The Malt in Our Stars
Sadie is delighted to have booked famous romantic suspense novelist Linnea Bliss for an event at The Inkwell, her literary-themed pub, housed in a renovated grist mill. The author and her personal assistant Marcie are staying at Shady Creek Manor, a grand historical hotel that was once a private mansion and is rumored to still hold hidden treasure somewhere within its walls.
But the hotel’s storied past is nothing compared to its tragic present when Marcie plummets to her death from an open window on the third floor. After Sadie discovers signs of a struggle in the room, it’s clear that someone assisted the assistant out the window. But Marcie is new in town, who would have a motive to kill her?
In between pulling pints and naming literary-themed cocktails, Sadie takes it on herself to solve the case, wondering if the crime is connected to the vandalized vehicles of a film crew in town to do a feature on local brewer Grayson Blake, with whom Sadie shares a strong flirtation. Or could the poor woman’s defenestration have anything to do with the legendary treasure? As Shady Creek Manor prepares for a May Day masquerade ball, Sadie is determined to unmask the killer, but when she uncorks a whole lot of trouble, will she meet a bitter end?
Series: A Literary Pub Mystery – Book #3
Author: Sarah Fox
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Pub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
I think Sadie is a delightful character. She isn’t too intense but has a pleasant inquisitive nature about her. She is empathetic and charming, as well as curious and unflappable, most of the time. However, hearing the scream of someone falling to their death would make the most hardened person feel vulnerable and helpless. In The Malt in Our Stars, Sadie is once again at the center of a murder investigation, and her literary pub draws attention from a possible suspect.
Owning a pub that has a literary bent isn’t the easiest thing to pull off, but so far, Sadie has done well. The murder of a famous writer’s assistant after spending time at Sadie’s pub could be a real downer, but thankful the woman didn’t die at the bar. Still, Sadie feels somewhat responsible because the writer and her assistant wouldn’t have been in Shady Creek if she hadn’t invited them. It doesn’t take Sadie long to figure out that the murder had nothing to do with her pub.
The main plot is a bit unusual and beguiling. The book has a great subplot as well that all ties in at the end. The characters are, as usual, fun and engaging. I felt that the pub and the literary cocktails didn’t play a significant enough role in this installment. Motives are plentiful, and all of them persuasive enough that readers may not figure out who the killer is until the very end. The victim is given enough background to have readers sympathetic without being too emotionally distraught. The killer is revealed in a dramatic fashion, and Sadie at the center of danger. Luckily for her, Grayson is there as well as others who are concerned about her well being and know what sort of trouble she can get into.
The Malt in Our Stars is an enormously entertaining story filled with red herrings, lively, warm characters, and a pub, The Inkwell; I wouldn’t mind spending a few hours enjoying a cocktail and reading a good book.
Other pub based cozies reader will enjoy are Sherry Harris’ saloon series “A Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery” and J.C. Eaton’s wine-based series “The Wine Trail Mysteries”.
About the Author:
Sarah Fox, a cozy mystery writer, was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer, she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel. Sarah lives in British Columbia and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
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