Rum and Choke

by Sherry Harris

Surprise, Chloe! Your boss/business partner Vivi Slidell aided by Joaquín Diaz, the Sea Glass Saloon’s bartender, has entered you in the annual Florida Barback Games! Soon Chloe learns that “Barback” is the term for the person who does the prep work for the bartender and assists him in whatever will make the job easier. Of course, the “games” are more complicated than that, making for great entertainment.

In scoping out the local competition who are all professional athletes brought in as ringers, Chloe finds herself past inebriated. Could someone have spiked her drink with a drug? Things turn even more serious when Ann, the mysterious local fixer, confides a secret to Chloe, requests her assistance, and discovers a body. Both women come under suspicion of murder.

An additional backdrop to the story is Chloe’s relationship to Rip, a former lawyer and currently a volunteer firefighter. He worries about her, but is always supportive.

If you are interested in underwater treasure hunts and nice people who find themselves deep in troubles that were previously not even on their radar, I think you will enjoy Rum and Choke. Previous readers of the series have been introduced to the “fixer” Ann. To Ann’s amusement, Chloe originally thought Ann was a handywoman. Whoops! Ann fixes sticky situations, and there are lots of gray areas to her business. Chloe and the reader learn a lot more about Ann in this book. I have enjoyed the whole series as well as other cozy mysteries by Sherry Harris.

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

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #4 in the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mystery Series. Although I recommend reading the series from the beginning to understand why a child librarian is part owner in a bar, this can be read as a standalone as far as the mystery goes.

Publication:  December 27, 2022—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

This place could be a hotbed of gossip at times. Mostly on days that have a d in them.

I worked my way through the crowd to the bar and ordered a drink. I didn’t believe in going into a place and not ordering anything. It was almost as bad as leaving a library without a book.

The paved road became a dirt road, which wound around until I wasn’t sure which direction we were headed. Talk about a metaphor for my life.