Feel the Bern

"People read this stuff?" the main character Crash asks about a cozy mystery Bernie Sanders lends her. I felt the same way about this book, but had an enjoyable time reading about my own senator in my own state with a plot that was certain to have a satisfactory resolution. Crash is an intern in Sanders's office, and because of her knowledge of the fine points of maple syrup she is assigned to accompany him to her fictitious Vermont home town. A dead body and mega-developer foil her plans for things going smoothly, and Bernie is quite happy to join her in sleuthing. The scenes when Bernie's events had low or no attendance were completely unbelievable, however, because Vermonters love to show up to see Bernie any time in person, and show more would be very suspicious of a showy developer. show less

I'm a fan of the "Obama Biden mystery" series by the same author, starring point-of-view character, fictionalized Joe Biden. There are many potential reasons why—generally knowing less about Vermont than Delaware and D.C., the point of view character being a very lightly characterized intern instead of getting inside the (humorously fictionalized) head of Bernie Sanders himself, less of any real stake on the part of either of the detectives in the crime—but this one just didn't hit in the same way, particularly the humor. I did learn a lot about maple syrup production and the recipes at the back all made me hungry.

I would like to think the author, publisher and Edelweiss for the chance to read this book before its publication.

This was a fun and hilarious read featuring Bernie Sanders solving a murder along side his intern, Crash.

There were occasional moments that were a little over the top but what else does one expect when you're reading a cozy mystery featuring one of the most famous U.S. Senators of our lifetime.

I figured out who the killer was before the book revealed their identity but I don't see this as a mark against the book, rather I see it as a job well done when even when after you have figured it out you want to keep reading.

I needed to know how Bernie and Crash figured out the truth and what the other suspects had been hiding show more the whole time.

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun, hilarious and fast read. You don't have to be a fan of Bernie Sanders or even cozy mysteries to enjoy to this book.

But, it is recommended that you be a fan of Maple Syrup. show less