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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
I think this author does a great job with the cozy mystery genre.
I like the characters and the setting . The stories are short and entertaining. I listened to the audio version of this and the narrator did a good job .
If you need a break from deep/ heavy / literary fiction - I’d recommend this author .
I like the characters and the setting . The stories are short and entertaining. I listened to the audio version of this and the narrator did a good job .
If you need a break from deep/ heavy / literary fiction - I’d recommend this author .
Wine and Punishment by Sarah Fox is the debut novel in A Literary Pub Mystery. Sadie Coleman has purchased an old grist mill in Shady Creek, Vermont. She has turned the lower floor into Inkwell, a literary themed pub. The annual Autumn Festival is scheduled to begin in four days with the pumpkin catapult contest, a pie contest (which Sadie has got roped into judging) and vendor tents. Sadie is getting ready to depart for her Aunt Gilda’s birthday party when one of her employee’s tells her that her ex-boyfriend, Eric is in the pub. Not wanting a confrontation, Sadie sneaks out the back and enjoys an evening with her aunt and friends. On her way home, Sadie is shocked to see the Treasure Chest, a local antique shop and the building next door on fire. The next morning Sadie goes to her car and finds that someone has slashed all four of the tires. Sadie believes Grayson Blake of Spirit Hill Brewery is responsible and heads off to confront him. Instead, Sadie finds a deceased Eric sprawled by the edge of the creek. Sadie finds herself at the top of Detective Marquez’s suspect list which puts her wonderful new life in jeopardy. Feeling that she has no other choice, Sadie starts nosing around. She needs to discover why Eric was in town and retrace his footsteps. Can Sadie find the killer before she must trade in her pub apron for a prison jumpsuit?
I thought Wine and Punishment was nicely written with a good flow which made it an easy to read cozy mystery. I loved the description of the old grist mill that has been turned into a literary pub called Inkwell (wood, stone and plenty of books). There are cozy chairs, books and drinks named for books and authors. Sadie Coleman has left Boston to start over in Shady Creek, Vermont where her Aunt Gilda resides. Sadie leaves her ex-boyfriend, Eric behind who has trouble recognizing the truth and a terrible gambling addiction. I liked the picturesque town of Shady Creek with its charming shops and friendly residents (minus the killer). The town is gearing up for the annual Autumn Festival which has the unique pumpkin catapult contest. Each team constructs its own catapult for which Sadie is thankful she has employee, Damien Keys. The scarecrow for outside Inkwell is dressed like Sherlock Holmes (how cute). Sarah Fox took the time to set the stage for the series by describing the town and giving readers details on the main characters. I hope we get to learn more about the secondary characters in future books (Damien and Melanie for example). There is even a cute cat named Wimsy. I liked the interactions between Sadie and Wimsy, but I was surprised that she let her cat run around outside. There are various books and authors mentioned throughout Wine and Punishment including Ellery Adams. The mystery was interesting, and some readers may be surprised by the killer’s identity. I did feel that the pacing was inconsistent. I would have liked a brisker pace. I am giving Wine and Punishment 3.5 stars. Wine and Punishment is a good beginning to A Literary Pub Mystery series and I am curious to see what the author dishes up next time.
I thought Wine and Punishment was nicely written with a good flow which made it an easy to read cozy mystery. I loved the description of the old grist mill that has been turned into a literary pub called Inkwell (wood, stone and plenty of books). There are cozy chairs, books and drinks named for books and authors. Sadie Coleman has left Boston to start over in Shady Creek, Vermont where her Aunt Gilda resides. Sadie leaves her ex-boyfriend, Eric behind who has trouble recognizing the truth and a terrible gambling addiction. I liked the picturesque town of Shady Creek with its charming shops and friendly residents (minus the killer). The town is gearing up for the annual Autumn Festival which has the unique pumpkin catapult contest. Each team constructs its own catapult for which Sadie is thankful she has employee, Damien Keys. The scarecrow for outside Inkwell is dressed like Sherlock Holmes (how cute). Sarah Fox took the time to set the stage for the series by describing the town and giving readers details on the main characters. I hope we get to learn more about the secondary characters in future books (Damien and Melanie for example). There is even a cute cat named Wimsy. I liked the interactions between Sadie and Wimsy, but I was surprised that she let her cat run around outside. There are various books and authors mentioned throughout Wine and Punishment including Ellery Adams. The mystery was interesting, and some readers may be surprised by the killer’s identity. I did feel that the pacing was inconsistent. I would have liked a brisker pace. I am giving Wine and Punishment 3.5 stars. Wine and Punishment is a good beginning to A Literary Pub Mystery series and I am curious to see what the author dishes up next time.
This is a well written cozy mystery; it was like I watched an episode of my favorite type of tv. We get to know Sadie Coleman who has bought a pub and is working to change her life. After getting out of a bad relationship, she moved to a small town but she never wanted her ex to turn up dead.
Sadie decides to figure out who murdered her ex who was just visiting the town, so she can clear her name and find justice for his family. Sadie is a likeable character, I enjoyed getting to know her and her new friends in town. Most cozy mysteries have a love interest but this one has a cold, rude brewery owner who does not like Sadie. However, after a misunderstanding is cleared up, he apologizes for being so rude and that made me like him.
If you like cozy mysteries you will enjoy this one!
Sadie decides to figure out who murdered her ex who was just visiting the town, so she can clear her name and find justice for his family. Sadie is a likeable character, I enjoyed getting to know her and her new friends in town. Most cozy mysteries have a love interest but this one has a cold, rude brewery owner who does not like Sadie. However, after a misunderstanding is cleared up, he apologizes for being so rude and that made me like him.
If you like cozy mysteries you will enjoy this one!
mysterious
medium-paced
Sadie has recently moved to a small Vermont town where her aunt lives. She fell in love with an old pub there, purchased it, and took over running it. Let's just say I would love to go to this pub - it has books lining the wall, literary themed cocktails, and eventually literary themed food. Sounds like the perfect place to unwind. Her ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly to try to win her back. When he winds up dead, suspicion initially falls on Sadie, but thankfully there are plenty of other people who wanted him dead. Overall I liked the setting and the characters, though Sadie does some of the usual dumb cozy mystery things but there is potential.
WINE AND PUNISHMENT by Sarah Fox
The First Literary Pub Mystery
Sadie Coleman is gearing up to celebrate her first Autumn Festival in Shady Creek. Proud of her newly purchased business, and thrilled that locals and tourists alike seem to like her literary themed pub, Sadie is excited to embrace the event and promote the Inkwell. Having left her gambling addicted boyfriend in Boston, Sadie's dismayed when she learns he's come to town looking for her. After avoiding him for the night, she figures she'll have to face him in the morning. What she faces, however, is the discovery of his dead body. Surely, it must have been a tragic accident, after all, no one else in town knew him...or did they? When a series of malicious acts begin plaguing her, Sadie begins to wonder if she is indeed welcome in town. Could whoever killed Eric also be the person targeting her? But why? And does any of it have to do with the arson that seemed to announce the start of the crimes in her sleepy little town?
WINE AND PUNISHMENT is a wonderful start to a new series. The characters are richly drawn with many layers, some just hinted about, ready to be explored in more detail in future books. Sadie is a likable protagonist with the fun habit of having a literary bent to her exclamations as well as her beverages.
Shady Creek provides a wonderful setting. Autumn in Vermont screams cozy and fun events such as a pumpkin pie contest and pumpkin catapult competition are delicious details that add to the cozy charm. I adore the idea of a pub with literary themed drinks. I'm lucky in that I have such a bar near me. It's known for its sci-fi and book named cocktails, such as The Bell Jar, Picard's Jacket, and Hufflepuff. I was excited to read about Sadie's Huckleberry Gin and Count Dracula and delighted to see some recipes at the back of the book!
The mystery in the first Literary Pub Mystery was complex and compelling. Were the crimes in Shady Creek even related? It wasn't until the very end that things were made clear, and once revealed everything clicked into place. WINE AND PUNISHMENT is a smart, witty mystery that made me feel at home. I devoured this book and can't wait to read more about Sadie Coleman and her friends at the Inkwell.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
The First Literary Pub Mystery
Sadie Coleman is gearing up to celebrate her first Autumn Festival in Shady Creek. Proud of her newly purchased business, and thrilled that locals and tourists alike seem to like her literary themed pub, Sadie is excited to embrace the event and promote the Inkwell. Having left her gambling addicted boyfriend in Boston, Sadie's dismayed when she learns he's come to town looking for her. After avoiding him for the night, she figures she'll have to face him in the morning. What she faces, however, is the discovery of his dead body. Surely, it must have been a tragic accident, after all, no one else in town knew him...or did they? When a series of malicious acts begin plaguing her, Sadie begins to wonder if she is indeed welcome in town. Could whoever killed Eric also be the person targeting her? But why? And does any of it have to do with the arson that seemed to announce the start of the crimes in her sleepy little town?
WINE AND PUNISHMENT is a wonderful start to a new series. The characters are richly drawn with many layers, some just hinted about, ready to be explored in more detail in future books. Sadie is a likable protagonist with the fun habit of having a literary bent to her exclamations as well as her beverages.
Shady Creek provides a wonderful setting. Autumn in Vermont screams cozy and fun events such as a pumpkin pie contest and pumpkin catapult competition are delicious details that add to the cozy charm. I adore the idea of a pub with literary themed drinks. I'm lucky in that I have such a bar near me. It's known for its sci-fi and book named cocktails, such as The Bell Jar, Picard's Jacket, and Hufflepuff. I was excited to read about Sadie's Huckleberry Gin and Count Dracula and delighted to see some recipes at the back of the book!
The mystery in the first Literary Pub Mystery was complex and compelling. Were the crimes in Shady Creek even related? It wasn't until the very end that things were made clear, and once revealed everything clicked into place. WINE AND PUNISHMENT is a smart, witty mystery that made me feel at home. I devoured this book and can't wait to read more about Sadie Coleman and her friends at the Inkwell.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
A good start to a series. I'm interested in reading more.
I am a fan of this author's Pancake House Mystery so when I read that she had a new series coming out centered around a pub with a literary theme I was intrigued. I thought this was a solid start to a new series. I enjoyed stepping into the the world of the Inkwell, which is a great name for the pub, and getting to know Sadie Coleman, and the rest of the characters. I think that as the series progresses and the characters are developed more that readers will take to them. I just felt that in this first book we didn't really get to know some of the more prominent secondary characters enough. They mystery was well done, but a little drawn out for me. I didn't guess the identity of the killer but thought it could have been wrapped up a bit quicker. There was a part in the middle of the book, when incidents just kept happening to Sadie that I thought the book dragged for me.
Overall, I liked this first book and think with some more character development and shortened mysteries that series has really good promise to stick around for awhile. I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher, Lyrical Underground, through Netgalley.
Overall, I liked this first book and think with some more character development and shortened mysteries that series has really good promise to stick around for awhile. I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher, Lyrical Underground, through Netgalley.