Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander

 

Book Summary

Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander takes us back to Leavenworth, Washington in January where IceFest will begin in a week.  Sloan Krause, Garrett, and Kat are getting ready for the opening of their beer-themed bed-and-breakfast in the rooms above Nitro.  Their soft opening with one anniversary couple quickly changes when two couples arrive needing lodging after the pipe burst at their rental.  Garret soon regrets agreeing to let them stay when one of the men becomes obnoxious and loud.  Another woman, Liv does not wish to make the long trek back to Spokane in the dark and gets their final guest room.  The next morning, Liv is nowhere to be found.  Her room is a mess and her car is covered in paint.  Sloan calls in Chief Meyer who begins a search of the area.  When Liv turns up dead, Sloan wonders if one of their guests is the killer.  She cannot help but do a little nosing around.  

My Thoughts

Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander is the 4^th novel in A Sloan Krause Mystery series.  It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series or missed a book along the way.  I enjoy visiting Leavenworth, Washington which reminds me of German Village where I grew up.  It is a quaint town with Bavarian charm.  The town is preparing for IceFest with games, fireworks, food, and loads of twinkle lights.  I like that Sloan Krause is a strong female who continues to develop.  She is finding out who she is away from her husband (soon to be ex-husband) and his family.  Sloan loves her job and she is thinking about purchasing a new home.  Sloan has been wanting to learn about her birth mother and she is finally getting information thanks to her old case worker, Sally.  We learn some startling information when Sally visits.  The mystery was nicely plotted out.  There are a variety of suspects along with good clues.   Sloan uncovers helpful information with her gentle questions.  Avid cozy mystery readers, though, will find it a cinch to solve this whodunit.  I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of the town.  The authors word images match the pictures of Leavenworth.  There are some mouthwatering dishes prepared by Sloan and Nitro serves up some wintery brews.  Without a Brew is a charming cozy mystery with a pushy VP, a cozy cottage, a lost lodger, a brash realtor, and a winter wonderland.  

Without a Brew publishes October 10 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon*.  You can find the other four novels in A Sloan Krause Mystery series here.  Ellie Alexander also writes A Bakeshop Mystery series starring Jules Capshaw.  Chilled to the Cone releases December 29 and Mocha, She Wrote is out June 29, 20201.  Thank you for reading my review today.  I will return tomorrow to share my thoughts on An Amish Christmas Wedding by Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman.  I hope you have a cheery day.  We all need to stay positive during these difficult times.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander

Good Day!  Read and Buried by Eva Gates, Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle and The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron come out October 15.  Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries releases October 17. It is the fifth novel in The Lovely Lane Series.  

Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander welcomes us to Leavenworth, Washington.  Sloan Krause is enjoying the quiet of the town now that Oktoberfest has ended, but it is to be short lived.  City Councilman, Kristopher Cooper is running for re-election with a platform of turning Leavenworth into a dry town which would lead to a town without tourists.  The next day, Sloan enters April Ablin’s office to find Kristopher dead on the floor and April being arrested by Chief Meyers.  While Sloan is a not a fan of the town’s self-appointed ambassador, she knows that April needs her help.  Beyond a Reasonable Stout can be read alone for those new to A Sloan Krause Mystery series.  The story has Ellie Alexander’s casual writing style which makes the story easy to read.  Sloan is preparing for the next stage of her life now that she is divorcing Mac.  She has her job at Nitro with Garrett Strong where she gets a voice in creating new brews and now, she needs to decide where to live.  Sloan and Garrett are experimenting with new holiday brews and training Kat on their stock so she can handle barkeep duties.  The town is in an uproar over Kristopher Cooper and his plan to turn Leavenworth into a dry town.  Without the beer, the town will lose its tourists which doesn’t seem to faze Kristopher.  It is no surprise when Kristopher ends up murdered.  However, Sloan is shocked when April Ablin is arrested for the crime.  She knows that April did commit the crime and, reluctantly, Sloan sets out to prove it.  Readers will have no problem solving this whodunit long before the reveal.  I kept hoping for a twist because I thought the solution too simple.  There are multiple suspects since Kristopher managed to antagonize the majority of the town’s residents.  The mystery is nicely wrapped up at the end of the book.  The secondary mystery of Sloan’s birth parents began in Death on Tap and is still playing out.  Sloan is determined to find answers and she may have gotten her best clue yet.  I enjoy the descriptions of Leavenworth with its Bavarian style architecture, shops and food.  It reminds me of where I grew up (German Village in Columbus, Ohio).  A Sloan Krause Mystery series is a character focused series.  The characters and their lives are the main focus of the story.  They chat, eat and drink plenty of beer.  If you enjoy Ellie Alexander’s A Bakeshop Mystery series, you will like reading A Sloane Krause Mystery series (switch out pastry for beer).  Beyond a Reasonable Stout is a lighthearted cozy mystery with petty politics, brewing beer, wrestling with wallpaper, barkeep basics, nutty nutcrackers, and an aggrieved April.

A Reasonable Stout is available at Amazon (Amazon UK).  The other two stories in A Sloane Krause Mystery series are Death on Tap and The Pint of No Return.  Ellie Alexander also writes A Bakeshop Mystery series.  Thank you for joining me today.  I am sharing my review of Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry tomorrow.  It is the second A Garden Squad Mystery.  My review is in a different format today because of migraines.  This is what I submit to Amazon, Goodreads, etc.  I was not up to writing a separate book summary today.  I am hoping this is not a three day migraine which means a dark room and as little noise as possible in the house.  I am heading off to lay down.  I hope you have a soothing day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

The Pint of No Return: A Sloan Krause Mystery

Welcome, Fellow Readers! A Year of Extraordinary Moments by Bette Lee Crosby will be out on October 16 along with The Christmas Star by Donna VanLiere and An Amish Homecoming by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Shelley Shepard Gray, and Kathleen Fuller. 

The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander is the second book in A Sloan Krause Mystery series.  The town of Leavenworth, Washington is busy preparing for Oktoberfest.  It is a three week long event that has tourists flocking to their Bavarian looking town.  Nitro owner, Garrett Strong with Sloan Krause have been working on a new brew titled Cherry Weizen which will be unveiled that night.  April Ablin approaches Sloane regarding her attire.  A documentary film crew is in town to film Wish You Were Beer and she would prefer Sloan to dress in costume (not going to happen).  The crew shows up at Nitro that evening to try out their new brew and, hopefully, get some good footage.  Their host, Mitchell Morgan leaves a lot to be desired with his arrogant attitude and large ego (I’m surprised his hat fits).  Sloan is heading home at the end of the night and hears a woman screaming.  Mitchell Morgan is dead in the town square with a growler from Nitro broken around him.  Lisa Balmes is accused of murdering Mitchell by his biggest fan, Kat Kelly.  Sloan knows Lisa did not kill Mitchell and starts nosing around the crew for suspects.  Sloan must also deal with her estranged husband, her search for her biological mother and Mitchell’s biggest fan, Kat.  Join in on the Oktoberfest fun in The Pint of No Return.

The Pint of No Return is an engaging cozy mystery.  I thought it was well-written with a nice steady pace.  Ms. Alexander’s conversational writing style makes The Pint of No Return easy to read and enjoy.  I like Sloan, Garrett, Hans Krause, Alex Krause as well as Otto and Ursula Krause (such a sweet couple).  April Ablin, while not a character I like, does provides comic relief.  I am amazed that Sloan married someone like Mac.  I fail to see his appeal (the cheating louse).  It was nice to find out more about Sloan and her relationship with the Krause family.  I appreciate the author’s descriptive writing style which makes the book come alive for me.  I can picture Leavenworth with the Bavarian style buildings and people walking around in costumes with beer steins in their hands.  There are two mysteries in the book.  The murder of Mitchell and Sloan’s search for her biological mother.  I thought Mitchell’s murder was straightforward with a simple solution.  Unfortunately, I identified the killer before Mitchell went belly up.  Sloan’s quest to find her birth mother is the more intriguing mystery.  It looks like it will play out over the course of the series with new information revealed in each book.  I wish the murder had been more of a focus in this book.  The story concentrates on the characters (mainly Sloan) and the town.  While I appreciate getting to know the characters, I do read a cozy mystery for the mystery.  I am baffled by the food that they serve in Nitro.  I do not understand why they do not hire a chef and offer real food instead of meat and cheese trays (it seems odd).  They could at least offer tapas.  Overall, The Pint of No Return is a pleasure to read.  I thought it was an improvement over Death on Tap.  My rating for The Pint of No Return is 4 out of 5 stars.  If you are looking to capture the feeling of Oktoberfest, visit Leavenworth in The Pint of No Return. 

I appreciate you visiting today.  I will feature An Amish Homecoming by Amy Clipston and friends tomorrow.  An Amish Homecoming contains four heartwarming Amish stories.  I sincerely hope you have a welcoming day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

Death on Tap: A Sloan Krause Mystery

Happy Book Release Day!  Familiar Motives by Delia James is out today.  Third book in A Witch's Cat Mystery series (along with all the books I mentioned yesterday).  I have added it to my TBR list.  

Death on Tap by Ellie Alexander is the first book in A Sloan Krause Mystery series.  Sloan Krause is working on a new brew and quickly runs to her office at Das Keller (a Krause family business) to get her notes.  She opens the door to discover her husband, Mac playing hide the sausage with Hayley, the new barmaid.  Three weeks later, Sloan is ready to start her new job at Nitro, a new nanobrewery in Leavenworth, Washington (a Bavarian themed town).  Garrett Strong inherited the building from his great aunt Tess and has completely renovated the inside (looks like a sterile science lab).  The morning after the soft opening, Sloan goes to toss some hops into the fermenting tank and discovers Eddie Deluga, brewmaster at Bruin's Brewing) face up in the Pucker Up IPA brew.  Mac ends up at the top of Chief Meyers suspect list.  Mac may be a cheater, but he is no killer.  To clear Mac of suspicion, Sloan sets out to discover who could have wanted to harm Eddie. 

I do have to say that the first sentence of Death on Tap is an attention grabber (it really creates a visual). Death on Tap is unique in that it dives into the world of beer brewing.  I have not experienced another cozy mystery with this theme (unique).  It is obvious that the author did her research into the topic.  We get to learn a great deal about what goes into creating, distributing and selling beer.  The mystery did not take place until I was 24% of the way into the story.  By the time Sloan found the body, I already knew who committed the crime (secondary mystery is equally easy to unravel).  The mystery takes up a small portion of the story.  More of the book is devoted to beer brewing, regulations, etc.  I admit that it is interesting (even though I do not drink the stuff), but I would have liked a better mystery.  I like the sound of the Bavarian town of Leavenworth (loved the descriptions of the town and buildings).  It reminds me of German Village (in Columbus, Ohio) where I grew up.  It had me longing for a real German bratwurst from Schmidt's (not the type you find in your local grocery).  My rating for Death on Tap is 3 out of 5 stars.  I found it odd that Garrett Strong is having the soft launch of Nitro without any staff (except Sloan), no planned menu, no remodeled kitchen, no furniture or décor (Sloan mentions having to find tables and chairs), and a limited beer menu.  For a man with a business/corporate background, it shows a distinct lack of planning.  I was not a fan of Mac Krause and his constant use of the word “baby” when talking to Sloane (big pet peeve of mine).  The pacing was slow in places causing me to lose interest (more about beer).  I know that the author needs to set the stage for readers, but I do not believe we needed quite so much detail (it seemed like Ms. Alexander wanted to put in everything she learned while researching the topic).  Many details are repeated frequently throughout the story (hops, Sloan’s lack of family growing up, description of Sloan’s farmhouse, etc.).  It will be interesting to see what direction the author takes with the next book in the series (I hope a divorce is in the works for Sloan).  

Ellie Alexander is the author of A Bakeshop Mystery series and writes A Pacific Northwest  Mystery series (In Cave Danger out November 28) under the pen name Kate Dyer-Seeley. Thank you for visiting and reading my latest review.  I will return on Wednesday with my evaluation of Protocol by Kathleen Valenti.  I hope that you have a remarkable day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader