Beyond a Reasonable Stout
A Sloan Krause Mystery
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Amateur sleuth Sloan Krause delves into the murderous political world in another delightful mystery from popular cozy writer Ellie Alexander.
It’s the dead season in Leavenworth, Washington. The throngs of Oktoberfest crowds have headed home, and the charming Bavarian streets are quiet and calm—momentarily. Villagers use the reprieve to drink in the crisp fall mountain air and prepare for the upcoming winter light festival. Soon the German-inspired shops and restaurants will be aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. Visitors will return to the northern Cascades to drink warm mulled cider and peruse the holiday markets. Brewer, Sloan Krause and her partner in crime Garrett Strong are using the slowdown to stock up on a new line of their signature craft beers at Nitro. They’re experimenting with a hoppy holiday pine and a chocolate hazelnut stout. The small brewery is alive with delicious scents and bubbling batches of brew.
Sloan is in her element. She loves the creativity and lowkey atmosphere at Nitro. Only that is soon threatened by the incumbent city councilmember Kristopher Cooper. Kristopher is running for re-election on a platform of making Leavenworth dry. Everyone in beertopia is fuming. Leavenworth’s economy relies on keeping the kegs flowing. Kristopher wants to banish beer, a policy that might just bankrupt the entire village. However, Kristopher turns up dead days before election night. Sloan quickly realizes that his murder isn’t the work of a stranger. Friends, family, and every other business owner had a motive to kill him, including none other than April Ablin, Leavenworth’s self-described ambassador of all things German. Sloan finds herself defending April and trying to sleuth out a killer amongst a group of familiar faces.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Alexander's refreshing third mystery featuring brewmaster Sloan Krause (after 2018's The Pint of No Return), Oktoberfest is over, and the residents of the quaint German-themed town of Leavenworth, Wash., are getting ready for the winter tourist season and the upcoming local election. City councilman Kristopher Cooper is running for reelection on a platform of prohibition, which would shut down the town's craft beer breweries, its main source of income. One night, Kristopher and April Ablin, the obnoxious town gossip, have a loud argument; the next morning, the councilman is found stabbed to death in April's office. As the number one suspect, April asks Sloan to help prove her innocence. The list of suspects grows as Sloan uncovers evidence that Kristopher was blackmailing townspeople for votes. Meanwhile, Sloan, who never knew her parents, receives a frightening cryptic message about her parents' true identity. Distinctive characters and fun anecdotes about beer and brewing help make this a winner. Readers will want to keep coming back for more.
