The Pint of No Return

Alexander’s satisfying second Sloan Krause mystery (after 2017’s Death on Tap) finds beer brewer Sloan settling into her new job at Nitro, a start-up microbrewery located in the German-themed tourist mecca of Leavenworth, Wash. It’s Oktoberfest, when the remote mountain village swells with visitors, and business is booming. This year’s celebration is especially exciting because a film crew from Los Angeles has come to town to make a documentary about beer. The documentary’s host, Mitchell Morgan, is a former child star with a giant ego who manages in short order to offend half the population of Leavenworth. So when Sloan hears screams late one night and discovers Mitchell dead behind a festival tent, there are plenty of suspects, some of them Sloan’s friends and family members. Sloan must once again turn amateur sleuth. Alexander has created an appealing cast of characters and a lovely setting for them to live in. Best of all, she treats the reader to a fascinating look at the skill and artistry involved in brewing craft beer. (Oct.)