With the chaos of Oktoberfest behind them, the residents of Leavenworth, Washington, are enjoying a lull before they gear up for Christmas festivities.  At Nitro, brewer Sloan Krause and her business partner, Garrett Strong, are experimenting with pine-flavored goodies to celebrate the season.  The microbrewery swirls with delicious scents that tickle the nose and remind everyone that soon the town will be glowing with lights, teeming with tourists, and awash in peace and goodwill.

Then, long-time city council member Kristopher Cooper announces his plans to make Leavenworth a dry town.  Local brewers are outraged.  Their businesses depend on keeping the taps open; all the merchants in town benefit from events like Oktoberfest.  Kristopher has created such a brouhaha that, when he winds up dead, there's a whole list of possible killers.  Some of Leavenworth's most prominent citizens are being accused, but who actually did the dirty deed?  When Sloan's best frenemy asks Sloan to help prove her innocence, the brewer reluctantly steps in.  Can she solve the murder?  Or will she be the killer's next victim?


Before we continue, have you seen pictures of
Leavenworth at Christmastime?  It looks absolutely magical.  Even though I grew up in Washington, I've never been there.  Seeing it lit up for the holiday is absolutely on my bucket list.  Okay, back to the review ...

Beyond a Reasonable Stout is the third book in Ellie Alexander's always enjoyable Sloan Krause mystery series.  Although in reality, Leavenworth is a very safe town, Alexander's fictional version is always erupting in murderous deeds.  I'm happy to suspend my disbelief here because I love the setting.  Although Sloan's not an especially unique or memorable character, I enjoy her adventures.  Beyond a Reasonable Stout is no exception.  Like its predecessors, it's a fun, easy read that's predictable but still entertaining.  I appreciate that the books are clean, without crass language, sex scenes, or anything gory and graphic.  They're just fun reads that make me smile.  You better believe I'm going to continue reading them!

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander as well as other books in the Sloan Krause series, including Death on Tap and The Pint of No Return)

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Spain, 1957

As the daughter of parents accused, imprisoned, and executed for being rebels against Francisco Franco, Ana Torres Moreno knows she must keep her head down, even now.  Working as a housekeeper at the Castellana Hilton in Madrid, she performs her duties, saves the little money she makes, and does her best to support her siblings.  She has no business fraternizing with the hotel guests and certainly cannot afford to flirt with them or, heaven forbid, fall in love.  And yet, she can't help the way her heart flutters when Daniel Matheson smiles at her.

Daniel, the son of a Texas oil tycoon, is on a business trip with his parents to Madrid.  Determined to become a photojournalist despite his father's protestations, he roams the city capturing the country of his mother's birth on film.  When he happens upon several disturbing scenes, Daniel becomes enraged, determined to do something to help the poor in the struggling city.  When he shares his photos with Ana, the lovely maid in charge of keeping his room clean, he inadvertently ropes her into his risky activities without realizing just how much danger he's putting her in.

Together, Ana and Daniel struggle to make sense of a Spain still rising from the ashes after the war and what that means for them, both individually and together.

YA historical fiction author Ruta Sepetys has won my admiration as well as my loyalty as a reader by continually producing moving, well-researched, beautifully-written novels.  The Fountains of Silence, her fourth book, is no exception.  In her newest, she delves into a time and place I know little about, which made it especially fascinating for me.  Chock-full of vivid detail, Sepetys brings post-war Spain to colorful life, highlighting both its beauty and its struggles.  The main characters aren't anything super special, but they're likable and sympathetic.  Gentle but evocative and powerful, the story is also engrossing and compelling.  I'm not sure if teen readers will have the patience for its 472 pages, but I loved it.  If you enjoy intriguing historical fiction, definitely check out this book as well as Sepetys' previous three.  She's a talented author.  I can't wait to see what she does next!

(Readalikes:  The only other book I've read about the Spanish Civil War is Lady Emma's Campaign, a Regency romance by Jennifer Moore.  Beyond that, The Fountains of Silence reminds me of a number of World War II novels I've read, although no specific titles are coming to mind.)

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