From Beer to Eternity

by Sherry Harris

When an author you like starts a new series, there are always some questions. Will I like this series as well as the last one? Will this just be a rehash of the previous series with new names for the characters and a different setting? Will the plot be fresh and intriguing? I can answer those questions for Sherry Harris’ Sea Glass Saloon Mystery Series. I really enjoyed the first book, From Beer to Eternity. She has started a completely different series, and it is good!

Chloe Jackson goes to Emerald Cove in the Panhandle of Florida when her best friend Boone dies while on deployment in Afghanistan. She had promised him that she would help his grandmother Vivi, owner of a bar on the beach, if something happened to him. Chloe takes a leave of absence from her position as a children’s librarian in Chicago to attend his memorial service and help Vivi who doesn’t seem to want her help.

It is hard to fit into the tight knit community of Emerald Cove, especially as a Northerner. After a local is found knifed outside the back door of the bar, it is hard to know whom to trust. From Beer to Eternity is populated with interesting characters. The first person Chloe finds she can open up to is Joaquín, a very handsome and skilled barkeeper. He puts on a show for the ladies to earn great tips, but his heart belongs to his husband Michael. Rhett is another interesting local—good-looking and always on hand to help Chloe. Is he a murderer keeping her in his sights? Who is this Ann Williams that Chloe keeps hiring as a handywoman? How about the two cowboys who try to run Chloe off the road?

As Chloe tries to find the killer and get the focus off of Vivi, she also struggles to find a place to live during high tourist season. She hopes to develop a relationship with Vivi who seems to want nothing to do with her. So Chloe starts working at the bar without being hired and noses around town, trying to ask questions without being killed.

Someone is not happy with Chloe and her investigation. Chloe turns over a lot of seashells that are hiding relationships and secrets and puts herself in danger. It must be time to return to bustling Chicago and immerse herself in books and children once more, leaving behind Emerald Cove and the small group of Heritage Business owners who are resisting change.

I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Sea Glass Saloon Mystery Series

Publication:   July 28, 2020—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

The desk was old and scarred. The chair, modern and ergonomic. almost seemed like a metaphor for this area—the old and new trying to work together, but not always succeeding.

I wished I were back at my job in the library, wiping snotty noses and recommending books. That job was like being Santa Claus. Finding the right book for the right child was a great gift. To see their shiny, happy faces at story time brought me joy.

“Rumors? About me?” As far as I could tell, Emerald Cove thrived on rumors and innuendo. Unfortunately, so far almost everyone but Leah and Ivy had doctoral degrees in how to say something without saying anything.