A Room with a Brew
Brewing Trouble #3
Author: Joyce Tremel
ISBN13: 9780425277713
Author website: http://www.joycetremel.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis: 
Disaster is on tap in this all-new mystery from the author of Tangled Up in Brew.
It’s Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, and brewpub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara is prepping for a busy month at the Allegheny Brew House. To create the perfect atmosphere for the boozy celebration, Max hires an oompah band. But when one of the members from the band turns up dead, it’s up to Max to solve the murder before the festivities are ruined.
Adding to the brewing trouble, Candy, Max’s friend, is acting suspicious… Secrets from her past are fermenting under the surface, and Max must uncover the truth to prove her friend’s innocence. To make matters worse, Jake’s snooty ex-fiancée shows up in town for an art gallery opening, and she’ll be nothing but a barrel of trouble for Max.
Review:
A Room With a Brew is the third installment in author Joyce Tremel’s “Brewing Trouble” series. The characters seem to be more at home in the setting, the story flows like a wonderful fresh tap, the mystery is full of more than just foam and the read is truly brewed to perfection. Max O’Hara is a true brewmaster. Her Allegheny Brew House is preparing for their first Oktoberfest. Max and her crew are getting everything ready to really celebrate, including hiring an Oompah band. Max’s boyfriend Jake has prepared the perfect menu to go with all the festivities too. Everything is going great. As we know though, something is going to go very wrong and it does.
Max and her friends go to check out the hired Oompah band and meet the members. She wants to make sure they are good enough. When the band comes over to meet them, her friend Candy is not herself. One of the members insists he knows her from somewhere. Normally friendly Candy is terse and secretive. Mystery abounds and the fellow ends up dead. Secrets about Candy’s life are revealed (I loved that by the way) and she becomes a suspect. Of course Max has to get involved and also try to salvage her big Oktoberfest celebration. The gang is at it again. I just love all the characters in this series. Each has something just a bit different to offer and together they make an unstoppable force that gets answers.
The relationship between Max and Jake has to be one of my favorites in a cozy series. They do not have all the angst and suffering that seems to be so prevalent in today’s reads. They fit perfectly together at work and as a couple. The friendships Max has are also super. The characters are fun, entertaining and well developed (and continue to develop in each book). I love reading about the recipes and the different beers even when I do not drink beer. This is a truly hopping series that is full of great times and more than a few barrels of laughs and vats of suspense.
A Room With a Brew may be the third in this series, but you can read any of them as standalone books. Read all of them though as they are great. The characters are a blast and I love the relationships and cannot wait to see how they continue to develop. You do not need to be a beer fan to enjoy this series at all. It ranks up there on the top of my favorites list. Even though this one is not set in a small town setting, you still get that small town feel. Author Joyce Tremel has another hit on her hands. Tap the keg, pull out the soft pretzels and settle in for a ton of fun and mystery. And do not forget the fabulous recipes at the end!
