Meet the characters of pine cove and their drinks

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that most Fridays I post a Happy Hour Drink. So why not get to know the characters from "Framed for Murder" by their cocktail of choice?

​Mel O’Rourke –
​Mel—sorry, Grandma O, I mean Emmeline—was a beat cop for seven years until a rooftop chase ended in a crushed ankle. Oddly, it was Poppy she was chasing, but more on her later. 
(Wine Image by Storme Kovacs from Pixabay)

​She's found her second act running the "rustic" Babbling Brook Bed and Breakfast. Her large family invested in the place, so she’s got a lot riding on this. And then along comes Poppy with the cops hot on her heels for murder.  For a drink at the end of a long day, Mel prefers a bold, jammy red wine. 

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Jackson Thibodeaux--
Jackson is a genius-level, disillusioned chemical engineer who left the rat race. He returned  to Pine Cove and uses his skills to create culinary masterpieces for dogs and their owners at The Hungry Puppy Café. His quick smile lights up his aquamarine colored eyes. 

His preferred drink of choice would normally be coffee. Despite originally being from New Orleans, he never really got into the party-life since he and his father moved to Pine Cove when he started high school.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

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Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks- 
Gregg grew up in Pine Cove and sheepishly admits he bullied Jackson in high school. Unlike Jackson, he’s not close with his father, but more on that in the next book. More serious than Jackson, it feels like a true accomplishment for Mel when she gets him to laugh. It’s a rare but beautiful sound. 

​He’s come to trust Mel enough to let her in on his secret—he’s a Chardonnay drinker. He only drinks beers in front of the guys to preserve his image.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

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Poppy Phillips--
The mysterious cat burglar who is better known to the media and law enforcement as “The Ghost” once saved Mel's life. Sure, she was in danger because she was chasing the thief but... po-tay-to, po-tah-to.  Now she's come to Pine Cove asking for help when she's accused of a murder she claims she didn't commit. But the more Mel digs into it, the less she realizes she really knows about Poppy. 

Unabashedly upbeat and cheeky, it's odd that the Brit's preferred cocktail is a gin and tonic made with American  Aviation gin and elderflower tonic water. Of course, she’d never say “no” to a  glass of champagne!
Image by CreativeInspiration from Pixabay

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Liam O’Rourke--
Mel’s younger brother and a contractor in Los Angele, Liam loves working with his hands. Which is a good thing because he’ll be needed frequently to fix the cranky old inn. What he doesn’t love is the fact that Poppy Phillips is there. He blames her for Mel’s painful weeks in the hospital and crippling fear of heights. 

​You can keep your fancy grape juice with subtle notes of bullshit. Liam likes a good craft beer, particularly an Irish Red, and is delighted to find Pine Cove has an excellent brew pub.

Photo by me!

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And last but not least...

Grandma O’Rourke - 
Grandma would say she’s an eccentric, but her daughter-in-law calls her bat-shit crazy. She got the ingredients wrong when she gave her grandchildren her famous Starlight Mint Surprise cooki recipe, resulting in no one ever topping her cookies. Crazy, or crazy like a fox? 

There’s only one drink for Grandma O’Rourke and that’s Irish whiskey. She prefers the peaty taste of Connemara, but any whiskey in a pinch will do. 

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How about you? Do you have any drink, alcoholic or not, that is you go to on a hot day, cold morning, celebration or Tuesday night? Let me know in the comments!