THE CURE FOR WHAT ALES YOU

In a thorny tale of hidden secrets, a brewer with a complicated past uncovers a murderer.

Sloan Krause grew up in foster homes with little memory of her early childhood. When she married Mac Krause, she became part of a close-knit family of brewers in the German-themed destination town of Leavenworth, Washington. After Mac cheated on her, Sloan took a job at Nitro, a microbrewery where she and her brew partner, Garrett Strong, make a great team. But she and her son, Alex, are still involved with Der Keller, the Krause family brewery. Although Sloan recently heard a devastating rumor about Otto and Ursula Krause from her former foster care caseworker, her ex-in-laws have finally been exonerated of having Nazi ties. Now Sloan has to deal with the arrival of the elusive Marianne, the woman who dropped her into foster care and who may be either her protector or her enemy. The town is packed for the Maipole festival, and Sloan and Garrett have brewed a special citrusy beer for the occasion. Marianne appears at Sloan’s house, reveals that she’s her aunt, and warns her of danger. An old enemy is bent on killing Sloan, who witnessed her mother’s murder but remembers nothing. Now Sloan must prove that Marianne didn’t kill a hotel housekeeper while protecting her family from a dangerous killer.

A touch of humor and plenty of brew lore and tasty food suggestions add to the determined heroine’s charm.