Death on Tap (Sloan Krause Mystery)

by Ellie Alexander

[annieb123]

This is the first in a new cozy mystery series by Ellie Alexander about Sloan, a brewer who works in a brewery owned by her in-laws. Since her husband has taken up with an employee ('the beer wench') and she needs some space to work out her future, she takes a job with a new-to-town brewer. When a rival brewer is found in one of their brewtanks and her husband is a suspect, Sloan decides to see if she can clear his name.

The main character is also in a crossover standalone story in the other series by this author (Bakeshop mysteries) called [b:Trouble Is Brewing: A Bakeshop Mini-Mystery|35427700|Trouble Is Brewing A Bakeshop Mini-Mystery|Ellie Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497364773s/35427700.jpg|56805430].
I really enjoyed the pacing of this mystery, though the actual murder and 'whodunnit' seemed almost incidental to the plot and character development. I was surprised by the denouement and expected a few more twists, but the writing is very solid and I look forward to the next in the series.

Either the author is a brewer herself or this book is extremely well researched. I found the background and brewing information really interesting. She's serious about her beer!

Three and a half stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.