Without A Brew

3.5 STARS - Without A Brew is the fourth book in a cozy mystery series featuring craft brewer, Sloan Krause. Set in a picturesque German-inspired village in Washington state, as a craft beer lover of the first order, I enjoy the beer references and reconnecting with the characters in each new book.

This is a typical cozy mystery with its small-town feel, inexperienced sleuth, increasing body count and a gaggle of regular 'townie' characters to round out the story. If you can get past how easily people spill their secrets to Sloan, the mystery is solid with a good variety of culprits (even though the cliched obnoxious, misogynistic arse and the small-town busybody grated on me just a bit).

There are a couple of secondary story lines - Sloan's past and her former in-law's possibly nefarious history. The story line about Sloan's past keeps popping up and at this point, feels overly drawn out and the issues about her in-laws' past seemed underdeveloped and judging by their age, not feasible. I hope these two subplots come together in the next book.

 

Overall, this is a charming read with a cute Bavarian small-town feel, a bit of sleuthing and with its tasty beer and beer-inspired food descriptions, this series is a good choice for avid cozy mystery lovers (beer loving not required).

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Ellie Alexander

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: #4 in the Sloan Krause series

Type and Source: eBook from NetGalley

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: November 10, 2020

Opening Lines: A biting January wind blew into the taproom as the front 

door to Nitro opened and a group of skiers traipsed inside.

Book Description from GoodReads: Amateur sleuth Sloan Krause delves into a murderous winter wonderland in another delightful mystery from cozy writer Ellie Alexander, Without a Brew.

It's winter in the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington, which for local brewmaster Sloan Krause means lots of layers, pine and citrus-flavored craft beers, and getting the new guest rooms at Nitro into pristine condition before visitors flood in for IceFest—a local tradition filled with fireworks, ice carving, and winter games of all varieties. But Sloan and her boss Garrett quickly learn that being brewkeepers turned innkeepers may not be as idyllic as it sounded.

While one couple staying with them seems completely smitten, a flashy group arrives in the evening demanding rooms. Sloan and Garrett are less than impressed, but agree to rent to them anyway. The night takes a turn when brewery patron Liv Paxton finishes her frothy pint and, with no previous plan for an overnight stay in Leavenworth, eagerly takes Sloan up on the offer of sanctuary from the snow—until she has a strange run in with some locals and the other guests. Sloan could be imagining things, but when Liv's room is found trashed the next morning, a hateful message painted on her car, and Liv herself is nowhere to be found, Sloan is convinced another mystery is brewing. With many of the potential suspects hunkering down under Nitro's roof, she knows her co-workers and friends won't be safe until she serves up the killer a hoppy pint of justice.