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annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Pint of No Return is the second book in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series by Ellie Alexander. Released 2nd Oct 2018 by St. Martin's on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats.
This is a well written, decidedly cozy murder mystery with a side of romance. Main character Sloan is likeable and engaging. The murder in the mystery follows the well established mystery 'rule' to make the victim as unlikable as humanly possible (which also handily provides a wide pool of suspects).
The author is either very well versed in the world of brewing or has an astounding capacity for in-depth research. I loved that she throws in lots of info about different methods of brewing, different hops varieties, and even some fun beer related chemistry.
There's a fair bit of light humor. There's some pun based humor, mostly in the names of beers and foods (and book titles), but nothing which I found especially egregious.
The book does contain some drinking (of course), but no extreme profanity (one 'sh*t') or sexual content. Nothing to make the average reader blush.
This is a good light-hearted cozy.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Pint of No Return is the second book in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series by Ellie Alexander. Released 2nd Oct 2018 by St. Martin's on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats.
This is a well written, decidedly cozy murder mystery with a side of romance. Main character Sloan is likeable and engaging. The murder in the mystery follows the well established mystery 'rule' to make the victim as unlikable as humanly possible (which also handily provides a wide pool of suspects).
The author is either very well versed in the world of brewing or has an astounding capacity for in-depth research. I loved that she throws in lots of info about different methods of brewing, different hops varieties, and even some fun beer related chemistry.
There's a fair bit of light humor. There's some pun based humor, mostly in the names of beers and foods (and book titles), but nothing which I found especially egregious.
The book does contain some drinking (of course), but no extreme profanity (one 'sh*t') or sexual content. Nothing to make the average reader blush.
This is a good light-hearted cozy.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
mostlikelyinalibrary's review against another edition
3.5
I liked that we got more of Garrett (and him flirting with Sloan!!) and Sloan’s backstory. While the murder didn’t exactly have me on the edge of my seat, I’m so in love with the town of Leavensworth that I have to keep reading this series! A cozy reading spot, fall leaves, a pumpkin candle, and your fall drink of choice make this book the perfect fall read!
courtagonist's review
5.0
The Pint of No Return is the next installment of the Sloan Krause Beervaria Mystery Series. I loved every single aspect of this book. From learning about the brewing process, to understanding more about Sloan's childhood, and falling in love with the different characters within the story.
Ellie has an uncanny ability to teach her readers about what her protagonist is passionate about This brings a hint of realism and probability to what she writes. Having a Cozy Mystery or a Mystery in general be believable is the first step in getting the readers to fall into the world and be open to the murder and the 'whodunit' aspects of the storyline.
In this book Sloan is still trying to figure out her feelings for her soon-to=be ex-husband, her new boss, and what she wants to do with her life after the divorce happens. This however has to be put on hold as Oktoberfest has now come around and this is the biggest and more important time for the town.
An added pressure is the fact that there is a film crew who are there to make a documentary about the brewing process, how the brewers interact with each other, and everything in the World of Beer. Of course with most documentaries you have to have a a host. And a host they have. An old child star here to revamp their stardom. He is a pompous jerk who everyone seems to hate.
After being as to leave Nitro from drinking too much Sloan finds him dead in an alley way. Hoping that it wasn't alcohol poisoning from their bar Sloan calls the police to get to the crime scene. Sloan is asked my the chief of police to keep an eye our since they are shorthanded due to the Oktoberfest going on.
Sloan wants to make sure that Nitro doesn't get a bad name and she makes it her duty to figure out what is going on with the film crew, who doesn't seem too distraught about their star's death, her estranged husband, and keeping everything together when she learns about her past.
This is a wonderful addition to the Sloan Krause Beervaria series and I highly recommend it if you love Cozy Mysteries!
Ellie has an uncanny ability to teach her readers about what her protagonist is passionate about This brings a hint of realism and probability to what she writes. Having a Cozy Mystery or a Mystery in general be believable is the first step in getting the readers to fall into the world and be open to the murder and the 'whodunit' aspects of the storyline.
In this book Sloan is still trying to figure out her feelings for her soon-to=be ex-husband, her new boss, and what she wants to do with her life after the divorce happens. This however has to be put on hold as Oktoberfest has now come around and this is the biggest and more important time for the town.
An added pressure is the fact that there is a film crew who are there to make a documentary about the brewing process, how the brewers interact with each other, and everything in the World of Beer. Of course with most documentaries you have to have a a host. And a host they have. An old child star here to revamp their stardom. He is a pompous jerk who everyone seems to hate.
After being as to leave Nitro from drinking too much Sloan finds him dead in an alley way. Hoping that it wasn't alcohol poisoning from their bar Sloan calls the police to get to the crime scene. Sloan is asked my the chief of police to keep an eye our since they are shorthanded due to the Oktoberfest going on.
Sloan wants to make sure that Nitro doesn't get a bad name and she makes it her duty to figure out what is going on with the film crew, who doesn't seem too distraught about their star's death, her estranged husband, and keeping everything together when she learns about her past.
This is a wonderful addition to the Sloan Krause Beervaria series and I highly recommend it if you love Cozy Mysteries!
whatmkisreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
reginasharinette_71's review
5.0
So much better than book 1! I really enjoyed this second book in Ellie Alexander's Sloan Krause series
rants_n_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
peggyemi's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book in the Sloan Krause Mystery series and I found I enjoyed it more than I did the first book in the series. What I really enjoy about a series by Ellie Alexander is that they are very character driven. As a reader you get to really connect with the characters and become invested. Sometime though, I have felt that the mystery became secondary to the characters instead of on equal footing in a book. That was not the case in this one. I enjoy the character of Sloan and reading about how she is rebuilding her life and trying to move on after her husband cheated. She still has a great relationship with his family and they are terrific secondary characters. In this book, I thought the mystery was up front and flowed throughout the book. There is also a secondary mystery that I think will flow through the rest of the series and that is the identity of Sloan's birth parents.
This was a fun and enjoyable read and I will definitely be back for more. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
This was a fun and enjoyable read and I will definitely be back for more. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.