The Pint of No Return

This is 3.5 for me rounded up to four.<br /><br />I like Sloan as a character. I like her down to earth feel. I love the setting of Leavenworth for these cozy mysteries. Alexander's prose is smooth and easy to read. The mystery was good. <br /><br />But there are a couple of things that are bothering me with this. <br /><br />First, Sloan is a brewmaster in these stories (as that term is used in American brewing vernacular). Very cool, but then there were things in the narrative that I thought didn't really fit. There were parts that left me scratching my head. For example at one point Sloan is "sauteing" cranberries to add to a test batch. I'm an amateur brewer and I am not sure one would "saute" something before you put it into any part of the brewing process. The limited understanding I have is that you wouldn't want the fats from sauteing into a fermenting beer. Small thing but part of what attracts me to this series is the background stuff of working in breweries and brewing beers. Small issue, however.<br /><br />Second, I like the background mystery of Sloan having been abandoned as a kid and growing up in the foster system. That forms her character a lot. And as Sloan is trying to solve the dastardly murders that are now plaguing Leavenworth, she is trying to unravel who her birth parents are where they are, etc. We get a little more development on that issue in <i>The Pint of No Return.</i> But here's where I was thinking <i>What the WHAT!?!</i> Apparently Sloan <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="5a3f4fc7-6385-4add-949d-f5259b67cd0f" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="5a3f4fc7-6385-4add-949d-f5259b67cd0f">was abandoned at the hospital as <b>a six year old?</b> Did I read that right? Abandoned at 6? Granted it's been a while since I was six. But wouldn't a 6 yo have a better memory of what happened? Wouldn't they have known birth names for themselves and their parents? Wouldn't they have better understanding of where they had lived? I know that this is young, but it seems like Sloan could have had a better idea of who her parents were and she might have been able to recognize people in Ursula's pictures. For example, I can still picture my second grade teacher in my mind. Something about that is odd to me. Just one person's thoughts.</label><br /><br />All that being said, I love the series and I most definitely look forward to the next installment.

<b> Release Date: </b> October 2, 2018<br /><b> Genre: </b> Cozy Mystery<br /><b> Actual Rating: </b> 4 stars<br /><br />The Pint of No Return is the second book in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series. What I like about this series is that is revolves around brewing beer which is really original in my opinion. I can't think of any other cozies that have this as the main attraction (besides the murder of course). Even more, the characters are pretty cool- very relaxed and laid back- and have a lot of "smarts" which seems to be missing from many cozies these days. So overall, it's a great book. If you aren't a beer drinker, no worries! You can learn a lot about the product and what it takes to actually brew it through this book. The author clearly did a lot of research in the area and now I feel like a beer connoisseur myself. <br /><br />Fans of cozy mysteries aren't going to want to miss out on the latest Sloan Krause mystery! In this one, she is helping the local PD find the killer of a movie star who happened to be filming during Oktoberfest!

The autumn fairs and Oktoberfests that I usually head off to at this time of year with my family aren't happening in 2020. That doesn't at all change the fact that I'm in that mode and so I went on a hunt for some thematic cozy mysteries. I found Sloan Krause in a short novella <i> <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/35427700.Trouble_Is_Brewing__A_Sloan_Krause_Mystery___0_5__Bakeshop_Mystery___6_5_" title="Trouble Is Brewing (A Sloan Krause Mystery, #0.5; Bakeshop Mystery, #6.5) by Ellie Alexander" rel="noopener">Trouble Is Brewing</a> </i> where she's introduced to readers while helping baker, Jules Capshaw, solve a keg theft. I have some of the baker books on my TBR but Sloan living in Leavenworth WA really captured my attention so I bought this to read immediately. <br /><br />Leavenworth is a whole Bavarian-themed town and in this installment, Oktoberfest is just beginning. The hamlet of 2000, is about to be inundated with tourists to enjoy all the brats, beer and as many reels of the Chicken Dance they can stand. Add in a blaze of foliage, strings of twinkling lights, pastries, schnitzel and murder and this was an engaging and enjoyable read. Sloan Krause is a likeable sleuth. She's trying to get her life back on track while being a mother in the midst of a divorce from a cheating husband, working at Nitro, a small brewer (the first job she's had outside of her husband's family brewery <i>Der Keller</i> in about 20 years) and of course, is having some feelings that aren't strictly professional, for her boss, Garrett. There's also the not so small matter of her ongoing search for her birth parents which, as the story progresses, is getting more mysterious. If she's found to be a secret Contessa or hidden heiress to some storied family's fortune (related to beer or perfume because she's got a Nose), I wouldn't be surprised.<br /><br />Also descending onto the town is a film crew making a documentary on beer and brewers. They're a somewhat interesting bunch but the most obnoxious is the host, Mitchell. The murder takes place at the end of Chapter 6 so there was a good amount of story to go in which to puzzle out the clues and solution, which was great. Sloan didn't talk with the people I most wanted to hear from until the end so that put up a bit of a red flag for me as to the culprit but it didn't diminish the story. I liked all of the characters as they fit their parts well. April was a real standout and while she was not likable, she was a necessary character to have around. I liked Sloan's moment of charitable thought about April also. I liked Chief Myers. I wanted to see more of her and liked that she didn't have an adversarial relationship with Sloan. Garrett is perfectly anodyne and just what I expect of would-be love interests in cozies. I liked that he's a scientist and has neat tee shirts. I do hope Sloan's son, Alex gets to be around more in future books. He's a sweet kid. And Kat is just a ball of bouncing positive energy so I was glad that she's staying on at Nitro. I hope to see more of Lisa and her real estate ventures, since it seems they will cross with April's. <br /><br />I should say that, I'm not a beer drinker but I did find all the brewer information interesting (and there was a lot of it). It showed that the writer and the main character cared about the craft. I was able to appreciate that and had fun reading some of the beer descriptions to my husband (the in house beer drinker). I was more drawn to the food and there's a vegetable soup Sloan makes that I highlit and will be riffing because it sounded delightful for an autumn meal. <br /><br />I'll likely read the next <i>(<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/43263495.Beyond_a_Reasonable_Stout__Sloan_Krause__3_" title="Beyond a Reasonable Stout (Sloan Krause #3) by Ellie Alexander" rel="noopener">Beyond a Reasonable Stout</a>)</i> soon. It's still autumn in Leavenworth and set during election season and obviously, thematically perfect for the moment. Recommended.

I only recently discovered Ellie Alexander when I read the first Sloan Krause mystery last year. Since then I have read one of her Bake Shop Mysteries and I absolutely adore her mysteries.<br /><br />There is nothing like mixing food (especially pastries!) with murder. Being from Oregon myself, I have a soft spot for all things Pacific Northwest as well as local authors. I got in on the Sloan Krause series from the very beginning and I was thrilled to be asked to read the next book!<br /><br />One of the things that drew me to this series was the small town of Leavenworth in Washington. That little town is famous in the Pac NW for its Christmas activities…..it’s basically a small German winter wonderland. I really only thing of Christmas when I hear about this town, but Oktoberfest makes sense too. We have a large German population in Mt Angel who is also famous in Oregon for their Oktoberfest so it makes sense that this book would feature that lovely festival devoted to beer and sausage.<br /><br />Unlike the Bake Shop Mysteries that Alexander first started writing, this one revolves around beer. So many cozy novels focus on baking or cooking but this one sets itself apart with beer and I am totally ok with that.<br /><br />Alexander writes with a practiced hand and crafts a novel that is not only easy to follow but keeps readers engaged and moving at a moderate pace. It’s not so fast that readers are racing toward the end, but it’s not a slow burn either. It’s perfectly balanced, just like the beers!<br /><br />I love Sloan as a protagonist. In the first book I felt like she had an edge to her that made he not quite fit in with the other characters or townspeople, but yet she wasn’t a completely odd duck. In this book she still has the same edge but yet is coming into her own and trying to sort out her life and what she’s going to do once her divorce is final. She’s easy to like and I enjoyed her just as much this time around as I did before.<br /><br />This book is packed full of details. Alexander does an excellent job describing the town and the festivities as well as the whole beer culture. Sometimes the details about beer and the beer industry seemed to be a little much, and I remember thinking the same thing in the first book. It was interesting to a certain degree, but then if you aren’t really into beer, then you will probably feel a little bored with the additional details. I felt like it was ok, but then again I like beer and here in the Pac NW, the craft beer industry is big so I didn’t mind it too much.<br /><br />I loved the mystery itself. Again Alexander’s experience shines in this new series. She knows how to leave enough bread crumbs for readers to follow and she lets the reader investigate along with the protagonist.<br /><br />This was a fun one to read and it went fairly quick. It makes an excellent fall read as it’s harvest time and beer festival time here in Oregon so this book held a special place in my heart for that.<br /><br /><a href="https://thelitbitch.com/2018/10/16/review-the-pint-of-no-return-a-sloan-krause-mystery-2-by-ellie-alexander/" rel="nofollow noopener">See my full review here</a>

*3.5 stars rounded up. <br /><br />Set in the beertopia of America, the second book in this cozy mystery series totally immerses the reader in the annual Oktoberfest put on by the small Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, Washington. Oh, for a taste of all beers and German food described at the fest! <br /><br />A film crew is on site filming a documentary about the festival and the process of beer-crafting. What great advertising that will be for the entire community! But before the festival even begins, the rather obnoxious star of the film is found dead. Local brewmaster, Sloan Krause, is up for trying to figure out whodunit, but her plate is pretty full with her own personal problems, like divorcing her husband and finding her birth family. <br /><br />The Oktoberfest setting and fantastic descriptions of the art of crafting beer are the highlights of this second novel. I thoroughly enjoyed both setting and characters and look forward to more in this delightful series.

5 stars<br /><br />I love Ellie Alexander's books aka Kate Dyer-Seeley and read every mystery she publishes.<br /><br />This is the second book in the Sloan Krause mystery series and even though it can stand alone I would recommend reading the series in order if you plan to read more than one. <br />There are two background stories, one being the separation of her cheating husband Max and the other one is the mystery of her unknown family which gave her away and left her to grow up in foster care.<br /><br />A film crew is coming to Leavenworth to film a documentary about the local beer scene. The actor and host of the documentary shows up at Nitro, drinks too much and behaves like a jerk. He is found dead next to one of the Oktoberfest beer tents later that night. Sloan is worried they may have over served him.<br /><br />I am originally from Germany and love the setting and beer theme. The brewing process and ingredients for the special beers are so much fun - I wish I could try all the craft beers. <br /><br />I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press and the author provided me with an advance copy.

Adoro questa serie con tutte le notizie sulla birra che fornisce! C'è un buon cast di personaggi, anche se un paio sono davvero odiosi... La storia secondaria sulla vera famiglia della protagonista continua a dipanarsi da un libro all'altro e non vedo l'ora di sapere come va a finire. L'autrice è stata brava a fornire indizi che puntavano a colpevoli diversi nella storia principale, anche se per me è stato abbastanza ovvio capire chi fosse l'assassino. Quando uscirà il prossimo?

Leavenworth sounds like an amazing place. The characters are so heartwarming, even Mac, I find him really funny ? I was more intrigued by Sloan's back story than the mystery. Excited to start the next book asap.

Fans of this series will like THE PINT OF NO RETURN. I enjoyed seeing the growth in the characters. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

I really like Ellie Alexander's Bake Shop series, so it's no surprise that I enjoy this series as well. Both are set in Washington (state), and the description of the settings makes you feel as if you're there. In this book, it's time for Oktoberfest, an annual event the town of Leavenworth lives for. I didn't look it up to see if that's true for the real Leavenworth, but the author is so accurate with other details, I would be surprised if it's not. <br /><br />Although I'm not a huge fan of beer, I like Sloane and most of the recurring characters, although I'd love to see a couple of them fall victim in a future book - or be responsible for the foul play and thus be sent away for a very long time. As much as I dislike them, though, they contribute to the tension in the story, so I guess their roles are necessary.<br /><br />I wasn't at all surprised by the identity of the victim in this book, and there were quite a few people who had reason to want that character gone. With all of these potential suspects, my mental list kept shuffling as the story continued, although I was confident I had the right person at the top of my list by the time it was revealed in the book. The motive wasn't surprising either, but it was fun watching Sloane, Garrett and the rest come to the same conclusion. I can't wait to return to Leavenworth to see what happens next.