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.[summary via Amazon]
Warning readers, this is another one of those bittersweet book reviews. Lately I've been picking up the last book in several series, that were discontinued. For readers of the genre, you will know that period I'm talking about. Several years ago, a lot of series got cancelled after book 3, and so I have a lot of book 3's on my shelf to read. Why would I read the first two books, and hold off on the last book? Because I'm sad to see these series end, and didn't want to read the final book just yet. I felt that way with the Ethnic Eats Mysteries, and I feel this way about the Brewing Trouble Mysteries.
Max O'Hara is planning for Oktoberfest, and has hired an oompah band for the festivities. However, when one of the band members dies Max is curious enough to investigate. What was Doodle going to tell her before he died, and how is her friend Candy involved in this?
My favourite thing about the Brewing Trouble Mysteries is that it got me interested in beer and brewing. This was a difficult thing to do because... I have celiacs and have never liked the smell of beer. This is what a well-written cozy mystery will do. It will get you interested in something you thought you had no interest in. While I have no desire to drink a beer (even a gluten-free one!), I do find the brewing process interesting now. So much so, that thanks to the Brewing Trouble Mysteries I picked up the Sloan Krause Mysteries (written by Ellie Alexander). That's why reading the last book in the series has been so bittersweet. In three books, I've gone from "meh, I'm not a big fan of beer" to "micro-brewing and nano-brewing is so interesting". Thank Joyce Tremel for this and so much more!
The mystery was fun and interesting. I was captivated by the clues laid down, and I had fun trying to solve it before Max and her "marauders"! Of course, with Jake's ex-fiance on the scene, I was hoping she would be the murderer, or even victim... but Joyce Tremel never makes it that easy for us to guess!!
A Room with a Brew was a delightful, bittersweet ending to the Brewing Trouble Mysteries. I will definitely miss adventures with Jake, Max and of course our favourite brew pub cat "Hop", and I hope there are more mysteries one day!!
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