Death on Tap

Author: Ellie Alexander

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: #1 in the Sloan Krause Mystery series

Type: Hardcover

Pages: 310

Source: Local Public Library

Publisher: Minotaur Books

First Published: October 3, 2017

Opening Lines: It wasn't so much the sight of my husnband's bare ass that would become permanently etched in my memory, but rather the rhythmic sounds of hte German brass band oompah-ing in the background, coupled with the strong, but delicious smell of grains steeping in the mash tun.

Book Description from GoodReads: When Sloan Krause walks in on her husband, Mac, screwing the barmaid, she gives him the boot. Sloan has spent her life in Leavenworth, Washington becoming an expert in brewing craft beer, and she doesn’t have time to be held back by her soon-to-be ex-husband. She decides to strike out on her own, breaking away from the Krause family brewery, and goes to work for Nitro, the hip new nano-brewery in the Bavarian-themed town. Nitro’s owner, brewmaster Garrett Strong, has the brew-world abuzz with his newest recipe, “Pucker-Up IPA.” This place is the new cool place in town, and Mac can’t help but be green with envy at their success.

But just as Sloan is settling in to her new gig, she finds one of Nitro’s competitors dead in the fermenting tub, clutching the secret recipe for the IPA. When Mac, is arrested, Sloan knows that her ex might be a cheater, but a murderer? No way. Danger is brewing in Beervaria and suddenly Sloan is on the case.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

My Review: I'm getting back into reading cozy mysteries and this book caught my attention with its focus on craft beer. You see, over the past 2 years or so I've become quite enamoured with beer (I occasionally share a bit of my love of the mighty brew on my Instagram page - bakingbookworm). Pair this love of beer with a side of fiction and you've got a very happy Bookworm.

This series is set in Leavenworth, Washington - a small town known for its Oktoberfest celebration. This setting caught my attention because I live near Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario which hosts the biggest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Germany. Ya, we oompah-pah, appreciate great beer and polka with the best of 'em! 

Death on Tap is the first book in this new series that pairs a mysterious death with the craft beer industry and includes great ideas for recipes featuring beer (though, sadly, no recipes are shared). I appreciated learning about the different aspects of beer making and think even non-beer lovers will like the info.

Readers are quickly pulled into the lives of the Krause family, the small-town vibe and the colourful cast of local characters. In this first book, the mystery took a backseat to the descriptions of the town and beer making and that was okay with me. I enjoyed learning more about the brewing process, ingredients etc. and I appreciate that page time was given to acclimate readers to the setting, back stories and characters. The mystery wraps up nicely but its a revelation of Sloan's personal life at the end of the book that will have readers clamouring to read the next book in the series, The Pint of No Return, ASAP. (note: read them in order for the larger story arcs)

I'd suggest pourin' yourself a pint and tucking into this cozy mystery, binge-worthy series. I read both this book and the second book, The Pint of No Return, in just three days. Look for my review of Pint of No Return very soon.