The Nitro brewery, owned by Garrett and managed by Sloane, is ready to open its B&B, they are persuaded to start a little ahead of schedule when a business group's reservation at the local hotel is mishandled and they are without a place to stay. Because of a snowstorm they end up with 3 couples staying in their B&B. What is revealed as the story goes on is that there is a connection between the couples and a lone woman who is stranded by the storm.

When the stranded patron is later found dead, uncovering the connection and the murderer has Sloane and Garrett busy trying to discover exactly why the patron was here and who wanted them gone.

There were many clues so that the solution could have gone many ways but the ending was a success! ( )

I really, really enjoy the Sloan Krause Mysteries. While a lot of cozies I come back for the characters and community (which I do enjoy in this series too) Ellie Alexander’s descriptions of the town, weather, interior design, and Bavarian culture is really phenomenal. In a lot of cozies, if I’ve read any of the other books in the series, I find it easy to skim through the descriptions since a lot of authors focus more on their characters and plot, but Alexander’s details are so beautiful and interesting that I never skim her books. But that’s not to say that she doesn’t write well developed characters and a good plot, because she’s a master at that too.

In the previous book, Beyond a Reasonable Stout, we are left with some unanswered questions about Sloan’s in-laws. And while we get more answers in this book, it’s not touched on a lot (besides Sloan worrying about what to do) and we are still left with questions that hopefully we’ll find the answers to in book five. In Without a Brew we get to see what Garrett, Sloan, and Kat have done with the rooms to stay in above the brewery since they are doing a soft launch before the upcoming festival (which I’m thinking will happen in the next book). But what starts out with having one couple staying, ends with three couples and a single woman staying, and this leads to murder!

Alexander does a great job with all the different plot lines and advancing Sloan’s character. There are some red herrings and a climactic ending with Sloan and the killer with the perfect amount of tension in the scene.
While I recommend a lot of cozy series, the Sloan Krause Mysteries is one series of about a dozen cozy series that are on my pre-order list because I enjoy it so much. ( )

Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander is the 4th novel in A Sloan Krause Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series or missed a book along the way. I enjoy visiting Leavenworth, Washington which reminds me of German Village where I grew up. It is a quaint town with Bavarian charm. The town is preparing for IceFest with games, fireworks, food, and loads of twinkle lights. I like that Sloan Krause is a strong female who continues to develop. She is finding out who she is away from her husband (soon to be ex-husband) and his family. Sloan loves her job and she is thinking about purchasing a new home. Sloan has been wanting to learn about her birth mother and she is finally getting information thanks to her old case worker, Sally. We learn some startling information when Sally visits. The mystery was nicely plotted out. There are a variety of suspects along with good clues. Sloan uncovers helpful information with her gentle questions. Avid cozy mystery readers, though, will find it a cinch to solve this whodunit. I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of the town. The authors word images match the pictures of Leavenworth. There are some mouthwatering dishes prepared by Sloan and Nitro serves up some wintery brews. Without a Brew is a charming cozy mystery with a pushy VP, a cozy cottage, a lost lodger, a brash realtor, and a winter wonderland. ( )

cozy-mystery, culinary, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town, murder-investigation****

Sloan thought things were going OK in her Brew Pub despite her pending divorce and other personal issues. Then an obnoxious entitled moron and his groupies came in demanding lodging, so she had an unprepared room opened. Then came a despirited woman in the same fix, but she seemed spooked by a couple of locals. Then she was missing and found dead. Both the capable local law and Sloan need to investigate but for slightly different reasons. Good sleuthing, good characterizations, full of twists and plenty of red herrings! A good read set in the winter in the Cascades.
I requested and received a free review copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. ( )