You have to feel a little sorry for comic novelist Andrew Shaffer. His earlier series, based on the crime-solving adventures of retired U.S. vice-president Joseph R. Biden and his sidekick Barry Obama, had the right degree of tongue-in-cheek in its premise, an ear for snappy dialogue, and the determination to have a little fun. Shaffer sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his two-book series, and then unexpectedly Biden was elected president of the United States, forcing an abrupt end to his appearances in any plausible mystery novels. So long to the lifetime income of a long-running Joe Biden, Gumshoe series.

So Shaffer went out and drafted the next available politician as a stand-in Sherlock, and — good grief! — it’s Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT.) Someone really needed to talk him out of this half-baked idea. Sanders, as interpreted by the author, is as unpleasantly odd a figure as you’ll find, short of, say, Senator Ted Cruz or Representative M.G. Taylor, and his appearance in this book is pain-inducing. “Feel the Bern” feels like nothing much of anything. It will fail to charm Sanders’ fans and irritate his critics. The Vermont settings and characters depicted by Shaffer, an Iowan, are inauthentic and off-putting, recycling all convenient cliches. There are AI bots named “Ben” and “Jerry,” a aged hippie, and the spinster sisters from several different Frank Capra movies. The author seems to know he’s playing a losing hand with this lame material. He attempts and fails to introduce a bit of self-parody with a satirical-novel-within-a-satirical novel, and finally makes his page quota by appropriating a concluding selection of recipes pilfered from popular Internet sites. Dude, really? Shaffer needs a reset, and, disappointingly, so will his readers.. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a pre-publication copy of this book for review.

Crash Robertson was thrilled when she was chosen from dozens of candidates to intern for Senator Bernie Sanders. Mostly, she expected to be answering phones, stuffing envelopes and running errands. Only, due to a strange set of circumstances, Crash finds herself serving as his personal assistant on a working weekend in Crash's hometown of Eagle Creek, Vermont. The senator's chief of staff has only one directive - don't let the senator out of your sight.

Crash didn't know just how hard it would be to keep the senator on track and on schedule.. She turned her back for just a second and the senator was gone. Crash's search takes her past the marina. And while she doesn't find the senator there, she does discover the body of one of town citizens. And that's just the beginning. The entire weekend is a series of miscues and misunderstandings.

The best word to describe this book is fun. While many of Senator Sanders' ideas and beliefs run through this book, it never takes itself too seriously. I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading. If you're looking for a total escape, this is the book for you.

Feel the Bern by Andrew Shaffer was everything you could hope for in a “Bernie Sanders mystery” and more! The descriptions of small Vermont towns and their country stores were right on the money, and the characters were funny and personable. The clash between corporate America and small, family-owned businesses is a timely discussion, and a discussion that I think Bernie would be proud to have his name on. The mystery was fun to follow, and as a Vermonter, I think this book characterized the state and Bernie very well. Read and enjoy!

This book is really weird and unhinged. It’s hard to imagine Senator Bernie Sanders do literally any of this, and I know that’s supposed to be the run of the book, but it didn’t work for me. It would have been better if it wasn’t about Bernie Sanders. The mystery aspect was also bland and had no stakes, and I didn’t care whether or not it got solved.

Senator Bernie Sanders is the star of his own cozy mystery in Feel the Bern.

A man is drowned in maple syrup. Senator Sanders investigates. New England leaf peepers, small town quirks, mittens, and progressive politics ensue. Take what you think about this great elevator plot pitch and make it 100% funnier and you have Feel the Bern. It’s perfect for a cozy mystery and/or Bernie fan that doesn’t take themselves, or their reading material, too seriously. 4 stars! It’s definitely a fun way to spend a weekend.

Thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I genuinely did not expect to fall in love with a culinary cozy that features a prominent real-life politician as a detecting foil for its fictional heroine, but here I am now, totally besotted with this quirky little mystery!

Crash Robertson is a Vermont native who got the heck out of the Green Mountain State as soon as she possibly could. With her excellent grades and interest in public service, it’s no surprise that she’s found herself, as the novel begins, enrolled in her second year of postgraduate work in Georgetown University’s political science program. As part of her coursework, she has to complete a semester-long congressional internship, and has her sights set on joining Senator Bernie Sanders’ office. This isn’t just because of her Vermont roots, though she’s hoping that that will give her an in with the senator. The Sanders office actually pays its interns a living wage, which is only one reason it’s one of the more competitive and thus prestigious internships around.

Despite a less than stellar interview, she lands the job. Interning for a senator isn’t as glamorous as she’d thought, however, as she finds herself saddled with all the boring minutiae of helping to run a congressional office during a campaigning off-year. This changes when a wave of food poisoning takes out the district office overseeing Crash’s hometown of Eagle Creek, right as Bernie is scheduled to preside over the town’s Champ Days festivities. Bernie’s chief-of-staff Lana O’Malley already has unbreakable plans of her own, so reluctantly assigns Crash to serve as Bernie’s personal aide for the weekend-long visit.

Crash is both thrilled and terrified at the opportunity, especially since she hasn’t spent much valuable one-on-one time with the senator since that calamitous interview. It doesn’t help that she hasn’t really kept abreast of developments in her hometown either, so finds herself often just as bemused as newcomer Bernie is as to what’s going on in Eagle Creek. Things take a sinister turn when a corpse is fished out of the waters of nearby Lake Champlain. The local sheriff’s office is happy to rule it an accidental drowning but someone who clearly disagrees sends Bernie the autopsy report, which reveals that the dead man had drowned not in lake water but in large quantities of maple syrup.

While Crash would be more than happy to just keep her head down and let someone else handle this problem, Bernie’s social conscience won’t let the mystery go. As he and Crash look into the man’s death, they find themselves also investigating the local maple sugar industry, creepy tech billionaires and rumors of elusive cryptids. This is not the political weekend Crash had in mind, but it might be even better, as the down-to-earth (and surprisingly spry!) senator from Vermont teaches her a thing or two about championing the voiceless and relentlessly pursuing justice.

I am not a Bernie stan, but I deeply appreciated the amount of care and research that went into the construction of this hilarious, often thought-provoking book. Bernie Sanders makes for a terrific sleuth, as Andrew Shaffer weaves the real person’s actual platforms, policies and speeches into the cozy mystery proceedings. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, and highly recommend this as a fun holiday gift for the Bernie-lover in your life.

In addition to the fast-paced, entertaining mystery are twelve recipes for dishes mentioned in the novel itself. I’ve been craving chocolate recently, so decided to try out the recipe from the book within this book – fictional Bernie is apparently a big culinary cozy fan himself – lightly edited here for clarity:

QUOTE
Bud’s “Special” Cannon Cove Brownies

If cannabis and its derivatives are not legal in your state, you can substitute regular unsalted butter in the same amount.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
⅓ cup natural cocoa powder, plus a sprinkling for the pan
½ cup cannabutter
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with the unsalted butter, and then dust with the cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a heatproof bowl over a pot of water set to simmer (or microwave in 10-second intervals), melt the cannabutter and chocolate. Remove the bowl from the heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat until a ribbon that lasts about 5 seconds forms on the top of the batter when you lift the whisk, about 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, sift or whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, and then add it to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir just until the flour disappears (don’t over mix). Stir in the chopped walnuts (if desired).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the center of the oven and bake until a glossy top forms and starts to crack, about 25 minutes.

Let the brownies cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
END QUOTE

I made this with regular butter and no walnuts, and was actually surprised by how light it tasted, given its use of dark chocolate throughout. Interestingly, I thought it was less sugary than salty, even for someone who tends to use salted butter for all my baking (I just skip adding any extra salt when the recipe calls for it.) I did think the use of two tablespoons of butter to grease the pan was excessive, though I did like the idea of dusting that butter with cocoa powder. Perhaps the ingredients meld better with the introduction of cannabutter, but as a regular brownie recipe, it was fine, if nothing to write home about. Let me know your thoughts if you try it out either way.

Next week, we travel to the West Coast to bake up another unusual treat while investigating the murder of a bakery regular. Do join me!

Feel the Bern is a light who-done-it mystery. Sanders intern Crash Robertson gets more than she bargained for when she is assigned to keep Bernie out of trouble when they travel to her hometown Eagle Creek, Vermont, where Bernie is headlining the annual Champ parade. First, keeping track of the senator is much harder than she thought. Second, a dead body turns up. Third, Bernie wants to find the murderer to clear an old friend who is the main suspect.
Feel the Bern is the perfect way to read away a cold winter night, so grab yourself a warm beverage of your choice and cozy up to this lighthearted adventure in the woods with Bernie.


#FeeltheBern #NetGalley

I was so hearing the Bernie Sanders character in his voice, as well as picturing him behaving in this fashion. Of course, I ve only seen him on TV, so not much to go on.

Thank you to the author,publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

Loved this book more than a homemade stack of buttermilk pancakes doused in maple syrup!!

It's corny and hilarious, all while being a compelling mystery. Sometimes the Bernie Sanders bits seemed a little heavy handed and overdone, but I felt it just added to the charm of the book.

I apologize for requesting an ARC of this book without noticing that it was not available in kindle format. Therefore, I could not read it to post a review. However, I do look forward to the publication date so I can pick up my own copy as I was so excited when I saw the cover and read the description.

This was a light and fun read with murder, mystery, humor and a great small town setting. I do think that not really being in the loop with American politics meant that some of the political satire went over my head but other than that it was a great read.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and I would check out the authors backlist.

I requested this book as soon as I saw the title and cover, and I was not disappointed! The plot was hilarious and fun, and I loved all the cozy mystery elements!

What a clever read! The first book for me to read by this author but definitely not my last! Highly recommend this book!

Though I have enjoyed a cozy mystery every once in a great while, it’s not my go-to genre. But when Bernie Sanders gets cast as a main character, I’m sold! Fun and funny.

I absolutely loved this book! You can’t read this book for its literary excellence, but you can appreciate it for its political comedy. I picked it up the moment I saw Bernie Sanders was a main character and I was not disappointed. Thank you @PRHAudio for granting me access to this book. I would’ve never found it otherwise. PRH Audio has opened my world to so many new books and I feel so grateful! I don’t think I ooze my gratitude often enough for them!

Crash is ecstatic to be interning for Bernie Sanders. She nailed her spot with a bottle of local maple syrup from her hometown in Vermont. Interning for Bernie isn’t what she imagined. Her supervisor is snippy and snooty. However, when she comes down with food poisoning, Crash is given a chance to prove herself. Her supervisor reluctantly agrees to send her to her hometown Eagle Creek for Bernie’s next political appearance. However, things don’t go to plan when Crash finds a body in Lake Champlain.

This is a cozy political mystery, which means it had all the pieces for me to enjoy this. MANY Vermont references that warmed my heart, a fun small-town vibe along with small-town drama, and best of all a political undercurrent that kept me laughing at the snark Andrew Shaffer wove into the pages.

If you love cozy mysteries and Bernie Sanders, I highly recommend reading Andrew Shaffer’s latest release!

Will there be a next Andrew Shaffer? I want more Crash and Bernie!

"Who knew fighting for a living wage could be so deadly? Bernie Sanders and his Gen Z intern are drawn into a murder investigation in a small Vermont town in this hilarious spin on cozy mysteries from the New York Times bestselling author of Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery.

Fall is bursting out all over Vermont, and while the rest of the Congress enjoys its recess, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his beloved home state for a weekend of events in Eagle Creek, "America’s #1 Leaf Peeping Destination." It's up to intern and Eagle Creek native Crash Robertson to keep the senator on schedule - and out of trouble.

Crash's hopes for a quiet homecoming are dashed, however, when the lifeless body of a community banker with ties to "Big Maple" is found in Lake Champlain. While the sheriff's department closes the case as an accident, a leaked autopsy indicates foul play...with a trail of syrup leading directly to one of the senator's oldest friends. Bernie, taking a page from the cozy mysteries he's addicted to, enlists Crash in a quest to uncover the killer’s true identity.

If Crash allows the senator to go too far off-script, it will be the end of her yet-to-begin political career. But as the suspect list grows to include a tech bro set on "disrupting" the maple syrup industry, struggling small-business owners, and even Crash's own family, she realizes there's more on the line than her own future. If the unlikely duo can't solve the mystery of the Maple Murderer before they strike again, Bernie's life-long fight for justice may come to an unplanned end.

This (totally fictional!) mystery also features recipes from Eagle Creek's Vermont Country Shed, including Vermont Cheddar Mac and Cheese, "Feel the Bern!" Maple Sriracha Hot Sauce, and more!"

I needed this Bernie book in my life so bad. I also really hope that in some universe he is addicted to cozy mysteries.

This book was great! I loved the premise the second I saw the cover and the title. Andrew Shaffer has done it again by creating a hilarious plotline with all the cozy mystery elements! definitely recommend for anyone who loves satire with their mystery! And also another great book by Andrew!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC!

Crash is a twentysomething grad student who desperately wants an internship with Senator Bernie Sanders. Her mom owns a country store in Vermont, and after she bribes him with his favorite maple syrup, she’s hired. They head to her old hometown in Vermont for the weekend, where Bernie is to be the grand marshal of the local parade. But things start to go wrong: an unexplained death which may or may not be murder, a missing suspect, and some questionable maple syrup. Bernie is determined to get to the bottom of all this, while Crash just wants to keep Bernie out of trouble and hopefully get an excellent letter of recommendation. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I've read Andrew Shaffer's other books, and this book is just as good if not better than the Hope Never Dies series with Obama and Biden.

This is a fun, quick, quirky read that should appeal to anyone who wants a light cozy mystery with the added benefit of Bernie Sanders. It is a great mix of mystery and humor with a maple syrup, sassy AI, small town charm, and even the Lake Champlain lake monster (cryptids make every story better). There is even a recipe section at the end with some great looking recipe.

It's a quick read and definitely for a specific audience, but if you think it looks like your thing - you'll probably love it.

I mean, there were some parts of this book that were a little TOO goofy, like Ben and Jerry or the almost-over-the-top spoofing of progressives and capitalists. But the good stuff? It was *really* good. Bernie pursuing two elderly spinsters in a golf cart in a 23 mph chase through a small Vermont village is a scene I never realized I needed to experience. So is the thought of Bernie spending his downtime reading cozy mysteries featuring a cannabis bakery. I just...I needed this book.