Through the Liquor Glass

by Sarah Fox

Sadie and Grayson find a food critic’s body under a cask at Grayson’s brewery. It soon becomes clear that someone is trying to frame Grayson for the murder. He goes into hiding, and Sadie, owner of the Inkwell pub, tries to find the real murderer. She is also dealing with maintaining the Inkwell’s booth at the local food and drink festival, and running her business during this top tourist season. Add to that her mother’s first visit to Sadie’s new home and business in Vermont. Sadie wants her mother’s approval on her new life and her new boyfriend who is currently on the run from law enforcement.

I have enjoyed all of the cozy mysteries in The Literary Pub Mystery Series by Sarah Fox, but this one was disappointing for me. The plot was well-conceived, but the execution was repetitious. Just how many times do I want to read about Sadie drinking coffee at her apartment, at her pub, and at the local coffee shop? How many times does the author need to verbalize Sadie’s emotional distress over missing her boyfriend? They were only separated for a little over a week. Sadie, in her efforts to clear Grayson, does a number of stupid, dangerous and illegal things. One example is stealing a hotel key card, breaking into a guest’s room, and returning the key card—actions which she repeats! Grayson purposely does not tell Sadie where he will hide out so she can truthfully relate that to the police when she is questioned. Despite the police having surveillance over her pub and apartment, she works as hard at discovering his location as she does at uncovering the murderer, putting herself and Grayson in even more threat of being arrested unless the murderer finds them first.

The whodunnit part of the book is interesting and surprising, but not really worth the read for me. I want to read the next book in the series as I hope this was a one off.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. Contains two recipes—a snack: Maple Butter Popcorn and a cocktail: Kiss of the Cider Woman
2. #5 in The Literary Pub Mystery Series, but can work as a standalone because the author does a great job of supplying information about each character as they appear in this book.

Publication: November 29, 2022—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

Even with my back to what was likely the murder weapon, I was keenly aware of its presence. It was almost as if it were emitting a palpable and dangerous energy.

When we left the cidery a few minutes later, I had a snack in hand to assuage any physical hunger pangs that might strike, but my appetite for clues remained unsatisfied.

Silence settled over our table, but it was a silence fraught with tension and apprehension. My mother stared at me from across the table and I had to fight to keep from sliding down any farther. I was already in danger of falling off my seat.