Risky Whiskey
Publisher Description
Stirring up trouble in New Orleans ...
Eager to shake up her drinks and her life, mixologist Pepper Revelle jumps at an invitation to join the elite Bohemia Bartenders. Leader Neil thinks she’ll be the perfect advance gal for his team at a colorful cocktail convention in her hometown of New Orleans, but the job turns out to be more bananas than a drunk monkey. Setting up the key tasting for their distiller client, she and Neil discover their whiskey has gone dangerously bad. But how? And was this shocking poisoning more than an accident?
As Pepper and Neil try to figure out what happened, keep the drinks flowing and help distiller Dash Reynolds survive the weekend, they find themselves the target of increasingly scary attacks. Maybe it’s the danger, or maybe it’s the drinks, but Pepper also can’t help an inconvenient attraction to cocktail nerd Neil as they stir up trouble and try to figure out who’s out to get them — before they’re sliced and squeezed like a lemon twist in a Sazerac.
Risky Whiskey is the first book in the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, funny whodunits with a dash of romance set in a convivial collective of cocktail lovers, eccentrics and mixologists. These cozy culinary comedies contain a hint of heat, a splash of cursing and shots of laughter, served over hand-carved ice.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2020 by The Book Decoder!
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING
“I had a little too much fun reading this book! … a well written fun mystery full of surprises and well rounded characters offset by an intriguing atmosphere. A must read for cozy fans. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.”
– Books a Plenty Book Reviews
“A fast-paced mystery with drinks and fun characters taking charge. … I think that Ms. Lakestone has a hit here. The Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries is a great series. I am rating Risky Whiskey by Lucy Lakestone with five stars.”
– Baroness’ Book Trove
“Of all the cozy debuts I have read this year, Risky Whiskey is the best! … Lucy Lakestone is a marvelous storyteller.”
– The Book Decoder
Customer Reviews
Awesome!
loved this book. Hated putting it down. Ready to start number two!
Interesting venues, ventures and adventures
Not the typical cosy mystery set in a bakery or cafe. This story introduces us to mixology as an art form and the world of craft distilleries and fine liquor.
The protagonist is imperfect and relatable and the other characters entertaining. A lot of local color in the descriptions of New Orleans, providing a great escape and virtual vacation.
Nice start but lost me
I was reading along enjoying this book well enough — it’s not the greatest mystery I’ve ever read, but it was pretty good and the characters were interesting — when something happened about 1/3 of the way through that for me strained believability to the breaking point. I kept reading a little longer but nothing changed regarding what had happened so I gave up. I’ve been vague on purpose to avoid spoilers but will explain below.
**Light spoilers follow** What I was referencing above is that the protagonist, Pepper, has a threatening note left at her door. When this happens she doesn’t wonder how the threat-issuer knew what hotel room she was staying in and neither does anyone else. I read on a bit after that but still nobody questioned that an unknown person would be able to so easily figure out Pepper’s room number that it wasn’t worth even mentioning. I guess Pepper wasn’t as big of a Law & Order fan as she thought.