Double Shot Death by Emmeline Duncan

Sage Caplin is taking her Portland coffee cart on the road to a sustainable music festival, but murder is an unwanted special guest . . .

At Campathon, an annual eco-friendly festival held on a farm outside of Portland, fans celebrate the Pacific Northwest’s music scene in quintessential PDX style—with gourmet food carts, reusable utensils . . . and lots of coffee. How else to get through three days of nonstop entertainment? Sage has scored a coveted place for her Ground Rules coffee cart thanks to her new-ish boyfriend, Bax, who’s friendly with Maya, one of the musicians performing.

The festivities begin with a stream of customers, friends, and acquaintances stopping by for Ground Rules’ world-class blends, expertly brewed by Sage and her newest barista. But there are tensions between Maya and her former bandmates, who are on the cusp of making it big, and with Ian, the band’s manager. When Sage stumbles upon Ian’s dead body in the nearby woods—his hand still clutching one of her coffee mugs—it’s clear that someone’s grudge boiled over into murder. Can Sage work out who’s responsible before another innocent life fades out, and the curtain falls on Campathon, and maybe her own future, for good?

Emmeline Duncan recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her latest mystery, DOUBLE SHOT DEATH:

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

Since I already knew my main character well, for DOUBLE SHOT DEATH, the setting dictated the rest of the novel. I decided to use an eco-music festival as the setting, which created a unique cast of characters for me to create, and the plot had to fit into the setting.

Emmeline Duncan

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

Like its predecessor, DOUBLE SHOT DEATH is an updated cozy with a younger narrator who is building her business and taking on an evolving world. It deals with a few darker issues while still fitting into the cozy genre.

What’s the one question you wish someone would ask you about this book, or your work in general? And please answer the question too!

Q: Why do you choose to write in the cozy mystery vein?

A: While I enjoy reading widely, I really enjoy writing cozies. While elements are lighter, I still deal with darker subjects, just with a different touch. I appreciate how, in cozies, the protagonist is able to restore order to her community while also following her own dreams.

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Emmeline Duncan is a mystery writer based out of Portland, Oregon. Her novels include the Ground Rules series, starting with 2021’s Fresh Brewed Murder and followed by 2022’s DOUBLE SHOT DEATH.

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

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website.