Fresh Brewed Murder

I knew this book wouldn't be anything revolutionary, but it was still a fun time. This is my first cozy mystery and I liked the setting and all the talk about coffee. My favorite part I think was the sense of community amongst all the food truck owners. The mystery was fine, but I feel like there were more side stories going on, and some I really didn't care for. Some of the characters felt a little flat. I didn't like either of the love interests, and I found that those parts were unneeded and felt forced. I didn't expect who the killer was, so that's a plus. I may pick up the next book in the series, but it definitely won't be a priority. 

There are some great details that makes the setting feel real; gentrification, homelessness, and small business stress.
Sage is very aware of her advantages and concerned about benefiting everyone. Her concern felt real and her background logically contributes to her desire to benefit others.
The romance could develop into a love triangle, but it is developing slowly and logically. There is still room for the romance to not become a triangle.
The side characters, her dad, uncle, brother and cousin have a good start. I would like to see a little more development with her business partner. The detective is mean and almost incompetent, but seems to come around a little bit in the end.
The murder happens quickly and has a lot of complicating factors. While Sage does get herself a little involved, it isn't an all out “abandon my new business to investigate.” It is more “I want to help these people and happen to get involved in the investigation in the process.” The clues are there, but not obvious. So looking back I can see what the clues were, but I didn't catch them at first. The solution surprised me, but looking back it makes sense.

It is how imagined Portland to be. Cozy fun.