Maxine "Max" O'Hara is getting her brewpub ready to host
her first Oktoberfest weekend. She has hired an oompah band,
and she and her friends, amongst them Candy, will make it a
girls' night out of checking out the band. One of the
musicians seems to know Candy, who suddenly becomes rather
rude and flippant. Another one of the musicians, Doodle
Dowdy, leaves Max voicemails saying he has something to
discuss, but when Max arrives at the meeting place, Doodle
is dead, his head buried in his sousaphone.
I was in the mood for a cozy mystery, and I was rewarded
with a story that surpassed my expectations tenfold! I was a
little concerned at the beginning because it was obvious it
was part of a series, it is book 3 of Brewing
Trouble, but Ms. Tremel weaves all the necessary
information so seamlessly, I felt I was one of Max's
Marauders almost right away. The characters are so well
fleshed out that I could picture them clearly, although
there was little emphasis on their physical appearances,
except maybe for Max and Jake, Max's boyfriend; I wasn't
too sure how they looked or how old they are supposed to be,
or maybe this is intentional or mentioned in the previous
books. I very much appreciated that the elderly characters
were not window dressing; they are active participants in
the narrative, and they have fabulous backstories as well.
A ROOM WITH A BREW (what a clever title, by the way!) takes
place in Pittsburgh, and I never realized how little I
really knew of this city, and their awesome food
specialties, which titillated my taste buds throughout; the
yummy recipes are included at the end, and they are super
easy as well! A ROOM WITH A BREW is such an easy read, very
well written, and it flows so well that I started reading
and never stopped. I think it really stands out among cozy
mysteries because the plot is very intricate and involves
several characters; it kept me guessing until the end, and
there was none of the habitual filler which is sometimes a
slight issue with that genre. Gosh, A ROOM WITH A BREW is a
really, really great book!
Disaster is on tap in this all-new mystery from the
author of Tangled Up in Brew.
It's Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, and brewpub owner Maxine
"Max" O'Hara is prepping for a busy month at the Allegheny
Brew House. To create the perfect atmosphere for the boozy
celebration, Max hires an oompah band. But when one of the
members from the band turns up dead, it's up to Max to solve
the murder before the festivities are ruined.
Adding to the brewing trouble, Candy, Max's friend, is
acting suspicious... Secrets from her past are fermenting
under the surface, and Max must uncover the truth to prove
her friend's innocence. To make matters worse, Jake's snooty
ex-fiancée shows up in town for an art gallery opening, and
she'll be nothing but a barrel of trouble for Max.