January 1, 2024
Specialty chef Chloe Barnes gets another unwanted chance to solve a murder. Just as Chloe is musing on how her life has taken a turn for the better, largely because of the success of the cannabis-infused goodies at her new cafe, Baked by Chloe, she finds herself smack in the middle of an investigation of another suspicious death. The police think surfer Aaron Gill took his own life, but Aaron's roommate, Ethan Wilson, isn't so sure. After all, Aaron had been looking forward to competing in the Azalea Bay Pro Challenger Surf Competition and talking with optimism about his future. Chloe's last stab at sleuthing was to protect her Aunt Dawn when the police suspected Dawn of killing an unsavory old acquaintance. Now the neophyte entrepreneur decides to help Ethan, her good friend Matt's younger brother, prove that Aaron was the victim of foul play. Reluctant as she is to snoop, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. George paints a lively picture of the world of competitive surfing and offers welcome updates to the shopkeeper cozy formula, from Chloe's weed wisdom to her aunt's same-sex love interest. But she neglects some of the genre's tried and true elements, giving short shrift to her heroine's budding romance with her next-door neighbor, Jake, and leaving precious few clues for readers who want a shot at solving the puzzle. Strong on innovation, but needs work on the fundamentals.
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