I haven't read the first in this series but after reading this entry I will remedy that. I know nothing about whisky but I love Scotland and I love a good mystery. This one does it all. Even though I only had a vague knowledge of the first book, I'm sure this one is fine as a stand alone. Abi Logan has inherited a distillery from her Uncle Ben. Needing to start a new chapter in her life, she settles down (with her dog, Liam) to run the business. Mix up crimes old and new, relationships with family and friends, a bit of ancestry and archaeology.....plus an over the hill rock star and all of his emotional baggage and some rescued sheep - well Abi has her hands full. I'm really looking forward to reading the first book in the series. By then I hope there will be a third book to enjoy.

Death Distilled is the follow up to Single Malt Murder [[ASIN:B01HL180QG Single Malt Murder: A Whisky Business Mystery]]. What a followup!

In Death Distilled we are returned to the beautiful Scottish country side of Balfour with our photojournalist, Whisky maker and part time sleuth Abigail Logan. Of course, things start off with a bang! First day back she and Liam finds a bones outside the local bar. Now begins our adventure!

This book is in my opinion a clean book with a fair amount of historical information that the author deftly ties into both the story and present times. Those who read the first book will immediately get the reference to the Fletcher family. Those who didn't will quickly be caught up and immersed in a story that just keeps getting better! One of my favorite characters from book on Furgie also reappears.

Would I recommend this book? Unequivocally! I can't wait for book three!!!
Is there any gory scenes? Nope, any age could read this mystery.
There's a dog on the cover, is this a pet mystery? No, Liam (the doggy) is not the driving force of this book.
Is there a romance? No, this is not a romantic suspense but Abi does like Grant (partner in Whisky business) but never having had a real long term relationship seems to scare the bejesus outta the girl! She's running scared but growing emotionally with each book. It's a process that's very relateable.

Death Distilled is the second book in the Whisky Business Mystery series.

Even though I am a teetotaler, I’ve been known to have had a wee dram or two. The series centers around a small single malt distillery, Abbey Eden, in Balfour, Scotland. It occurs in the present day, but the author skillfully blends in the history behind the current distillery and tells of the experiences of Brodie and Angus, who ran illegal stills in the early 1800’s

Abi Logan, who had inherited the distillery a few months earlier has finished a photo shoot and has returned to Balfour check how things are going. As they are walking by the Golden Stag, Liam, her Wheaton Terriers bounds for a trench to rescue some bones that have recently been unearthed. The bones and some buttons found with them will be found to date back to the 1800’s. The bones and a book that Abi finds hidden is a secret room in her house and with information, she gets from her handyman, Hunter Mann, the whole story behind brother Brodie and Angus lives is made completely clear. Brodie and Angus were the owners of the distillery that is today Abbey Glen and owned by Abi.



Abi learns from a couple of folks that a Rory Hendricks has been making inquiries about her and has asked to see her upon her return. When Abi goes to visit she is shocked to learn that Rory is none other than Mickey Dawson, a former rock star and her heart throb in her teen years. Rory had given up the rock and has been living out of the country for about a decade or so. Upon his return to England he learns that one of the members of his band has died of, reportedly, a drug overdose and another lies in a coma as a result of a hit and run accident and his daughter, Summer, has had her art gallery vandalized and a threat left painted on the wall suggests that Rory’s life might be endangered too. Rory having heard of Abi’s prowess at searching out a story asks her to find out who killing band members before Rory’s life reaches its final note.

A subplot centers around Patrick Cooke, Abi’s long time friend and journalist, who has gone to work for the Whisky Journal and hopes he will make a big splash by holding a function at Abbey Glen for a group of Japanese distillers that will be visiting Scotland. Abi isn’t really in favor of it as they are a small distiller and don’t really have the staff to hold this type of gathering and Grant, part owner and head distiller, is against have competitors in viewing the operation at Abbey Glen. But soon Abi and Grant agree to Patrick’s plan. As it turns out the gathering plays an integral part in drawing the killer out in the exciting ending to the book.

I love this young series, the author writes a well written exciting and interesting story with not a lot of characters to get slowed down by. The characters that are in the book are believable and quite interesting.

I definitely will be watching for the next book in the series.

Sláinte

Photojournalist Abi Logan returns to Abbey Glen, the whisky distillery she inherited in the small Scottish village of Balfour. Rory Hendriks, a rock star bi admired when she was younger, is staying in the village and asks Abi to help him figure out who is trying to kill him. Although Abi is busy preparing the distillery for a visit from a group of whisky enthusiasts from Japan and has taken on the care of flock of sheep, she just can’t turn down her idol, even when the investigation puts her love life and her life in danger.

“Death Distilled” is the second in this series. I loved the first book because of the unique premise and the information about distilling whisky and was looking forward to this sequel. I was disappointed, however, because although there was a lot of Scottish history, going back to the 1700s, but not a lot about actual whisky-making. There is a missed opportunity of including facts about the distilling process when Abi and her friend Patrick make a video about Abbey Glen. Instead, there is too much information about the tunnels on the grounds, sheep, and history which takes away from the uniqueness of the series and bogs down the main plot of a killer on the loose. In addition, the possible romance between Abi and Grant, the distillery manager, doesn’t progress much. This series has a lot of promise so I hope the next book gets back to basics and concentrates on making whisky and tempting Abi to make Scotland her permanent home, but I rate this installment as 3.5 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Alibi. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Death Distilled is an enjoyable cozy mystery. In the "style" of the book, Abi is observant, intuitive, and intelligent. The story wandered somewhat, spending a bit of time on the ancient history of Scotland. While this was interesting, it had nothing to do with the main story or characters. I felt that there were too many characters for a book of this length.

In summary, I enjoyed reading about Abi and her dog, her distillery and detective activities. I would be interested in future installments, but I would like to see the author tighten up the writing and stick to the point or develop a more intricate plot.

Nice mystery set in Scotland with whiskey! You'll like the details of the whiskey business that are tucked in this slender but fun novel as Abi and Liam return to Balfour to find not only an important tour set for Japanese visitors but also an old flame. Rory, Abi's old crush, asks for her help in finding out who is killing his old band mates. Not really something one should take on on her own but in the classic cozy tradition, Abi manages to wind her way through the internet and gumshoe it through to answers. Entertaining and well written. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this even if you have not read the first one - and I'm looking forward to a third.

This second installment of Melinda Mullet's Whisky Business series is every bit as engaging as the first, mainly because Abi Logan is such an interesting main character. It helps that she doesn't always react the way readers will expect her to. Faced with a growing relationship with Grant, her right-hand man at the distillery, Abi proves to be very gun shy, which is why she took off for parts unknown at the end of the last book. How long is she going to do this? Only the author knows, but me being the anti-romance reader that I am, I like keeping the two apart. At least for a while. (See? I'm not completely heartless.)

If I were Abi, I wouldn't put up with her friend, Patrick Cooke, who thinks nothing of promising her time and place of business to others without even asking her permission first. Since this isn't the first time Patrick has done this to Abi, I think the man needs to have a strong learning experience. Could make for a very interesting (and entertaining) segment in a future book....

As you can tell, I've gotten wrapped up with Mullet's characters. I also love the setting, and she is very adept at creating good mysteries. In Death Distilled, readers not only get to try their little grey cells at solving a rock-and-roll mystery, there's also a very good one concerning the village of Balfour and its history.

This is a good series that I hope you'll give a try. I know I'm certainly looking forward to book number three!

First, I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Random House's Alibi, for giving me a preview copy to read and review.
Abigail Logan, photo -journalist returns to Balfour to a body unearthed during construction for a B&B add on to the local pub, the Golden Stag. As she watches the excavation, she runs into Patrick, long-time friend, who has a scheme to give Japanese whiskey distillers a tour of the Abbey Glen to promote his new magazine he is working for, the Whisky Society. Abbey Glen is the distillery that Abi inherited, but Patrick needs her help to persuade Grant who oversees the distillery.
The body ends up being couple hundred years old and relates to the history of the Glen. This is an interesting secondary mystery to the book.
The primary mystery and story focuses on Mickey Dawson, rock star name for Rory Hendricks from the band the Rebels. Mickey is at Fell Farm after returning from 12 years in South America trying to escape the Rebels. Within 24 hours of returning to Balfour, Mickey turns up at Abi’s home and asks for her help to find out who might be murdering or harming members/associates of the band. Mickey has to replace a band member (Ian Waters who was victim of hit and run and in a coma) at a benefit concert and he enlists Abby’s help to investigate. She is tasked with monitoring the people that are in attendance to see if she can find anything out. Of course, at the concert, another band associate is killed.
There are plenty of suspects and another complication with Mickey’s daughter who he wants to protect but who wants nothing to do with him. Plenty to keep a reader entertained! Thoroughly enjoyed the book, how it expertly combined multiple side stories, including the one that gives background on the history of the region. Really loved this book! Definitely intend to go back and read first one in this series!

I loved Melinda Mullett’s 1st instalment ‘Single Malt Murder’ and while I felt this 2nd book was a little more laid back, it certainly wasn’t any less enjoyable.
Abi has returned to Balfour with her much loved dog ‘Liam’, after a few months away on her job as a photojournalist. Looking for time to unwind and rethink her future, it seems the Glen is not as restful as she had hoped. A mysterious skeleton is found at the Pub during renovations. Singer heart throb from her teenage years, Mickey Dawson, has moved into the area and thinks his life and his daughters is in danger and has enlisted her help and finally her best friend Patrick has talked her into holding a Malt Whiskey Society night for Japanese Whiskey enthusiasts, now she just has to talk her business partner Grant into agreeing.
It seems that there is a lot going on but it runs through the storyline well. There is just enough backstory as a refresher but I feel that someone can easily pick up this book first. Once again some of the local characters are featured and I loved the interactions between Liam and the quirky sheep Abi has rescued. The ‘car scene’ with Liam and Oscar had me laughing out loud.
A nice easy read and I look forward to seeing if there will be another in the series. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy to read and review.

Abi, home at the distillery again, is faced with a teen musical crush. Oddly enough, he is asking her to help him find out who is trying to kill him. This seems a bit far fetched as her reputation as a amateur detective isn't built up already in the second book of a series but is the basis to get her involved in what becomes a complex web of love, betrayal, and revenge. With the introduction of Rory, former lead singer of the Rebels, comes his former band mates, wives, road crew, the paparazzi, and a killer. Luckily, Abi has a detailed memory and is able to keep them all straight and make connections between them. I wasn't as lucky and frequently had to give myself a recap. But, it all made for a good cozy and I love the town of Balfour and all its lovely inhabitants! Which is odd because I wasn't happy with the interruptions provided in the form of some "found" history of the town. It seemed a bit like filler. Despite the side tracking, I hope Abi makes herself more at home in Scotland and we can read more of her adventures.

This is a complex and compelling mystery with multiple layers of plot. There were so many characters with interlocking connections and motives that it was difficult to keep track of them at all times, especially with a historical subplot and a very light romance idea working in the background. The heroine Abi is compulsive, caring and obsessive as she struggles to find the missing pieces in the puzzle to the murders. Most of the clues come from talking to people, friends investigating and online rather than the police who are very much in the background. Great resolution and satisfying conclusion.

"Guid gear comes in sma' bulk."

This Scottish phrase says it all about this wonderful book, set in Scotland: At just 240 pages, it may be a small "package" - but it's put together in a really big way. Not convinced? Consider this: What's not to love about a place where folks think nothing of drinking whisky at 10:30 in the morning?

Truth is, I was hooked on the author's "Whisky Business" series when I read the first installment, "Single Malt Murder" (many thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read advance copies of both in exchange for honest reviews). This one, the second, stands well on its own, but my suggestion is to start at the beginning simply because the first one is so delightful.

Professional photojournalist Abi Logan, who inherited the Abbey Glen single-malt whisky distillery in Balfour when a close relative died, is back in town after three months on assignment. She's accompanied, as always, by her rather large wheaten terrier, Liam; almost from the time they hit the ground running, Liam finds some human bones that turn out to be, perhaps thankfully, really, really old - perhaps connected to old-time whisky runners who plied their dangerous trade in the area generations ago.

Then, she runs into a stranger named Rory Hendricks, who turns out to be a mostly over-the-hill rock-and-roll star who's here to do a solo benefit concert for veterans and a man on whom Abi had a monster-size crush as a kid. Not everyone, though, is thrilled to relive the heyday of his band. In fact, he may be the target of someone who already has done away with a couple of other former band members who died under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Complicating things is that Hendricks is dead set on making up for lost time with a daughter he didn't know he had until recently (and she's less than thrilled with the getting-to-know-you thing). Abi wants to help protect him, of course, but he isn't always cooperative and she has trouble telling him no.

As if that weren't enough, Abi is trying to set up a charitable foundation in honor of the relative who left her the distillery (most of the money from the sale of very rare whisky found at the distillery will be used to fund it). And, Abi's friend Patrick begs her to hold an extravaganza at the distillery for a group of visiting Japanese whisky-loving visitors - an event strongly opposed by Grant, head distiller and strong contender for Abi's heart. Can Patrick, and the rock star's daughter, an art gallery owner who wants to organize the event, convince Grant that it's all worth the time and trouble? And if Rory wants to attend so he can be close to his daughter, can the local police - with a wee bit of help from Abi - unearth the murderer and keep them both from becoming victims?

The answers to those questions remains right to the nail-biting end, and as for what happens, my lips are sealed. All I'll say is the same thing I said when I finished the first book: Absolutely delicious!

While this is the second book in the Whiskey Business series, you catch up quickly with the backstory and move right into this enjoyable story. Abigail Logan, a renown photojournalist inherited a whiskey distillery, Abbey Glen, after the death of her uncle Ben. Upon her return from her latest assignment, her close friend Patrick needs her permission to organize a special whiskey tasting for some important Japanese clients. Of course, her partner and distillery manager, Grant, is opposed to the disruption it would cause. Meanwhile Rory Hendricks, a rock star from Abi's youth, asks for her help in investigating the threats to him and other members of the Rebels.

Characters are well-drawn and interesting. History, secret tunnels and bootleggers all combine with a charming ambience into a top notch mystery. Not only will I read her next book, but I will pick up the first in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I didn't realize it was part of a series and this is the second book. With that considered, there was enough background given from the previous story (but not too much) that I could figure out characters and relationships easily. Abigail Logan is a war correspondent that has inherited a single malt whiskey distillery in rural Scotland from her uncle Ben. Abi has been away on assignment for three months after the last book and is trying to fit in and learn the distilling business from her 49% owner/partner Grant. Abi has this ability to find dead bodies, not psychically or anything, no, she is just lucky that way. She just arrived back in Scotland and she happens upon a body while walking her dog, Liam. Needless to say, this does not endear her to the chief of police. This book centers around a rock band from the past that broke up years ago and suddenly band members and their families are being murdered, run down, and the victims of theft. The former lead singer is familiar with Abi's work and asks for her help at a benefit concert to try and figure out who is responsible. You also get a taste that maybe something happened between Abi and Grant in the last book, but it seems to all go downhill fast in this book. A couple of great characters are her dog, Liam, and Oscar the sheep, yes, I said sheep.

This is the second book in Melinda Mullet's Whisky Business series. It does stand alone but it's nice to get the background and introduction to the recurring characters from the very beginning of the series. Abi Logan has returned home and immediately is drawn into investigating threats made against members of a favorite rock band from her youth. The mystery is very enjoyable. My only issue is with Abi at times. She's a well known photojournalist who has been all over the world in often dangerous situations, yet she panics during this investigation and often doesn't come across as very self confident. She's also reluctant to take a risk with her relationship with Grant MacEwen even though she's interested in him. Those behaviors are jarring to me and don't really fit with Abi being presented as a successful 34 year old woman who is at the top of her career. Abi having less personal angst would increase my enjoyment of this well written series!

Entertaining! This is the second book in this series. I’ve not read the first book, but that’s not essential to the enjoyment of this book. The mystery is appropriately convoluted and is solved by the series’ major character, Abi, who has inherited a distillery in a small town in Scotland. Abi is smart and, although young, is already an eccentric. One indelible image from the book is that of the rescue sheep, Oscar, being driven home in Abi’s tiny car, which she has named Hope. There’s a brooding Scottish love interest at hand, although Abi is too restless a soul to be ready to yet settle in Balfour. Undoubtedly that attraction will play out in further additions to the series. A pleasant mix of humor and mayhem, this book is a welcome companion on a beach or long flight.

I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in return for my honest opinion.

Death Distilled is the second installment in Melinda Mullet's Whiskey Business Mystery series. A few months have transpired since the premier novel. Photojournalist Abi Logan has returned to Abbey Glen Distillery and her newly inherited home, the Haven, in the village of Balfour near Edinburgh from her most recent mid eastern assignment. On the first morning after her return two unusual things happen. Abi is walking her dog Liam by a construction site at the village pub when a skeleton is found and questioned by the local law as to what she has seen. She is also told by her caretaker Hunter that a mysterious new resident of the town had been by looking for her and asked that she stop by his place as soon as she can.

The mysterious stranger turns out to be Mickey Dawson of the 80's rock band the Rebels. He tells her of the death of one former band member, the near fatal accident of another, and the robbery of his daughter's art gallery with what might be a threat left behind. He is set to perform at a wounded warrior benefit and has safety concerns. He engages Abi to attend as his personal photographer and to use her investigative skills to see if she can learn anything to help solve the mystery and quench the threats.

In a novel laced with art, rock and roll, and a quirky tasting at the distillery, Ms.Mullet once again weaves a twisting tale set in Brigadoon country. Her characters are interesting, her plot surprising, and the ending not what you would have thought. I do recommend both this book and this series.

Packed with interesting details about Scotland and whisky, the second book in the Whisky Business series again features photojournalist Abi returning to check in on her inherited distillery. The book is packed full of characters both new and returning from the first book. The plot moved somewhat slowly for my taste, but overall the mystery is solid.

This is the follow up to the adorable Single Malt Murder, book 1 in the A Whisky Business series. I adored book 1, and was thrilled that this second entry kept all the charm of the first book, the great characters, and great place, with the Glenn and the distillery still playing a vital role in the book. This time out there is less damage done to the village, as far as death, but we get to know the villagers more, and Mullet has set up a charming place, that the reader longs to visit. The sparks still fly between Abi and head distiller Grant, but with a potential competitor in the house literally, will Grant abandon Abi, as she abandons the distillery for her job? This is a quick read once again, that I finished in 2 sittings, only because I had to. You don't need to have read book 1, but it does help to know the extra background. If you are looking for a couple of relaxing Fall reads, grab both books in this series!

I read the first book in the series and now the setting itself has drawn me back. The plot was engaging, the twists and turns unexpected. The book itself well-written.

Having said that, quite a bit of the book includes the history of the area, the battles over sovereignty with Britain. I was not as interested in keeping up with the historical mystery that paralleled the current day mystery. There were quite a number of characters and I felt somewhat spread thin as a reader.

Nevertheless, I would definitely relish picking up a third book in the series if it were available. This book, in addition to a dog as a leading character, includes a flock of creatively named sheep and that of course, can't be "baaad." (Sorry...)