The Cure For What Ales You

It’s the beginning of the Maifest celebration in the alpine village of Leavenworth, Washington, and craft brewer Sloan Krause is getting ready to debut her new Lemon Kiss ale. But when a local housekeeper is murdered, a mysterious woman with connections to Sloane’s past appears with a dire warning – she and her loved ones are in great danger.

This is the 5th novel in the Sloane Krause mystery series, and while I loved the setting and learning about craft brewing, all the focus on Sloane’s past made me wish I’d read the others first. Her complicated family history also overshadowed the main murder case at times, and ultimately (IMO) didn’t add much to the case. However, this is most likely due to my not having read the previous books. I wasn’t very familiar with Sloane’s journey to learn more about her past, so I didn’t have any emotional investment and the big reveals didn’t land as hard. There was also a shift in tone near the end, closer to a thriller than a cozy mystery, which was a little disappointing.

While I don’t know if I’ll continue with the series, it was still an enjoyable read, and I liked the chemistry between Sloane and Graham.

Have a little crocheted beer mug on me and happy reading!