Java Jive coffee house manager Juliet (Jules) Langley is excited to finally receive her PI license. After quickly handling a cheating husband case she is assigned to a more complicated case where a business owner is questioning large money deposits by his partner. Also an employee at the coffee house wants her and her BFF, Pete, to prove his girlfriend did not OD but was murdered.

These two cases bring a lot of action to the story along with the dynamics of Jules with Pete, ex boyfriend Ryder and current boyfriend John. The author does an excellent job of combining the mystery and romance and leaves you wanting more.

This is book #4 in the A Java Jive Mystery series.

Brew or Die is another great book in Caroline Fardig's Java Jive series. Balancing two jobs and multiple men in her life is Juliet's dilemma and how she balances (or not) is what makes this book great.

In Brew or Die, Caroline Fardig’s 4th Java Jive mystery, Nashvillian Juliet Langley crosses the line from being an enthusiastic, capable amateur sleuth to join the ranks of licensed private investigators. Juliet is the new part-time investigator at her friend Maya Huxley’s agency. Maya is a gal who likes to “do things her own way,” but she and Juliet have history.

But, after teaming up to get to the bottom of a bogus murder charge for a friend of mine, she saw something in me that she thought she could work with. So, she made me her apprentice, trained me, made sure I got my education requirements, and helped me study for the licensure test.

Pete Bennett—Juliet’s boss at her full-time gig, the Java Jive Coffeehouse—is less than enthused. Pete would like his manager, in her spare time, to explore her singer-songwriter talents. What better spot than Music City to make a splash in the local music scene? Pete’s not shy about expressing his doubts about how things will go with Maya.

“She’s not always going to be with you now that you’re a full-fledged PI,” he pointed out. “And need I remind you that you already have a job?”

Coffeehouse manager by day, PI by night, Juliet Langley is the essence of a multi-tasking woman. There’s a guy in her personal rear-view mirror, ex-boyfriend Detective Ryder Hamilton. Their break-up was messy, but detective agencies and the local constabulary often work side by side, so Ryder isn’t exactly out of the picture. Juliet Langley’s realistic, somewhat rueful approach to her personal life makes it difficult for her to draw a bright line between work and pleasure—especially since Stafford, her new beau, is also a Nashville detective.

When Josie, the fiancée of one of Pete’s baristas, is found dead, conventional wisdom suggests that she overdosed. That’s the excuse the police give when they refuse to investigate.

Pete and I shared a look over Shane’s bowed head.

I said, “It’s true. The overdose rate around here has skyrocketed lately. Stafford has been telling me how much of a problem it’s become.”

Shane lifted his head to glare at me. “Josie didn’t OD.” He never did particularly care for me.

Juliet’s unbridled enthusiasm about undercover work is one of the delights of Brew or Die. Josie worked for Leonidas, the premier wedding agency in Nashville, so it makes sense that Juliet infiltrates the organization so that she can get inside information about Josie’s fate. She’ll be modeling wedding dresses at a bridal fair, and she drags her handsome boss Pete into posing as a groom.

Looks like “Red-haired She-Devil” PI Juliet is getting her groove back! Check out Pete after the makeup mavens have their way with him: “He was the picture of male perfection.” The repartee between Pete and Juliet is familiar and friendly with a breathy whisper of “if only.” More importantly, how’s the sleuthing going? They pretend to mingle.

He made a grand show of offering me his arm, and I took it, smiling and waving at guests as we walked past them, but not slowing down to chat like we should have. We headed out of the ballroom and down the back hallway, which was largely deserted.

I let go of Pete’s arm. “Did you find out anything regarding the case?” Noticing something odd, I peered at his face closely. “And are you wearing guyliner?”

Grimacing, he said, “Yeah, they made me.”

I burst out laughing.

“Shut up, Jules. And focus.”

A laughing Juliet who loses focus occasionally is also a canny sleuth who intuitively sees beyond the obvious. Her on-and-off boyfriend Ryder appreciates it when she cuts loose, like when she snaps, “I’m not telling her shit,” about a nosy mutual acquaintance. He, like us, is thrilled that “delicate Juliet is back,” and yes, that’s irony.

Whether she’s a slatternly cleaner working undercover at a warehouse, a singer-songwriter manager at a coffee house, or an overly curious mannequin at a bridal showcase, Juliet Langley’s infectious, persistent personality has us rooting for her success, both personally and professionally.

I just plain love this series. The books always have great writing, interesting characters, & an intriguing story.

Brew or Die could be read as a stand alone but I would suggest reading the first 3 books just to understand the back story.

In this book Juliet is a private eye & can now investigate things without getting in so much trouble with Nashville PD (or so she thinks)

All the favorite characters are back, Pete, Ryder, Pete’s Grandma, & the eclectic group of employees at Java Jive.

I keep an eye out for each new book by Caroline Fardig because I know its going to be a fun read.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Brew or Die is the fourth book in Caroline Fardig's Java Jive Mystery series. Juliet Langley, manager of Java Jive and amateur sleuth, has just received her PI license after working with Maya Huxley at her private investigation agency and with Maya's tutelage to prepare for the exam.

Juliet finally seems to be in a happy place, working alongside two good friends, Maya at the PI agency and Pete at Java Jive. Her former love interest who left her high and dry in the previous installment is now in the past and she is building a new relationship with detective John Stafford of MNPD.

Little does Juliet expect the first case she works on her own as Maya travels home to England to visit family will turn her world upside down, putting her at great risk and bringing Ryder back into her life. She also has no expectation that the pro bono case she takes with Pete to help discover what really happened to the fiancé of one of the Java Jive employees will result in a drugged trip to Memphis and videoing the confession of a murderer while counting on Ryder to save Pete's life.

Another wild ride through Nashville's Music Row area. Fast paced, interesting characters, and brief peaks into the seedier side of humans with the depths they will stoop to counterbalanced by the goodness in most of us. I do recommend this book.

I quickly became involved in all that was happening on the pages of this fun cozy mystery. Even though it's the fourth book in the series, it is the first one I have read and had no problem reading it as a standalone. Once I started reading, I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. I enjoyed the eclectic cast of characters especially coffee shop manager Juliet Langley who just received her private investigator license and MNPD Detective Ryder Hamilton. I look forward to reading more Java Jive Mysteries. I received a free advance copy of Brew or Die from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my unbiased review.

Love this series. The growth of the characters provided added interest. Skeptical at first as to whether they actually had changed or not, but they did remain true and seemed believable. Lots of action, romance, laughs, and suspense. A definite page turner that I hated to see end. I am eager for more.

Juliet Solves Not One But Two Mysteries

Newly minted PI Juliet Langley has her plate full. She’s still managing the coffee house for her best friend, Pete Bennett. Now she is handling two jobs. Pete thinks it’s a lot, but he knows he can’t stop her becoming to be a PI. What he wants is for her to reconsider going back into the music business.

Almost immediately Juliet solves a case and then lands two more. Shane, one of Pete’s employees is devastated by the death of his girlfriend, a party planner. She was found dead at her desk from an overdose, and he wants Juliet to prove she was murdered. Juliet also works with Maya on a case to find out what’s happening in Gentry’s warehouse business. He thinks his partner is up to something shady.

The cases lead Juliet into the weird world of party planning where drugs, booze and sex top the list of entertainment. In the warehouse case, she goes on stakeout and meets up with her former lover, Ryder. They’re both suspicious about what’s happening at the warehouse.

The mysteries are fast paced and have enough twists to keep them interesting. Pete and Juliet are appealing when they team up to go undercover, as they do in the party planner case. Juliet shows her mettle and propensity for getting into tight spots in the warehouse case. These mysteries give you what you expect from this series.

The romance is disappointing. I feel the relationships are becoming strained. Pete and Juliet can’t get together and the reasons are becoming thin. The cops Juliet dates are another disappointment. She’s broken up with Ryder, who seemed to be a good match. John, the cop she’s now dating, seems too much of a nice guy to keep her interested for long. I enjoy the series, but the romantic tangles are getting old.

I received this book from Alibi for this review.

My Review

This is the first book I have read in this series. Which wasn’t a problem the author did a great job if making sure a new reader didn’t feel lost. I enjoyed the characters and the vulnerability they had with each other. This book had a lot going on between different characters and Fardig did a fantastic job of weaving them in with the mystery. The mystery had me guessing until almost the end and gave plenty of twists and turns. I do wish the book described the city of Nashville with more detail and the conflict with Ryder and Jules was drawn out a little too much. I enjoyed Brew or Die and have put the first three books on my must read list. If you love a good mystery with your coffee then you’ll love Brew or Die

This was a fun and lightly thrilling book. The mystery was great, but at times it felt like the relationship drama was taking over. There was also some great character development towards the end, which I loved.

This is the fourth entry in the Java Jive cozy mystery series. It's a solid book with some twists that I wasn't expected and the characters are being flushed out more. For those unfamiliar with this series, the main character, Juliet, is a manager of a coffee house and a new P.I. Personally, I could never juggle two such diverse jobs but Juliet does. And it's a compliment to the author for not portraying Juliet as a perfect character no one likes. There are a few things Juliet does which make me frown but overall I do like her.

This is book four in the Java Jive series about a singer, barista mystery solver. As I have never read the previous books I had no preconceptions. I like this book and intend to pickup the prior novels but I did not find that I loved this book. I fear part of my issue is as a new reader of the on going series I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I would have preferred. That having been said I will attempt to answer the most common questions I encounter when referring a book or reading review questions.

Can you just jump in? Yes and no. Each book appears to have a main stand alone mystery but it seems like the last book may have been pivotal relationship maybe even plot wise. I'm still not confident of my own understanding. So, if you love to "get" the references and "jokes" I would recommend reading the prior books first.

Would you recommend this book? Yes. The main mystery was completely engaging and very well written!

Is this a clean story? Yes. I didn't find any of the actions or behaviors to be offensive to me, but this is a mainstream modern mystery not a religious offering.

Is it very violent/gory? No

Is this a last or next to last book? No, I definitely hope not! As this book ends on a sad but hopeful note, I really can't wait to see where the author takes Jules now!


Netgalley review of advance copy. Thank you to the author and publisher for a well crafted read..

I will admit that jumping into the middle of a multi-novel series doesn't always yield the best results. While authors aim to write each book in such a way that anyone can drop in at any time and still get the gist of things (and this book is no different), I feel that there is a richness to the characters that is lacking by not having the full background.

Overall, I liked this book, but I did find it slow in parts. The middle of the book is where authors tend to not be able to hold my attention, as was the case here. The story line was quite complex, with multiple mysteries at once and the interleaving of many relationships, so it became mired in a too much detail in some spots. I suspect a broader brush could have been used to fill in the investigations and kept a faster pace. The problem may well have been that there were too many mysteries happening in one book to really be effective in the storytelling of all of them.

I would consider going back and reading earlier books in the series to learn more about the main characters. I would definitely recommend starting at the top with this one.

Brew or Die: A Java Jive MysteryThis series is starting to redeem itself for me a little bit, a very little bit. Rather than Juliet Langley just bungling about, getting involved in murders, she's now a trained investigator. Her first job doesn't go very well (the man she's been trailing claims she's attacked him rather than the mistress he just dumped) but she is starting to get the hang of it when Shane, one of the coffee shop's workers, asks her to investigate the death of his fiancee. She apparently died of a drug overdose but Shane claims she's been clean for years. So Juliet (and, of course, Pete) jump into the world of party planning, once again even going undercover to help solve the case.
I still wish we didn't have the love triangle... which may not actually be a love triangle? This will-they-won't-they is cute enough for the span of a book, but not more than that. And we're now six books into the series. This is what got me off of Joanna Fluke and this series is heading that way for me. At least Juliet was slightly less ditzy in this book.

Three stars
This book comes out April 25
Follows A Whole Latte Murder

Brew or Die is another great cosy mystery from Caroline Fardig. Once again we are in Nashville at the Java Jive that Juliet Langley manages and is owned by her bestie Pete. Juliet has become a Private Investigator and is excited about her first case. Meanwhile, Pete drags her into another case focusing on the murder/suicide of one of their friends. As always Juliet is always poking and prying and living over caffeinated to stay awake. Her undercover gig is cleaning at night. Her gig with Pete consists of going to fancy parties dressed like a bride and avoid being hit on. Meanwhile, her ex boyfriend is making noises about seeing and speaking with her and her present boyfriend is being suspicious.

I love the stories that Caroline Fardig comes up with! They are always interesting and rarely a straight line from murder to murderer. Juliet and her group of friends are fun and funny. This is the fourth book in the series and it has not lost it’s fun factor. Brew or Die - a fun cosy mystery.

This was an okay mystery with good characters for the most part. It's just odd that the police listen to a newly minted PI concerning big cases and give her confidential info.

This was a good addition to the Java Jive Mystery series, but not the best in the series. I enjoyed the first three books more than this one.

It is book four in the series. Juliet has recently received her PI license and is working with a friend's agency. She also maintains her job managing the coffee shop. She has a steady boyfriend, Pete has a steady girlfriend. And then Ryder shows up. Cue the awkward love triangles. I get that Juliet still has feelings for Ryder, but after the way he behaved in previous books, I don't understand why she would want him anymore.

This book tries to solve two mysteries. Who killed Shane's fiancée and also, what shady things are going on at Wonder-Gen Fabrications. The Wonder-Gen case is for the PI agency, but the murder case is personal.

I felt like this book tried to cover too much ground. It would have been better if there was only one mystery to focus on. Keeping everybody straight, remembering which suspect belonged to which case, it all began to get a little complicated. Juliet's love life is a problem too. She is dating John, starting to have feelings again for Ryder, and still has an odd relationship with Pete. I think it is time for her to settle down with one guy.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book very much. It felt like reconnecting with old friends. By the end of the book, I was getting tired and ready to move on.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series, and this was the best one yet! I couldn't put it down, even sneaking a page here and there at work. This series is reminiscent of Janet Evanovich books; both authors make me laugh out loud. I highly recommend this book for excitement, entertainment, and suspense.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on April 22 at 00.00 am GMT+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Fun and exciting xD
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of Nashville music and crime – and investigative hotness – made for a fun setting.
Characters: I still so do love Juliet. The complicated maze of relationships, trials & errors was fascinating – a bit of a schadenfreude high, lol. Juliet felt like a more mature character, driven less by thoughtlessness emotional reactions (though fun in themselves), and more by common sense and reason. I loved how she kept her spunk but grew.
I will admit I’m starting to find Pete annoying, and that I really liked her and Ryder together again. Evil author was evil on that topic right at the end there, lol.
Plot: The mystery arcs were entertaining and fun. I loved the pace of events, how crazy-busy things got toward the end. The romance arc was angsty and juicy and complicated, just like I like it.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Juliet’s POV. Loved her voice and sense of humor.
Curb Appeal: Hooking blurb, kinna sucky cover but I love the series so it’s insta-buy material for sure.

I recommend Brew or Die to fans of spunky MCs who feel authentic, have real emotions, make mistakes, suffer the consequences, and make the whole ride super fun. And, I mean, the men – of all types – aren’t bad, either