Dollycas's Thoughts
After her life in Paris falls apart pastry chef Chloe Barnes returns to Azalea Bay, California. Her grandmother has just been diagnosed with cancer and is beginning chemo treatments so Chloe is happy to be coming home to take care of her and all the side effects chemo brings.
She does have to find a way to support herself, thinking maybe she can work at her friend's B&B but her Aunt Dawn has another idea. She wants to partner with Chloe and open up a Cannabis Café. Baked by Chloe will challenge the pastry chef to use her training to create luscious baked goods enriched with THC. She will not be baking just any pot brownies, her creations will be amazing. Plus she knows her pastries will help cancer patients like her grandmother and others dealing with chronic pain and stress.
Getting her business off the ground doesn't go as planned though. She runs into a horrible man she knew in high school who soon after is found dead and Aunt Dawn is the police's top suspect. Now Chloe has to come up with a recipe to find a killer so she can clear her aunt of the crime while baking up delicious treats as she prepares to open her bakery. Hopefully, both she and Dawn are around for the grand opening.
Ms. George has created some strong characters for this series. and they develop very well over the course of this story. As a breast cancer survivor, I easily identified with Chloe's Grandma Rose. I knew exactly the way she felt after chemo. Sadly, pot brownies are not legal here and they would never taste like Chloe's.
Chloe was eleven we her mother left town, because motherhood âdidn't suit herâ. She had never known her father. She grew up with her grandparents who gave her many pearls of wisdom. This quote was great, something I highlighted immediately in the text.
âNobody is going to gift you the future you want, Chloe. It's a house you must build yourself. Your grandfather and I will teach you how to mix cement and lay a strong foundation, but you're responsible for turning a pile of bricks into a life.â
She also had her Aunt Dawn who never had children of her own and âdabbled in everything from tarot to tree-shaping to competitive duck herding.â Now she is into âdog-dancingâ. I have said a lot of characters are a hoot, well Dawn is a hoot and a half. Quirky, lovable and the woman has a huge heart especially when it comes to her niece Chloe. The loved these characters have for each other is so heartwarming.
The author has also introduced a fresh theme featuring cannabis when making it legal is still a very controversial issue. She explains things clearly and the medicinal uses and relief it can provide. I appreciated the time she took and the way she presented it within the story. She also took the time to explain the process Chloe goes through to use cannabis in her recipes and the amounts used. A recipe for Cannabis-Infused Butter (Cannabutter) to be used for baking is included in the book.
The mystery she tangled her characters in was very well-plotted, and written with a very quick pace. The suspect was downright creepy and didn't have many friends. There were plenty of people that could have killed him. I started to wonder how he survived as long as he did. Chloe worked hard to sort through all the clues but her quest was made even more difficult because her aunt was definitely hiding something. I did enjoy that Rose's hunky next-door neighbor worked with Chloe to reveal a very important clue. That important clue leads to a very exciting ending. I was holding my breath as the pages flew.
A Half-Baked Murder is a fantastic debut for this series. The theme is unique. The characters are lovable and engaging. The mystery kept me guessing and the subplots were fun and interesting. I am so excited for this series to continue.
After her life in Paris falls apart pastry chef Chloe Barnes returns to Azalea Bay, California. Her grandmother has just been diagnosed with cancer and is beginning chemo treatments so Chloe is happy to be coming home to take care of her and all the side effects chemo brings.
She does have to find a way to support herself, thinking maybe she can work at her friend's B&B but her Aunt Dawn has another idea. She wants to partner with Chloe and open up a Cannabis Café. Baked by Chloe will challenge the pastry chef to use her training to create luscious baked goods enriched with THC. She will not be baking just any pot brownies, her creations will be amazing. Plus she knows her pastries will help cancer patients like her grandmother and others dealing with chronic pain and stress.
Getting her business off the ground doesn't go as planned though. She runs into a horrible man she knew in high school who soon after is found dead and Aunt Dawn is the police's top suspect. Now Chloe has to come up with a recipe to find a killer so she can clear her aunt of the crime while baking up delicious treats as she prepares to open her bakery. Hopefully, both she and Dawn are around for the grand opening.
Ms. George has created some strong characters for this series. and they develop very well over the course of this story. As a breast cancer survivor, I easily identified with Chloe's Grandma Rose. I knew exactly the way she felt after chemo. Sadly, pot brownies are not legal here and they would never taste like Chloe's.
Chloe was eleven we her mother left town, because motherhood âdidn't suit herâ. She had never known her father. She grew up with her grandparents who gave her many pearls of wisdom. This quote was great, something I highlighted immediately in the text.
âNobody is going to gift you the future you want, Chloe. It's a house you must build yourself. Your grandfather and I will teach you how to mix cement and lay a strong foundation, but you're responsible for turning a pile of bricks into a life.â
She also had her Aunt Dawn who never had children of her own and âdabbled in everything from tarot to tree-shaping to competitive duck herding.â Now she is into âdog-dancingâ. I have said a lot of characters are a hoot, well Dawn is a hoot and a half. Quirky, lovable and the woman has a huge heart especially when it comes to her niece Chloe. The loved these characters have for each other is so heartwarming.
The author has also introduced a fresh theme featuring cannabis when making it legal is still a very controversial issue. She explains things clearly and the medicinal uses and relief it can provide. I appreciated the time she took and the way she presented it within the story. She also took the time to explain the process Chloe goes through to use cannabis in her recipes and the amounts used. A recipe for Cannabis-Infused Butter (Cannabutter) to be used for baking is included in the book.
The mystery she tangled her characters in was very well-plotted, and written with a very quick pace. The suspect was downright creepy and didn't have many friends. There were plenty of people that could have killed him. I started to wonder how he survived as long as he did. Chloe worked hard to sort through all the clues but her quest was made even more difficult because her aunt was definitely hiding something. I did enjoy that Rose's hunky next-door neighbor worked with Chloe to reveal a very important clue. That important clue leads to a very exciting ending. I was holding my breath as the pages flew.
A Half-Baked Murder is a fantastic debut for this series. The theme is unique. The characters are lovable and engaging. The mystery kept me guessing and the subplots were fun and interesting. I am so excited for this series to continue.
A Half-Baked Murder is the debut of A Cannabis Café Mysteries. It is the first cozy mystery to have a cannabis theme. Chloe Barnes is a trained pastry chef who has dreamed of working in a Michelin star restaurant. When Chloe's Aunt Dawn suggests she open a cannabis café, Chloe has trouble giving up her dream. Chloe is in her late twenties. I expected her to be more mature after her years in Paris. Chloe's love for her Grandma Rose is evident. Grandma Rose is a sweet woman with a great group of friends. Aunt Dawn is a quirky, fun woman with a hippie vibe. I enjoyed the descriptions of Azalea Bay. It sounds like a charming town. We get to learn about cannabis. It helps people with their pain, their nausea, anxiety, and sleep. There are different types sold in dispensaries along with a variety of edibles. A recipe for cannabis butter is included (used for baking). The whodunit was straightforward. An unlikeable man is killed, a relative of the protagonist is the main suspect, misdirection, an amateur sleuth, a chief of police and a detective who repeatedly tell the protagonist to quit investigating. Chloe has all the subtlety of a bulldozer. She does pick up some helpful information along the way. Chloe receives a couple of warnings from the killer (not that they stop her). The reveal explains the who, how, and why. I found A Half-Baked Murder to be an okay story. I could not get into the book. It is written in the first person which allows readers to be privy to all of Chloe's rambling thoughts. There is repetition of key details. I felt there was too much romance especially for someone who just had a bad breakup. There are a couple of cute furbabies in the story. I thought Antonio was a cutie. A Half-Baked Murder is a carefree cozy with a slain slimeball, a discerning detective, an inkling for a cannabis café, baked brownies, and a prying pastry chef.
