I love a good cozy mystery and when it is part of a good series, I love it even more. Now of course, I didn't pay attention to the fact that this is the 4th book in the Java Jive series however, it was ok to read this and not the others . Usually cozy mysteries, give you the background info from the first books so that you are not lost.

I love Juliet's character and the mystery of this story was great. It was captivating and had the humor and lightheartedness that make for a good cozy mystery. I am absolutely going to go back and read the first 3 books and I will be keeping up with this series.

Juliet and the crew are back. Juliet has gotten her PI license and is investigating a case that isn't supposed to put her in any danger. Also, one of the baristas fiancée died of an overdose, but he knows that she would not take drugs. So, Pete and Juliet decide to investigate her death. Now she is working her regular job and investigating two cases. Her love life takes a hit, again, and Ryder is back in her life. How is she going to juggle all of this and keep her sanity?

the next book in the series of the readhead inwestigater. It was interesting und fun to read.

This series continues as it becomes more like a soap opera. All the regular characters are back doing all the things they typically do. The characters are unique, likeable and enjoyable, This would not be a good book to read if you have read none of the others in this series. The interactions and results are much more understandable if you know the backstories. A change has fallen over the series as we only get to see the red-headed she devil once, and Ryder has turned into Doctor Phil. The changes enable a whole different series of interactions between Juliet and Ryder, and they are sustained to the end. The writing is light and bright, and the book is an entertaining and easy read.

# I was given a free copy (ARC) of this book and am providing an honest review. This book was well written. This is the second book by this author that I have read.. This book does not need to be read in order of the series to enjoy the plot and characters. Who knew that that the party business had such turmoil? Fardig has a way of relating everyday relationship problem not seem trite. I do like how it’s not always happily ever after but there is hope. Looking forward to the next installment.

Brew or Die by Caroline Fardig is a book that I wanted to like more than I did. It’s the fourth in a series that features Juliet Langley, as well as her friend Pete and a host of other characters. This book, like its predecessors is an enjoyable read but not a deep read. It also seemed to be a bit all over the place.

As the book begins, Juliet has just received her Private Investigator’s license and is working her first case. This is fine except I couldn’t quite figure out how she could successfully manage Java Jive, her primary job, while working long nights as an investigator. On top of this, she is helping Pete, her best friend since college, get to the bottom of an employee’s fiancé’s death. I liked the resolution of one mystery but found the resolution of the second a bit abrupt. I find Juliet’s love life a bit tiresome. Her “not quite romantic” relationship with Pete, as well as her relationships with two police officers just seem a bit too much. I would love for the series to move forward and for Juliet and Pete to give up the pretense of being just friends and actually explore the attraction between them. This attraction is acknowledged by both but not acted on for fear of screwing up their friendship. That said, sometimes Pete didn’t act much like a best friend. 

I enjoy this series and enjoyed this book. This book, like the others, should be read for enjoyment but not necessarily realism. I am interested in seeing where the next book will take Juliet and what her next adventures will be. I recommend this book to those who enjoy cozy mysteries with some humor. 

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Alibi in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Juliet gets her PI licence and starts investigating a murder, the girlfriend of a Java Jive employee has had a suspicious overdose and Juliet and Pete team up to try get some answers for Shane. Meanwhile Juliet and Ryder are having some very heated arguments as they work through their love hate relationship. As usual, many twists and turns will keep you guessing in another great Java Jive mystery.

I think it's safe to say that I am hooked on this little mystery series. This is the 4th installment in the series and each one allows my fondness for it to grow. And it's not because it's this thriller mystery series. It's the characters. I am a huge fan of Juliet and her best friend Pete. Throughout the series, their desire to solve mysteries (aka murders) has blossomed from wrong place, wrong time into full-fledged PI licensing and I love it.

I hope there are more to come because I need to know what's going to happen next in Juliet's love life.

As I mentioned on my previous reviews, A JAVA JIVE MYSTERY is one of my favorite cozy mystery stories. Caroline Fardig takes us on this amazing adventure with our favorite redhead, Juliet Langley. BREW OR DIE is a ride of mystery, humor, suspense that will keep you guessing who the guilty ones are since the first dead body found.

In this book Juliet Langley (aka Jules) has accepted her friend Maya’s invitation to join her as a Private Investigator. Now with her PI certificate, she will be able to do some sleuth officially. But as we know, Jules gets involved in some weird and funny situations, so it’s not out of the ordinary for her to find herself, on her first assignment, with someone was getting stabbed. On her second assignment, she has to investigate some company, about the income of their money, some illegal transactions, and if it wasn’t enough for her, Shane who works for her at “Java Jive”, asked her and Pete to help her solve her fiancee’s murder, so Pete & Jules are back to doing some sleuthing in order to help Shane. Both will have adventures and will risk their lives more than once. So she won’t have too much time, between her job at Java Jive, her PI job and helping Pete to find who murdered Shane’s fiancee, she barely has time to sleep some hours.

About the characters, Jules is now dating John Stafford, the police ‘cold case investigator’, who is good to her, but there is no fire there. It’s lacking “tut spark”. If you compare her relationship to the one she had with her ex, Ryder Hamilton, (who is now back to ask for forgiveness), it is lacking in all aspects. She knows it but she still thinks he is good for her. Pete is dating Brooke, who was a victim in A WHOLE LATTE MURDER (3rd book of the series) and he also has some doubts about his relationship. After all what happens during their investigation, Pete and Jules will question their love life and they will have to decide if they continue with their current partners, or stay single.

I think this is the last book of the series because it has an epilogue, that didn’t happen before. I enjoyed this novel very much, but I’m not that happy with the ending. It’s not a bad one per say, but I would have wanted more for Jules, she deserves more because I love her character. Overall, this was a very fun series. I would recommend it but you have to start with the first book: DEATH BEFORE DECAF and read them in order.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I really like this series. It has mystery, humor, and a heroine who is having a really tough time with her love life. All elements that I find really make this series work. It is strongly recommended that you read the books in order for the full story.

Juliet Langley is finally getting her life back together after being injured and then left by boyfriend Ryder Hamilton, MNPD Detective, as he chased after a murderer. She hasn't heard from him for over 3 months and is moving on. Her new boyfriend is John Stafford, who was her Knight in Shining Armor from that terrible night. John is with MNPD too, but works cold/missing persons cases. Juliet is also a newly minted PI and working for Maya Huxley, her new employer and trainer. Pete Bennett, Juliet's best friend since college and owner of Java Jive, is not at all happy about Juliet now being somewhat legal with all the crazy things she gets dragged into.

Now that Juliet is an official PI, Maya is handing her a case to work. Gentry, a partner in the company Wonder-Gen Fabrications, suspects his partner of something underhanded and wants to find out what is going on in his company. Juliet crosses paths with Ryder on surveillance and learns some things that make her question her own judgment.

Juliet and Pete also start their own investigation into the death of Josie, the fiancée of Java-Jive cook Shane. She died of a heroin OD, but no one has ever seen her so much as take a drink. This investigation leads them to her place of employment, Leonidas Luxury Events, and some really nasty people.

I don't remember ever reading this author before, but I enjoyed the story immensely. There appears to be books prior to this one, but I was easily able to figure out the characters and their relationships. Juliet is fun. She is a stereotypical red-head. She has just gotten her PI license. There is tension between Juliet and her ex-boyfriend Ryder, her new boyfriend, John, and he best friend Pete. There are two "cases". These cases involve, all 3 men in her life. It is a nice escape story.

I absolutely loved this book . It was a fast read for me. I fell in love with the characters in the book and ended up buying the rest of the series. I highly recommend the book.

Juliet Langley is the manager of her best friend's coffeehouse, Java Jive. In the past she has come across bodies and mysteries with alarming frequency. After a surprisingly successful sleuthing history, Juliet has joined forces with a PI friend and finally has her PI license. Running herself ragged between the coffeehouse and late night PI jobs, she still has time to fit a little romance in her life with John Sherman, policeman on the local force.

Juliet manages to get herself nearly arrested on her first solo PI job. After filming a stabbing of a straying husband by his girlfriend, she goes to assist the victim and he tells police that she is the one who stabbed him. What a way to start your career! From there she has another case of industrial smuggling that takes a lot of time, and throws her together with former boyfriend Ryder Hamilton. They have been a volatile couple in past books, but Ryder has changed and they become friends.

If that weren't enough (adding in running the coffeehouse) one of the employees at Java Jive gets the news that his fiance has died-an OD on heroin. Convinced she was murdered, he gets Juliet and Pete (her best friend who is the coffeehouse owner) to investigate. Undercover as a bride and groom at a Bridal expo, they investigate the company where the fiancee worked, finding more suspicions than answers.

The author has done a wonderful job at keeping the threads of the different stories separate as well as weaving in details from past books as needed. There wasn't a paragraph that was dull or that didn't push the story forward. So much happened that it was hard to believe I wasn't reading a 500 page book! Furthermore, there were twists and turns that left me surprised at the conclusions of all the different story lines.

The series is best when read in order, although the author does a great job of keeping you informed about past details. You will enjoy this book even more however, if you have read the previous books.

Brew Or Die
A Java Jive Mystery
Caroline Fardig
5+ Stars

Synopsis:

Nashville’s perkiest private eye—coffeehouse manager Juliet Langley—goes undercover in the party-planning industry to solve a suspicious death in this thrilling cozy mystery from USA Today bestselling author Caroline Fardig.

Inspired by her past sleuthing successes, Juliet Langley has officially joined the ranks of Nashville’s licensed private investigators. Her best friend, Pete Bennett, doesn’t worry that her detective work might interfere with her full-time job running his coffeehouse, Java Jive. He just wishes she would spend her free time rejoining the local music scene instead of tailing cheating spouses. But when one of Java Jive’s baristas, Shane, asks Juliet to look into the suspicious death of his fiancée, Pete encourages her to plow full steam ahead.

Since his fiancée died on the job, Shane suspects that her party-planning colleagues are up to something criminal—and will do anything to keep it quiet. After Juliet recruits Pete to go undercover with her at a wedding showcase, she discovers that white lace and black satin have a way of hiding big, fat secrets.

If that weren’t enough to fill her plate, her latest P.I. job has her crossing paths with her ex, Detective Ryder Hamilton. They’re barely on speaking terms, but to solve the case, they might have to cooperate. No matter where Juliet goes, she’s brewing up trouble.

Don’t miss any of Caroline Fardig’s thrilling Java Jive mysteries:
DEATH BEFORE DECAF | MUG SHOT | A WHOLE LATTE MURDER | BREW OR DIE (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. I absolutely love Juliet. She is feisty, nosy, opinionated, loyal and funny. She has a temper but she is trying very hold to control it. She is not very lucky in the romance department but she does have her best friend, Pete. Their relationship and interactions are so funny to read about. The things she says (and thinks) had me laughing out loud while I was reading the book.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there, watching the action take place and listening in on many conversations. This book is a bit more edgier and meatier than most of the cozies that I read, and I think that is why I loved this book so much.

The mystery is carried on well throughout the entire book. There are a few different cases that the newly appointed PI, Julia, is involved in. There were enough suspects, twists and turns and red herrings thrown in throughout the story that made it nearly impossible to solve. I really did not figure everything out until all was revealed at the end. The book was very well plotted and I enjoyed the way the story lines were cleverly woven together.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy that has a little bit more substance to it. I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to spend more time with Juliet and Pete. If I could, I would give this book more than 5 stars, that is how much I loved it.

I received a free copy of this excellent book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Alibi for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is now the third one of this series I have read. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first two. Juliet Langley manages a coffehouse in Nashville for her best friend Pete. She seems to be always stumbling into some sort of big crime and tries to solve it. This frustrates the local police. She ends up dating several of them, while trying to convince herself that Pete really isn't the one.

This is another one of these crimes. Juliet decides to get a real private investigator's license and maybe get her fill that way. She finds herself in the middle of another big deal and has to count on the police to help her out.

There are language issues and Juliet seems to like to sleep with cops.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Since Juliet is going to do her own investigations anyway, she may as well make it official and get her P.I. license. I liked that Juliet and Pete weren't batting their eyelashes at each other through this book. And I definitely liked that Juliet's investigation's seemed plausible now. Also it was nice to not have to read about the nastiness of coworkers towards Juliet constantly. Great ending, can't wait to see how it plays out.

uliet Langley is officially one of Nashville’s licensed private investigators. Her best friend, Pete Bennett, isn't worried that it will interfere with her job at Java Jive, he's concerned about the amount of trouble she will find. In addition, he would like her to re enter the local music scene.

However, one of Java Jive’s baristas, Shane, asks Juliet to look into the suspicious death, when she died on the job. He thinks that her party-planning colleagues are up to something criminal—and will do anything to keep it quiet.

In addition, Juliet will need to bridge her differences with her ex. Dective Ryder Hamilton. Now what happens?

Book Review plus 4.2

I will be honest, I didn't like the fact that Juliet got her P.I. license. I liked her status as a coffee store manager. My opinion. The story did work, it kind of brought together elements that I was glad to see occurr, but I wishe Ryder had another police job. Yet, Yet, Yet . . . I liked the story and worked well!

I'm a cozy mystery fan, I won't deny it, and so when I was given the chance to read this book, I took it willingly. I know I should have waited until I'd read the first three books in the series, but I really wanted to give it a read. A part of me wishes that I had waited, because I would have had a better grasp on the characters, their history and their dynamics, but it still read well for someone who wasn't completely familiar with all the backstory.

Well thought out characters and plot made me enjoy reading this book all the more, I do think that Juilet and Pete will end up together (unless they already dated in the past, but I don't think they have, given the lack of mention about it in the book), because they seem to be such a good fit for a couple. I loved the fact that Juilet was not only a coffee shop owner, but a PI as well. It's a different aspect to the cozy mystery genre, as most of the characters I've met in my reading history don't tend to have a license, and do this thing without any authority.

It made a change to my usual, magick and paranormal based cozy mysteries, and it was a pleasant change. There were times that I felt that the book leaned more towards a romance novel, rather than a mystery, though, which is something to think about if you're expecting more mystery than anything else. will be going to back to read the previous books, so I can really get to grips with the characters, and where they started from, and watch them progress.

This is the 4th book In The Java Jive Series by Caroline Fardig. I received this book from publisher Alibi to read and review for free. This book by far is my favorite book. I love that Juliet is finally going after her dreams and not letting the roadblocks in her life slow her down. In this book you can see her become more grounded and acting more grownup and not letting the crazy side of her out very much. I love how all the humor in this book to keep you going. I was interested to see that Ryder was back in this book and was shocked on how this book ended. But also excited that we can get number 5 in this series. I was excited with Juliet and her girl power and that learning while having a man can be nice, that she herself is strong enough to do anything that she sets her mind to. And poor Pete he knows how to pick them at the worst time. I would be excited in the future to see more detective work from both Juliet and Pete. I cant wait to see how the PI business goes with Maya after how this book ended, its going to be great. This is a must read for any book reader and also this series!