Cover Image: The Cure for What Ales You

The Cure for What Ales You

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Member Reviews

I’m a little bias, because I lover all of Ellie Alexander books. She does cozy mystery so well. The characters are amazing and the atmosphere in her books is perfection. Ellie knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is another perfect cozy. Her character development is amazing and the setting is wonderful. You will definitely learn a lot about beer making.

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I enjoyed this book. It was such a sweet, cozy mystery. I haven't read any books by this author, but I will be looking for more! I would definitely recommend this book!

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Just when you think a series can’t get better, a book like this comes out! You cannot help but get attached to the characters, hoping that they will get their answers. The author does a great job of setting the stage for conflict, mystery, with just enough of a twist of chaos thrown in, your mind will be going in circles in the best way with every page. A must read book in a must read series!

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This is the 5th book in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series. I have enjoyed all the books in this series and this one is another 5 stars for me.

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This was one of my favorite series. However, this particular book is the epitome of "jumping the shark" and at only the fifth book in the series. I get that it is fiction, but this is so far out there. I'll leave the spoilers out, but an assassin is not going to keep tracking down someone from 40 years ago who has NO clear memory of the event. The whole premise was just infuriating and completely spoiled the series for me.

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This is the first book I’ve read in the Sloan Krause series. I’ve enjoyed other books by the author so was excited to try a new series. This was a great cozy mystery. I’m not a beer fan, but reading about the chemistry of brewing and the flavors of the microbrews was interesting. The characters are well developed and the relationships were varied. The fact that Sloan has a positive relationship with her ex in-laws is admirable. Learning about Sloan’s birth mother, the murder, and all of the Maifest activities kept me interested. This is definitely a series I’ll continue to read and, in fact, I’ve gone back and purchased the first four books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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The Cure For What Ales You
By Ellie Alexander

Amateur sleuth and brewer, Sloan Krause, contends with her past and a murder related to it.

I enjoyed all the views and flavors in craft beer making. The German village sounded wonderful. Thrilling, full of suspicions. Very friendly characters.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

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This newest book in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series is really two mysteries woven together into one. There is a mysterious woman who shows up to warn Sloan and the entire time Sloan is trying to figure out how she is or isn’t connected to a murder that occurred. Each book has given us a peek into Sloan’s background and her desire to know more about where she came from. This newest book took a turn and gives the reader answers, yet still leaves enough unanswered questions about her family that I hope will continue to be a part of Sloan’s stories. The Cure for What Ales You has so many suspects! I didn’t guess correctly at all, but that’s what I love about cozies. Through reading this series, I’ve really gotten to know the Krause family, Garrett, and the lovely Leavenworth community. I feel like I can roll my eyes with everyone else when April appears on the page. I suggest reading the books in order or at least not reading this one first as the resolution in this one will ruin the thread of Sloan’s background that is a part of the previous books. Book 5 takes place in the spring, during the Maifest celebration of spring, with lots of descriptions of beautiful flowers and spring colors. It’s a great escape during cold weather months. 🌸

Thank you to @minotaur for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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Sloan Krause brews beer, makes great breakfast foods, and has always wondered about her past. She went into foster care at a young age. What happened to her mother and a mysterious woman she remembers as Marianne?

During the annual Maifest, Sloan and her partner, Garrett, are ready to debut their newest beer, Lemon Kiss. With all the festivities and dodging the local PR woman who thinks lederhosen and dirndl dresses are a must, Sloan’s got her hands full. When she sees a woman who looks like Marianne, she chases after her but loses her in the crowd.

Marianne pops up more than once but never stays in place long enough for Sloan to catch up with her. When the housekeeping supervisor is killed in Marianne’s hotel, she’s a likely suspect.

Finally talking to Sloan, she reveals many, but not all, the family secrets—and issues a warning that Sloan and her family are in danger because of a long ago murder.

This is book five in the series. Sloan is making a new life for herself, post divorce. She’s still part of the Kraus family and the business but also has her own. There’s a potential relationship but nothing that has to move faster. Sadly, the only disappointment is Sloan does not share recipes at the end of the book. However, she does talk about them throughout and good cooks will be able to figure them out. I look forward to the next installment of her life.

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The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander is the fifth book in the A Sloan Krause Mystery series.
This book was hard to put down. There are plot twists and suspects galore in this easy to read Cozy. The characters are likeable and relatable. You also get family, friendship and a piece of history for the protagonist. I am not a beer drinker but, I would love to try some of the Craft beers mentioned in the story.
I was given an ARC by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.

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One of the things I enjoy about this series is the look into the craft brewing business and process. My husband is a big fan of craft beer and by extension, I find myself knowing more than the average person about these brews. When I read Sloan and Garrett’s latest experiment, the ‘Lemon Kiss’ beer, I was drooling. It’s a light tangy IPA with notes of lemon, mint, melon, and green tea. I wonder if there’s a brewery near my that does something like this because it sounds FANTASTIC.

While the casual reader may find the brewing information a bit too much, I think it adds a touch of uniqueness to the series. Most of my favourite cozies are set in libraries, bookshops or involve baked goods, so settling in with some cold brews is a nice change of pace.

Speaking of pace, this is one of the fastest-paced cozies I have read in a while.

In the previous four books of this series, there was always a small sub-plot running throughout the books which involved Sloan’s hunt into her past – trying to find out more information about her birth mother. While each book had a main mystery to focus on, there were hints dropped throughout Sloan’s past but it was never a major part of the storyline.

Until Book 5. In The Cure for What Ales You, it all comes to the forefront – the main mystery, the murder, all of it revolves around Sloan’s past and the mysterious Marianne, a figure from Sloan’s past who knows a lot more than Sloan expected.

By now, I am fully invested in these characters – Sloan, her business partner (and potential love interest) Garrett, son Alex, her in-laws and even her ex-husband. I adore these characters (and yes, I have even come to grudgingly accept that Sloan’s ex, Mac, has become a better person) and always look forward to how their characters will develop with each instalment. So when one of them is put in real danger, it was all hands on deck – both in my head and in the story.

To be fair, this one feels a bit different than the usual cozy mystery I’ve come to expect. It starts out like a cozy mystery but when everything starts to happen it almost feels a bit like a thriller. The actual murder almost takes a back seat when the action starts heating up. Things happen FAST. I found that I couldn’t read fast enough to find out how things turned out. There was no “let’s figure out the clues and try to guess whodunnit” for me this time, it was more like “OHMYGOD what’s happening? Is everyone going to be ok?!” It was a race to the finish.

And while I enjoyed the breakneck speed of The Cure For What Ales You, and I especially appreciated how much character development happened in this book, I’m hoping the next outing with Sloan and her family/friends is just a light murder mystery like I’m used to. My heart rate can’t take another outing like this one!

*** Thank you to the St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Two issues should have caused me problems with this book: 1) It's the 5th book of the series and I had not read the first 4 books and 2) I know absolutely nothing about how to make beer. You might think this was a hindrance. But, it was definitely mind-bending! I never realized how many ingredients go into beer/ale. The story was super interesting and I really got into the characters. I had no trouble whatsoever getting into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

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Title: The Cure for What Ales You
Author: Elle Alexander

Ch: 29

Pg: 276

Series: A Sloan Krause Mystery book 5

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars


Publisher: St. Martin’s press



The Cure for What Ales You by Elle Alexander is the 5th book in the A Sloan Krause mystery series and I have to say that it is my favorite of the series so far. I think do in part since it's the 5th book the characters and the setting are fully established and they feel like old friends. I also loved that the mystery aspect kept me guessing. The fact that an underlying thread through the previous books has tied itself up nicely.

Though I think I would have loved this one in even more if I had read it during late spring early summer as that is when the novel instead of reading as I did in the fall. I do like the direction that the relationship between Sloan and Garrett is going. And as always, I look forward to the next book in the series.









I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

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Yet another great book by Ellie Alexander. I enjoyed this one. Not as much as the others but it was still good. This for me felt like a slow burn.

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"The Cure for What Ales You," the fifth installment in Ellie Alexander's Sloan Krause Mystery series, does not disappoint! This title is just as suspenseful, gripping, informative and pleasurable to read as early-series titles and I hope this won't be the last! Perhaps even more intriguing than a small-town murder during Maifest, is how the reader learns even more about Sloan's mysterious past--and the dangerous characters lurking in the shadows.

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Sloan Krause and her partner Garrett Strong are finishing up the final touches for their new craft beer, Lemon Kiss just i time for the Maifest celebration in Leavenworth, but things aren't when Sloane is confronted by a specter from her past - a woman named Marianne who claims to be her long lost aunt and has come to warn her that she and her family are in danger. Can the danger be real? Was the murdered housekeeper at the local hotel (found in Marianne's room) really a warning that Marianne is telling the truth? Sloane is confused but will her friends and family help her find the truth?

This was a great addition to the series, taking the reader farther into Sloane's thoughts and feelings as well as bringing her background front and center.

Loved it!

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The Cure for What Ales You in the fifth book in the Sloan Krause mystery series by Ellie Alexander. It includes a murder mystery, but also reveals a lot about Sloan's past and the mystery surrounding her parents and upbringing.

Slone's "Aunt" Marianne shows up in Leavenworth, WA. during a big festival weekend. Marianne has a warning for Slone that a man from her past is after her because she witnessed a crime he commited when she was a child. Slone has zero remembrance of this act so the warnings come off as a little extreme and suspicious. Then the threats spread to her family, people end up dead and the FBI becomes involved.

As always there's lots of great beer knowledge in the book and great interactions between the characters. I did find the plot a little out there and also rushed together in the end. So It wasn't my favourite in the series.

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Ellie Alexander in a Cure for What Ales You has Sloan Krause learn about her complicated family history while she copes with a current situation with murder and the kidnapping of her son. Complex story with only somewhat happy ending.

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Princess Fuzzypants here: There are some series that allow the reader to pick up any book in any order without any concern. You could still do this with Sloan Krause but you would miss out on the build of several plot lines that will be resolved in this book. Without giving too much away, Sloan has been haunted by a childhood where she never stayed very long with any foster family. The only constant in her life was her social worker, Sally, who finally gave Sloan some clues as to her background. Even Sally did not have all the answers and it is not until this book that many of those questions are resolved.

With a history like that and with the betrayal of her husband, when we first meet Sloan she is loath to trust anyone too much. This includes her in-laws, her husband, and her partner in the craft beer operation, Nitro. Fiercely independent, she has been there for so many other people in her small town but never willing to trust enough to let anyone help her. When the woman from her past, the one with many of the answers, shows up and tells her she is in grave danger, her first instinct is to keep out the people around her. As the situation becomes more complicated, she is finally able to let her friends and family in and let them help her. It is really a lovely revelation for her and the reader.

The mystery is good. Shrouded in a complex mix, Sloan has no idea who killed the housekeeper at a local hotel or whether it involves the mysterious woman, Marianne, who may or may not be who she says she is. While ultimately the mystery surrounding Sloan and the safety of her family makes for an exciting adventure, it is the growth in the characters and the filling in the blanks that was most interesting. Again, I think it would be moret enjoyable for a new reader to go back and read previous books for maximum impact. Five purrs and two paws up.

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I have absolutely loved the story line of Sloan's childhood/parentage. It was been a wonderful surprise with this series and I was so happy to have it more as a fore front in this book. Sloan is straight forward and doesn't play around when it comes to placing herself in danger. It's a wonderful surprise for the cozy mystery series. I have really enjoyed this series and the talk of food and beer always makes my mouth water. I can't wait to one day visit Leavenworth and have the ability to compare.

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