interesting subplots that held my attention from beginning to end. The festival sounded like so much fun with the games, music, food, and drink. It has me in the mood to check out some upcoming fairs and festivals here without the dead body, of course.

I highly recommend the entire series, and believe starting from the beginning is best, so you can get to know the characters from the start.

Coffee shop owner Sage Caplin is excited to partner with local distillery Doyle’s Oregon Whiskey on the launch of their canned Irish coffee line. She and her master roaster Harley Yamazaki have worked closely with the Doyle brothers to find the perfect marriage of alcohol and coffee. The Doyles plan to kick off their new product with a music festival, where Sage’s Ground Rules coffee will naturally be the only coffee provider around.

So it’s extra off-putting when Sage’s former boss and ongoing annoyance Mark Jeffries shows up as a fair vendor, with his own latest coffee innovation in tow. He’s managed to circumvent the Doyles’ Ground Rules Coffee Only restriction by subleasing the tent of another vendor, sharing table space with a chocolatier to showcase his coffee concentrate alternative to cold brew. Sage cares less about the coffee – she knows hers is superior – than about Mark’s deliberately provocative attitude. It’s like he’s constantly daring people to fight him, an exhausting experience for almost everyone involved.

Unfortunately, Harley has less restraint than Sage does, and ends up blowing up at Mark before he’s escorted from the premises. When Sage stumbles across Mark’s corpse later, right by the Ground Rules Subaru, she knows instinctively that Harley will be the police’s prime suspect. To make matters worse, Harley seems to be even more evasive than usual when Sage tries to ask her about what happened. Will Sage be able to figure it all out and clear her business partner’s name, before Ground Rules’ reputation goes subterranean?

The psychological insight in this series is excellent as always, as Sage untangles the motives that might have prompted far too many people to do away with a thoroughly unpleasant man. Mark had few friends, though the ones he did have proved surprisingly loyal. The inclusion of her fiance’s young son in the sleuthing – despite Sage’s understandable concerns for his safety – was also very cute: it’s hard for a kid not to be inspired to do a little detecting when they live with an amateur investigator, after all!

There were eight recipes included here, seven for drinks and one for this very delicious sweet treat:

QUOTE
Ground Rules Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of oil
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup all-purpose flour (you can sub in an equal amount of oat flour to make it gluten-free)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup chocolate chips (this recipe will be dairy-free if you use dairy-free chocolate chips!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper.

Add the dry ingredients (salt, baking soda, flour, and rolled oats) to a bowl, mix, and set aside.

Combine the oil (or butter,) brown sugar, and white sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and airy.

Add the eggs, mixing well; then add the vanilla. If you use oil, beat it until the mixture looks frothy. If you use butter, it will be denser (but still light).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Dump the cookie dough into the prepared pan and gently level it with your fingers or a spoon (don’t press it down hard).

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes; the cookies should be golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and let the pan cool completely before cutting into bars.
END QUOTE

I was genuinely surprised by how light these delicious cookie bars turned out to be! Oatmeal cookies tend to be on the heavier side, in my experience, but these were quite the opposite. I don’t know if it mattered that I substituted quick-cooking oats for rolled: it generally doesn’t, but if that’s the reason for the relative airiness of these cookies, then I highly recommend you try that substitution, too.

I also used a mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks, which I feel gave it a delightful balance of chocolate flavors. My family certainly agreed, as these bars were all gone within sixteen hours of baking.

Next week, we travel over to the East Coast to bake up another delicious treat while investigating the suspicious death of a local celebrity. Do join me!

Emmeline Duncan continues her Ground Rules mysteries in Fatal Brouhaha. Sage, master barista, is getting married in three weeks and has set up her coffee cart at the fair. Mark, her former coffee brew boss, sets up in a shared cart near her to interfere with her business. He is escorted off the grounds of the fair, but ends up dead there, discovered by Sage. Mark had many business and failed relationships enemies. Whodunit? Was it the coffee? intricate but cozy plotting. If you like coffee read for the barista info and the recipes at the end. Enjoy!!!!!

Sage and Harley are participating in a music festival to launch their new partnership with a whiskey distillery. When their former boss and nemesis, Marc, shows up vendor booth, and then turns up dead, Harley is in the hot seat.

Can Sage work her magic and figure out who really had it in for Mark or we Harley be doing time for a crime she didn’t really commit? Just like brewing a good cup of coffee, Sage knows it’s going to take time, finding the right balance evidence and proof to clear her friend and business partner.

I love coffee. I love a good mystery. This series brings together both of my lives and I absolutely enjoy every single entry in this series today! Seriously, not a single one has ever disappointed and each one has left me guessing until close to the end when the murderer is revealed. Each one reads fine as a standalone, so I feel free to start with this one if you haven’t read one in the series yet.

Please note that this is the first book I have read in this series. I would not recommend reading this first. There is a lot of back story in this book that made me feel like I missed a lot. The mystery overall was a solid mystery. I feel this mystery would be better for someone who loves coffee and is better informed on coffee making. So, I think there was a good book but not for me. #netgalley

This series just keeps getting better and better! And this is the first time that I really was rooting for this victim to be killed off. The mystery was well-paced and kept me invested the whole time despite not caring for the victim. The setting is one of my favorites and I love how I learn a little bit more about coffee with each installment of this series. The event at the end was perfect with just a hint of a mystery guest that made this one that much better. Highly recommend the whole series but start at the beginning.

I’d been waiting since the get-go to see something happen to Sage and Harley’s nemesis who was such a condescending jerk. He truly deserved what the author had in store for him, thank you Ms. Duncan! But Sage had an extra interest in sleuthing this one, to keep the police off Harley’s back since she and the victim had argued publicly.

Sage faced off with yet another killer after getting the final clue from a really unlikely source, which she rightfully credited later on. Thanks to her quick thinking and some nearby security personnel, Sage lived to see her wedding day. It’ll be interesting to see what she and her pals get into next—if they don’t get into murder and mayhem on the honeymoon lol.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley and my opinions are my own.

What is keeping this series fresh is the mobility of Sage's coffee cart providing new, interesting settings, providing new opportunities for drama and characters. There's plenty of room for solid suspects, and of course, interesting coffee information included while the crime is being solved.

Emmeline Duncan's Fatal Brouhaha, the fifth installment in the Ground Rules Mystery series, delivers another engaging blend of Portland's vibrant coffee culture and a compelling whodunit. The narrative provides an insightful glimpse into the local coffee industry, seamlessly woven into a well-crafted mystery that maintains suspense until its logical conclusion. Fans of the series will appreciate the satisfying and cozy ending we’ve been waiting for, making this a worthwhile addition to the Ground Rules collection. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the digital ARC all opinions are my own.

Fatal Brouhaha is another fun, fast-paced read from Emmeline Duncan. It’s great to see how much the characters have grown over the series — they feel more real and relatable than ever. A cozy, satisfying story that keeps you hooked until the end! (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

Sage has partnered with a whiskey maker to create a canned coffee/whiskey drink. At a Fourth of July festival to introduce the product Sage is the preferred coffee vendor. All is going well until a coffee competitor shows up. After a couple unhappy encounters with Sage, Hayley and others, he is removed from the event. As Sage is leaving for the night she finds his body next to her van. When Hayley becomes the chief suspect, Sage begins asking questions and even Niko gets involved. A great read with good recipes too. Love these characters. Not sure if more books are planned for the series, but it feel ikr a good ending.
I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

A good addition to a pleasant and engaging series. A clever cozy mystery. A fun location for the regular group of characters to work and play. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I do love this cozy mystery and the latest installment is no exception. Sage is a great main character/protagonist. Plus if you've been reading this series, it was great for there to finally be.a resolution with Mark. The setting was great and if love coffee and cozy mysteries, you will love this one!

Fatal Brouhaha comes out next week on April 29, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

It's always fun when decisions from over a year ago come to fruition. My coffee empire, Ground Rules, had partnered with a local company, Doyle's Oregon Whiskey, to create a canned Irish coffee. We provided the coffee grounds and expertise they distilled the whiskey, procured the locally sourced cream, and managed the canning part of the manufacturing process. Doyle's Irish-To-Go tasted smooth, with the perfect balance of coffee and Irish-style whiskey distilled by the Doyle brothers, Tierney and Shay.

I love this series so much! These books always make me long to fly to Portland and wish that I could taste Ground Rules coffee (and other fun sounding drinks!) I love Sage and how she can come across as "all business" because she is so passionate and determined, but also has a fun playful side when with her friends and family. She always gets to attend the best festivals with her camper and this one was no exception. I really want to go to a live music festival again thanks to this description (though without the tragedies please). I am patting myself on the back because I picked up on a potential clue super early on (yay me), but there were plenty of suspects and self doubt. I love all the people Sage chooses to surround herself with and how much fun they all have together. The wedding was of course fabulous and I cannot wait for more!

FATAL BROUHAHA is the fifth book in the Ground Rules Mysteries by Emmeline Duncan. It doesn’t get much better than pairing whiskey with coffee and launching the joint venture with a 4th of July festival and fireworks display to celebrate! Protagonist Sage Caplin and her business partner, Harley, own Ground Rules, a successful and expanding coffee company in Portland, Oregon. Sage is a wonderful character. She’s ambitious, yet down-to-earth, relatable, and a good friend to all her employees and customers. The author does an admirable job in giving each character individual personalities with well-developed backstories. She also brings the setting of Portland and the festival to life, so that the reader feels like they’re right there, smelling the mouthwatering aroma of fresh-ground coffee and tasting the invigorating brew, while listening to bands playing popular music. Harley is a good foil to outgoing Sage. She’s the character behind the scenes making things happen while developing the specialty coffee grinds their company is known for. She’s quiet, yet steady, so when their nemesis, Mark, creates a brouhaha and Harley lashes out, it’s unexpected.

Mark has been a thorn in the Ground Rules business from the very first book. And while murder is never the right answer, it seems karma has finally caught up to him… except it doesn’t take long for Harley to become the primary suspect. As if launching a business venture and planning a wedding isn’t enough, Sage knows Harley is innocent and pulls out all the stops to prove it. The author provides a well-plotted mystery with twists and turns that kept me engrossed in the pages, with plenty of suspects who might have wanted the rival coffee house owner dead. The subplots added interest and intertwined with the story perfectly. There is a touch of humor and heartwarming scenes to make you want to come back and see what happens next in Sage’s life, while keeping the reader guessing with a clever whodunit!

Fatal Brouhaha is everything a cozy mystery lover dreams of—sharp-witted sleuthing, small-town charm, and a plot as rich and layered as Sage’s signature espresso. From the first page to the final clue, this installment in the Ground Rules series serves up a tantalizing blend of suspense, humor, and caffeinated chaos.

The plot is fast-paced but never rushed, perfectly balancing moments of laugh-out-loud charm with escalating tension. Sage is a refreshingly savvy and relatable protagonist, fiercely loyal and endlessly curious. Her dynamic with Harley is filled with heart, and their friendship adds depth and warmth, especially as Harley becomes the prime suspect. The supporting cast—colorful artists, secretive entrepreneurs, and one or two grudge-holders with questionable motives—make for a tangled web of suspects that will keep readers guessing until the final pages.

And let’s not overlook the setting—festive, boozy, and buzzing with creative energy. The sensory detail practically lifts off the page: you can smell the roasted beans, taste the barrel-aged notes in the air, and feel the tension crackle beneath the festival lights.

With just the right mix of red herrings, witty banter, and shocking revelations, Fatal Brouhaha is a must-listen (or must-read!) for fans of cozy mysteries with a kick. Pour yourself a cup, press play, and settle in for a murder that’s as bold as the brew.

Sage already has a lot on her plate (a wedding, a new collaboration for her coffee) when Mark, a competitor, has an argument with her business partner Harley and then Mark is...wait for it..murdered! Cozy fans know that Harley will be a suspect and that lots of people didn't like Mark. What sets this apart is Sage's found family of friends, which includes her fiance and his son Nico. While it's the latest in a series, it should be fine as a standalone. I liked that this advanced Sage's life even as it satisfied the cozy mystery itch. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. And there are recipes!

I adore revisting Sage and her coffee business. This is full of delicious descriptions of coffee and coffee drinks. Perfect reading when you want a fast-paced mystery with a cozy feel, engaging characters with a likable sleuth, and a limited circle of suspects. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Bonus recipes!

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to an already fun and exciting series. Sage is thrilled to expand her offerings through a collaboration with the local whiskey company hosting the festival—a perfect setting to launch their new product alongside fellow entrepreneurs.

However, the festivities take a dark turn when a murder occurs, committed by someone with a grudge against Ground Rules. When one of Sage’s employees becomes a prime suspect, she’s determined to uncover the truth and clear their name.

A delightful read with just the right mix of mystery, charm, and suspense. Loved it!
#FatalBrouhaha #NetGalley

This is the first title I've read in the Ground Rules series. I like Sage, the main character, who's level-headed and pretty realistic. I admit there are a couple of times here where the coffee info dump is too much for me. But the festival setting and range of recurring (I assume) and one-time characters are all pretty strong. It's a bit hard to keep everyone straight with such a large cast of characters, but it's a good read overall. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.