The election for city council in Leavenworth, Washington, is coming soon and the race has turned contentious. Leavenworth’s economy relies heavily on the beer industry as the town is well known for its craft breweries, Oktoberfest, and Bavarian Christmas (Christkindlmarkt). Some residents even jokingly refer to it as a “Beer-varian” village. Sloan Krause enjoys her work at Nitro where she and her partner, Garrett Strong, create niche flavors while larger brewers, such as Der Keller (which is owned by Sloan’s soon to be ex-husband and in-laws) have a broader selection. Even the local hotels and smaller shops, such as the nutcracker shops in town, cater to the brewery crowd. Unfortunately, current incumbent Kristopher Cooper intends to make Leavenworth completely alcohol free, something that would devastate the town’s economy, and has made this the centerpiece of his re-election campaign. When he winds up dead, there are a plethora of suspects. Sloan finds herself in the midst of the investigation when one of the locals accused of the crime begs for her help.

I was initially skeptical about BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT and only read it because I like Ellie Alexander’s other series. After all, I am not a beer fan by any means and can’t fathom beer making as a craft. Wow, let me tell you that Ellie Alexander has changed my mind! Who would imagine beer as an ingredient in pancakes (or waffles or French toast!)  or that you could brew beer with popcorn or chocolate? My mouth is watering at the possibilities Sloan creates in BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT!

The town of Leavenworth is also a delight! I can’t wait to further explore the shops and browse the Christmas markets of this charming little German-themed town. And oh, the residents are a hoot! I love the various characters Ellie Alexander has created as they are exactly the sort of folks one would like to have a drink with (well, with one exception, the murderer of course LOL).

BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT is the third book in the Sloan Krause series and can be read as a standalone. Ellie Alexander provides plenty of background information and character development for new readers to the series (like me) to thoroughly enjoy the story line. However, there are some ongoing story arcs that have me eager to read the earlier books and even more excited about the next installment in the series! Ellie Alexander always crafts a great story and BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT is another shining example!

Book Summary