cozy-mystery, culinary, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town, murder-investigation

Sloan thought things were going OK in her Brew Pub despite her pending divorce and other personal issues. Then an obnoxious entitled moron and his groupies came in demanding lodging, so she had an unprepared room opened. Then came a despirited woman in the same fix, but she seemed spooked by a couple of locals. Then she was missing and found dead. Both the capable local law and Sloan need to investigate but for slightly different reasons. Good sleuthing, good characterizations, full of twists and plenty of red herrings! A good read set in the winter in the Cascades.
I requested and received a free review copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley.

This is book 4 in the series, but the first one I've read. A good cozy mystery, although a few references to the past that were lost on me. Sloan is an amateur sleuth, who helps solve a mystery. I did enjoy this for the most part, and there were enough red herrings to keep me guessing. Did skim a bit in the middle, but otherwise would recommend this book and author. Suggest you read the others first though.

Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander was a welcome addition from Netgalley. This book takes place in the northern Cascades in Washington. There was a lot of interesting information about beer brewing mixed in with the storyline. The interaction of the main characters was well done. The writing was fantastic as it kept you guessing who the murderer was, good plot too.

Sloan Krause and the Nitro team are having the soft opening of their B&B rooms when the weekend goes from one room being booked to having a full house. With the exception of the original guests, Sloan and Garrett are starting to wonder if they are meant to be B&B hosts. When one of their guests is found drowned in the river and it turns out to be murder, Sloan keeps her eyes and ears open to help nail the culprit, though she strongly suspects it was another of their guests.

As Sloan is sleuthing for a murderer, she also has questions about her own life that need to be answered. Will Sloan get her answers or will she be the next victim by digging just a little too far and deep into things?

I have an affinity for all of Ellie Alexander’s works and read all of her series including the bakeshop mysteries and her writings under her pen name, Kate Dyer-Seeley. You cannot go wrong with a book by this very talented mystery writer, no matter which of her books you start with.

It’s official, I like this series better than her Bakeshop series and I really like that one. I love the town, the characters, the mystery to Sloan; everything. I love everything about this series and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

This is one of my favorite series. Although I'm not much for beer I'm learning a lot about the process of beer-making while engrossed in a fantastic cozy mystery. Sloan is a strong female character that knows how to live her life. The only thing I'm getting frustrated with is the mystery of Sloan's family drama. I need to know who her mother is and why she left her. A mystery within a mystery!

My first book by this author, but it won't be my last
It is book four in series. I wish I had read previous books first.
Interesting backdrop, likeable characters, both primary and secondary.
Can't wait for the next book in series. Continuing mystery through series

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of WITHOUT A BREW (Book 4 of the Sloane Krause Mysteries) by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. The Nitro Brewery is ready to make its debut as a Bed and Breakfast, but Sloane Krause and her boss Garrett plan to slowly enter into overnight hospitality. Their soft opening goes awry because they end up covering for another accommodation when a burst pipe ruins already-rented rooms. Because it’s IceFest, no other rooms are available anywhere in town. The final room is filled when Sloane meets brewery patron, Liv Paxton, who expresses her frustration at being unable to find a room and her fear of driving three hours home on icy roads in the dark. So, Nitro opens its B&B services to a full house. Sloane shows up the next morning to provide the breakfast part of their services, and she’s a little worried when Liv fails to appear. Sloane becomes more worried when their helper Kat reports that, during cleaning, she did not find Liv but that Liv’s room was trashed. After considering oddities occurring the night before, Sloane calls in the police chief. Because the possible suspects are patrons and guests of Nitro, Sloane has ample opportunity to eavesdrop, interrogate, and otherwise investigate. So much for a soft opening!

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend the book to fans of the series. I recommend the series to fans of Ellie Alexander and to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, beer, breweries, theme-park type resort towns, and town events.

#WithoutaBrew #NetGalley

I loved this latest installment of these cozy mysteries. I have enjoyed the character development and the environments set in these cozies. I can't wait for the next installment to come out.

This is my first Sloan Krause mystery - and it was quit fun. The characters are stereotypical, but that's fine, they are written well. The story was, really for me, about the atmosphere. The cozy town, The people at the B&B, the town folk, the quaint location. I know very little about beer but I'm fascinated by the culture. A great book to get lost it and a fun mystery.

A thoroughly engrossing cozy mystery with a beautiful cascade mountain setting, mouthwatering descriptions of the beers and food at Nitro, a strong, intelligent lead character in Sloan and a well developed plot, involving both the murder of a guest during the opening of Nitro's bed and breakfast as well as the long hidden mystery of Sloan's parentage. I was hooked from the very beginning and recommend this book without reservation.