A Case of Bier: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery

In Daheim’s highly implausible 31st Bed-and-Breakfast mystery (after 2016’s Here Comes the Bribe), Seattle B and B owner Judith McMonigle Flynn and her best friend and cousin, Renie Jones, embark on a 10-day vacation in Banff, Alberta, along with their husbands. Rather than keeping themselves amused with shopping and sightseeing while the men gallivant off on a fishing trip, the outrageously nosy Judith and smart-mouthed Renie impose themselves on the Stokes family, who have brought their dying patriarch from Nebraska to Canada to fulfill his last wish—to have his body placed on a funeral bier and floated down the Bow River. Things take a murderous turn when somebody stabs the old guy in the back—but was it before he died or after? Does it matter? Nobody seems to figure out whether it does or not. Unbelievable characters, an incomprehensible plot, and too many unanswered questions will frustrate readers. This one’s for diehard series fans only. [em]Agent: Maureen Moran, Maureen Moran Agency. (Feb.) [/em]