To Brew Or Not To Brew

A pretty good first and much more interesting than I thought it would be. I raced through this one this morning without pausing for much more than a quick drink (iced tea).

Maxine O'Hara is opening her own craft brewhouse in Pittsburgh, after earning her brewmaster certification in Germany. Someone keeps sabotaging her preparations though and finally has Max's full attention when they kill her assistant brewmaster.

Pretty good characters, decent setting and a decently plotted mystery; I figured out the murderer pretty quickly, but Tremel managed to mislead me for a few chapters. No love triangle (yet) and almost no TSTL moments.

I'll definitely check out the second book.

Good cozy mystery set in my hometown. Max is a brew master setting up her own brewpub. Her chef is murdered shortly before opening day. With a dad as a homicide detective she is not about to accept the verdict of an accident so she must find the murderer.

I enjoyed this book very much. Ms. Tremel got the flavor of Pittsburgh and its language right. She incorporated some of the history into the story. I liked Max and Jake, her crush from childhood. They work well together. Max's extended family is all through the book and are fun. Her neighbors are also lots of fun. They are a quirky bunch but truly a Pittsburgh bunch. I look forward to more books in this series.

As an avid reader of cozies mysteries, I've read and enjoyed many. I can honestly say this is one of the best debut cozies I've read!! It doesn't read as a first in a series. The flow of the book is perfect, the characters are all like people you know, the whole family unit is realistic, the mystery is great, and the craft brewpub is a new and interesting cozy concept. You'll love Max, Hops the kitten, Max's family/friends, and the mystery. 5 stars!

To Brew Ir Not To Brew is the first book in the A Brewing Trouble Mystery series

A great beginning to a very fun new series.

Maxine “ Max” O'Hara is looking forward to opening her brewpub in about a month, but there have been unexplained small acts of vandalism occurring while the remodeling has been going on. Then one evening, Max gets a call from Kurt, her assistant brew master and chef, telling her to come back as he has found the reason for the vandalism. When she arrives, she cannot find him, but soon finds him on the platform of the mash tun, dead. Fearing, that her chance of opening might not materialize she starts a little investigation of her own. But first she needs to find a replacement for Kurt and that comes in the form show more of Jake Lambert, a former ice hockey player and childhood friend of her brothers and someone she had a crush on growing up. Jake proves to be just what she needed, and maybe in more ways than just as the chef.

Max, with the help fellow shop owners and book club members, Candy and Kristie set out to find the person or persons, who were responsible for the vandalism and Kurt's murder. Some crucial help comes from a very unlikely source. This book has an interesting and believable cast of characters. From Candy and Kristie, who always have Max's back to Max's brothers: Father Sean and Mike, who are still protective of their “little” sister. And of course her father, a police detective, Sean, Sr..

Delicious sounding recipes are also included in this exciting new series.
Will definitely be watching for the next book. show less

Cute book. Read the second in the series first so now things make sense. Little too squeaky clean on the romance for me.

A quick fun read. I look forward to the next in the series.

Great story-I liked Max and her family-a typical Pittsburgh close-knit group.