Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Sloane Krause is one step closer to solving the mystery of her past while solving the mystery of the murdered maid, and all while making some rather tasty beer related treats. In this story, which is a stand-alone, with plenty of back story to keep you from being lost, Sloan learns that as one door closes, another one opens. I love how this Bavarian getaway is the picture perfect cozy town complete with caring neighbors and slightly kooky yet endearing characters. The story kept pace and the suspects were many. A perfect pairing, much like Sloane’s beer inspired baking/cooking, and yes, I did in fact find a beer-nana bread recipe and proceeded to make it using a Hofbrau Dunkel beer in honor of Octoberfest.

This is book 5 in the Sloan Krause cozy series and it's a fun read that can be enjoyed without reading the previous books. Sloan and friends are getting ready to celebrate spring in Washington state with the Maifest festival that brings in lots of tourists. The brewery has prepared a special Lemon Kiss beer for the celebration. Sloan's past seems to be catching up when she thinks she see's her dead mother's sister in town. When her son is kidnapped she is sure it has to do with her Mom and sister. A good cozy with great characters. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story was incredible and fun to read. It is well written and quite intriguing. The characters were very likable. I loved following the trail of clues. It was quite clever the way the story unfolded. It is a fast paced mystery I spent a fun filled day reading the stories. I recommend this book.

As much as I love this series, it was a relief to see an end to the storyline with Sloan's mysterious parentage. The setting and small town characters were still wonderful though!

The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander is the 5th book in A Sloan Krause Mystery series, and one again it was great. I love all of Ms. Alexander books and series, and this one is no exception. Bavarian village is in Leavenworth, Washington, and the town is busy getting ready for spring Maifest. I love how Sloan and Garrett come up with their craft brews, which is very interesting to me. For Spring they made Lemon Kiss ale and are ready for the Maifest. This book gives us more insight on Sloan's childhood. A women named Marianne shows up warning her of great danger, telling Sloan she is her aunt. When a women gets murdered in Marianne hotel room, Sloan is on the case to figure out the truth. Can't wait to read the next book in the series. I strongly recommend this book/series. Please keep them coming Ms. Alexander.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Cure for What Ales You is the fifth book in author Ellie Alexander’s Sloan Krause mystery series. Spring is just around the corner as the residents of Leavenworth, Washington, prepare for the annual Maifest celebration. As Sloan busily prepares for the festival she is also consumed by her thoughts of trying to piece together her past, the time before being placed in the foster system when she was quite young. She begins seeing a lady who looks remarkably like Marianne, who is thought to have played a big role in that time period. She questions her own sanity, but that is not what she needs to question.

When Marianne does present herself to Sloan it is because she is tied up in the murder of a housekeeper in the hotel where she is staying. She is warning Sloan that she and her loved ones are in great danger from the mystery man known only as Forest. When Police Chief Meyers is brought into the fray and Marianne begins to open up, the mystery takes on greater depth and unfolds in unexpected ways.

This is simply another great installment in a well woven mystery series. With engaging characters and a beautiful alpine setting, Ms. Alexander has penned a wonderful story with so many clues to follow. I very much enjoyed this book and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Welcome to Maifest in Leavenworth, Washington! I adore this series and everything about it. Sloan Krause is one of my favorite protagonists. She's a mom, a soon to be ex-wife and she brews beer at Nitro. She's also smart, tough, vulnerable and fiercely protective of family and friends. I loved the fact that in this book we finally get to resolve the mystery of Sloan's upbringing. Resolving her past is going to open her future! With a festival, a murder, and danger galore this is a highly entertaining book.

Sloan Krause is back and this time the action is very personal. The safety of her family is at stake due to something mysterious in her and her family’s past (which is gradually revealed here). It’s a pretty convoluted and unbelievable situation, in my opinion. This is the fifth book in the cozy mystery series and can be read as a standalone, as the author does a good job of filling in Sloan’s backstory. I appreciate the fact that Sloan doesn’t do really silly things that some amateur sleuths have been known to do. She does try to be careful when she’s trying to get information from someone, which befits a mature (40-year-old?) woman. She has a good relationship with the local police chief (a woman, yay!) and is not considered to be a loose cannon or anything of the sort. Sloan’s family and friends are delightful and the relationships seem realistic, including her evolving relationship with her ex-husband Mac. I hope what happens in this book means that any future books (if there are any - it seems almost like a series-ending end) will not have to deal with Sloan’s past any more.

Once again, the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, Washington is basically a character and the beer brewing process is front and center. The season has changed and Leavenworth is celebrating Maifest. I can recommend this book even if you are not a beer fan (I’m not). The descriptions of how they blend flavors and try different ingredients to come up with a new seasonal offering are very interesting. April, the woman who hypes the German heritage of the town to a ridiculous extent is good for comic relief.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the fifth book in the Sloan Krause mystery series by Ellie Alexander. Despite being part of the series, this book can easily be read as a standalone. This was an interesting spin on the cozy mystery, because although there was a murder, the bigger mystery is Sloan's parentage and backstory.

The characters that loyal readers love: Sloan, Kat, Hans and Garrett are all a part of the story, but the focus really is on Sloan's history as a foster child and her lack of familial connections until her Aunt Marianne shows up in Leavenworth, WA. Marriane seems a little deranged and very paranoid about a man who supposedly killed Sloan's mother and was coming for Sloan. This part of the story felt like it overshadowed the murder mystery aspect and I am not sure if I liked that or not.

Sloan discovers a threat to her son Alex as a result of this family drama and goes into Mama overdrive to keep him protected,. This includes finally breaking down her walls to "rally the troops" and bring in the community to support her. It was nice to see her finally begin to open up and expose herself to friendships and possibly relationships down the road.

The micro brewery aspect of the stories was interesting to me. I am not a beer drinker myself, but I found myself very interested in the process of beer making and the well-researched aspects of the brewery culture.

I did not like the ending of this story, I felt that it was a little rushed and was quite surprised to realize I was only a few pages from the end when I felt things needed resolved. All of that resolution happened in just a small portion of the story, and I felt that seemed forced.

I do enjoy the Sloan Krause mysteries and I hope there are more to come. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Another truly delightful story from Leavenworth, Washington! In The Cure for What Ales You, this fifth book in the Sloan Krause series, we find the town preparing for and celebrating Maifest. In this story, we get some serious traction with respect to Sloan’s past…and her future 🙂

Brief synopsis because I want to leave the juicy bits for the reader to discover. Maifest is in full swing in Leavenworth and as usual – Nitro has crafted a new brew – Lemon Kiss. Sure wish I could taste that…. but at least the descriptions are bountiful and detailed so that I can imagine the new brew. For the last while, Sloan has been trying to learn more about her childhood (prior to losing her mother and growing up in the foster care system). Sloan has little recollection of that time, but that has not stopped her from trying to recall any flash of memory that she can. She learns that Marianne (her aunt) had put her in the system to hide her (Marianne’s words), but she was now back trying to warn Sloan of imminent danger to her and her family:

“If I had kept you, he would have found us and killed us both.”

Well that is truly ominous. With Marianne back in town, Sloan attempts to learn all that she can about the “threat”. While Marianne is in town, there is a murder and it looks like Marianne might be a suspect. So sleuthing Sloan will try to solve the murder to learn the truth about her past as well as to clear (or confirm) Marianne of the suspicion of murder.

What I like most about The Cure for What Ales You is the storytelling surrounding the family and all of its twisted/unusual dynamics. We see how Sloan and Mac (her soon-to-be ex-husband) getting along, co-parenting and essentially co-existing in Leavenworth in this newly developing relationship as ex’s. Sloan maintaining her solid relationships with her in-laws (Otto and Ursula), protecting her only child and the growth (albeit growing only by centimeters it seems) of a more personal relationship between herself and Garrett. I am truly enjoying this slow progression.

There are also many questions regarding Sloan’s past that get resolution throughout this book. This does make me wonder where new intrigue will come from in the next (if there is a next) book in the series. I have to think there will be since I want to see if a more personal relationship develops between Sloan and Garrett.

The mystery surrounding the murder kept my interest as well as kept me guessing until the end trying to figure out whodunit – just the way I like my cozy mysteries? Do note that you can read this fifth installment of the Sloan Krause series as a stand-alone – but if you have the time – I would say reading from the start of the series would add to your understanding of the characters and the situations they find themselves in.

I can’t wait to revisit Leavenworth, when Ellie Alexander decides to write another installment of the Sloan Krause series. If you enjoy fulsome cozy mysteries involving a unique location, interesting characters and beer, then I suggest picking up The Cure for What Ales You and setting aside some time to really get immersed in all things Leavenworth, all its wonderfully fun German inspired celebrations and the interesting inhabitants of this Bavarian inspired town.

The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander is the 5th A Sloan Krause Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. It is spring in Leavenworth, Washington which means it is time for the Maifest Festival which includes booths, parade, costumes, food, and good brews. The author brings Leavenworth alive with her vivid descriptions of the city. I enjoyed reading about the charming Bavarian looking buildings, the food, the drinks, parade, and festival fun. This series is character driven. The characters are realistic and friendly. I like how they are there for each other and are a family. The main characters have grown and developed since Death on Tap. There are two mysteries in this book. A figure from Sloan’s past, Marianne surfaces. Sloan might finally get the answers she seeks about her birth parents. It seems danger has followed Marianne to town. A housekeeper at the local hotel ends up murdered in Marianne’s room. Marianne claims that Sloan and her family are in danger. Marianne behavior is a little frenetic and some of her actions make the book seem more like a suspense instead of a cozy mystery. I am glad that this storyline is finally wrapped up. I have not been a fan of it and the details were a little out there. I was disappointed with the resolution. The death of the housekeeper was a mystery more in keeping with a cozy. There are several suspects including Marianne. It is a straightforward whodunit which can be solved before the reveal. I could have done without Sloan repeating the list of suspects so often. The ending was warm with Sloan reflecting upon her future. Sloan and her son, Alex are lucky to have such close friends and the Kraus family. I liked learning more about the brewing process and what goes into creating unique brews. The final brew in the book was certainly different. The Cure for What Ales You is a gripping tale with crafty brews, a shadowy woman, terrifying threats, a miniscule costume, and a fun Maipole Festival.

I couldn't put it down. I love her books. I can't wait to read more.
I love reading about the character Sloan! I hope there will be more from this series. I feel like there can be more of it.

So often writers of cozies start to get stale after a few books. Ellie Alexander don’t know the meaning of the word stale, however, unless her main character, Sloan Krause, found an old beer someone left out overnight.

Sloan’s journey to discover her past is an emotional one, and she finally receives a few answers in this volume. Not as many as she would have liked, but she’s learning to live in the present and not dwell on the past. The murder in this book is almost a footnote compared to the dramatics that lead to Sloan’s new knowledge. Most importantly though, she’s learning to let down her guard and be happy.

This book is worth the read, and I look forward to Sloan’s next chapter.

Another fine installment in the Sloan Krause series.

Sloan Krause is a brewer at a nanobrewery in a small village, Leavenworth, in the Pacific Northwest. The small-town vibes are strong, and picturing scenes set in the village is part of the fun reading these. I also love that the author incorporates info on what's on tap!

While each book in this series has been a standalone, I do think my enjoyment has been increased by reading them in order. I've got a better grasp on the characters which makes me care more about what happens with them. And, in this particular book, a mysterious thread that's been carried through the previous ones (relating to Sloan's past) takes center stage when a woman claiming to be her aunt arrives in town. And a hotel employee is found dead in the room next to her aunt's.

The series begins with Sloan having recently separated from her husband. With the sixth book coming, I'm ready for a break from the murders and one focused on romance! Let her find new love!

This cozy mystery was a very quick read for me. I have not read any of the other books in the series, this is the fifth one but I don't feel like I've missed anything.
I am not a drinker but this was still a fun book for me to read. Well researched I learned about craft beers,wines and micro breweries.
Taking place in a cozy village there are some quirky characters here that keep you on your toes guessing . One character in particular, an eccentric woman I wasn't sure at first if she was to be trusted or not.
A unique pairing of beers and pastries with alcohol in them. I think I would enjoy reading previous books in this series to understand the family connections more though.
A charming and adventurous book!

Pub Date: 05 Oct 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The micro brewery aspect and the Bavaria town in the U.S. are both excellent elements of this series, but unfortunately the author has wandered down a deep hole. The plot thread to find Sloan's family has taken a tumble down the rabbit hole of unbelievability. At this point I don't care if she is related to the King of Greece, the addition of CIA operatives added nothing to the story and ruined a perfectly good series. I am finished with this series.

Sloan Krause is busy getting ready for Maifest, the spring festival that Leavenworth, Washington celebrates almost as hard as Oktoberfest. To get ready, she and Garrett, her brewing partner at the nanobrewery Nitro, are brewing their new Lemon Kiss beer, made with Lemondrop hops, and creating new delicacies for their menu. They have been working for weeks to get enough beer brewed for the big weekend, as they are anticipating more tourists than they’ve seen a long time.

The whole town is getting ready, decorating the storefronts and getting their lederhosen and dirndls prepped for the big parade. But as Sloan rests one night, an insistent knocking at her door forces her to wake up. A woman claiming to be her mother’s sister asks to be let in, saying that she and Sloan are in danger. Sloan isn’t sure how to react, but she decides to let the woman in. But she keeps her phone in her hand, just in case.

The woman explains that her name is Marianne, and she was the one who put Sloan into foster care when she was a child. Her sister, Sloan’s mother, had been murdered, and Marianne felt that it was the only way to keep Sloan safe. When Sloan tells her that she doesn’t understand why she wasn’t safe, Marianne explained that her mother had been killed by a very dangerous man named Forest and that Sloan had witnessed it.

Marianne goes on to say that a woman had been murdered in her hotel room, and she thinks it was Forest, thinking it was her. And now that Forest is in Leavenworth, Sloan isn’t safe, and neither is her family. Sloan isn’t sure what to believe, but she calls Police Chief Myers to find out if there really is a murdered woman in Marianne’s hotel room.

Chief Myers comes by Sloan’s house a little later and informs her that the housekeeper at the hotel, Sara, was killed in Marianne’s room. She assigns an officer to keep an eye on Sloan, just in case, and questions Marianne about what happened. Sloan still isn’t sure if she should believe Marianne or not, but she refuses to leave town or to hide.

The next day, they stop by the hotel, and Sloan gets a chance to talk to some of the other employees as well as to a guest. The more she learns about what’s been happening at the hotel, the more Sloan wonders if it really was Forest who killed the housekeeper, or if it was maybe someone closer to home. She realizes that if she can figure out who killed Sara, then Sloan can figure out if Marianne is paranoid or if she is justified in her fears for Sloan’s safety.

But the more Sloan learns, the closer she gets to danger. If the killer of Forest or not, they’re still a killer, and Sloan is asking dangerous questions. Will she get the answers she’s after, or will the killer make this Maifest Sloan’s last?

The Cure for What Ales You is the fifth in the Sloan Krouse mystery series. These cozies, set in a small town in Washington that mimics a Bavarian town, are filled with interesting characters, strong plots, and an insider’s view of brewing beer.

There are a couple of reasons I keep coming back to Ellie Alexander’s mysteries. First, they are consistently good. Like, really good. Every time. And the second thing I love is her sense of place. Getting a chance to visit Leavenworth once a year is like a vacation to a favorite small town. I feel like I can see the decorations as I walk down the street, smell the flowers, feel the energy of the crowd watching the Maifest parade, and I can almost taste the beers. I admit I’m not as big a fan of hops as Sloan is, but I would love a chance to try that Lemon Kiss, especially with that lemony trifle she brings out for the celebration.

Egalleys for The Cure for What Ales You were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

The Cure for What Ales You is book 5 in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series. Sloan is an expert brewer in Leavenworth, Washington, aka Beervaria. She balances her work at nanobrewery Nitro with part ownership of Der Keller, a successful microbrewery started by her former in-laws. Sloan has found family and community in Leavenworth, but she doesn't know much about her roots since she grew up in foster care. When the mysterious Marianne comes to town, she brings potential answers, but also plenty of trouble for Sloan to deal with.

Do I need to read the earlier books in the series?: Most cozies work well as standalones, so it's not essential. However, the first book in this series gives good background on Sloan and Nitro, so if you have time to read it, I'd recommend it.

Ellie Alexander is a great cozy mystery writer known for her interesting characters. I really liked that we got more of Sloan's backstory in this book. Seeing her and Garrett continue to build their professional relationship was nice as well - are these two headed for something more?! The Maifest made for a fun plotline and will certainly make you feel like heading to a Biergarten. I continue to be impressed by Alexander's research - I'm not really a beer drinker, but I find myself enjoying learning more about the subject in each book. I wish I could taste their seasonal beer featured in this book -Lemon Kiss!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Instagram and Goodreads 10/5/21.

The fifth book in the Sloan Krause series opens with preparation for the Spring Maifest in Leavenworth. Sloan and Garrett are working on a new microbrew with lots of citrus undertones for the festival. The mysterious Marianne shows up with a warning that Sloan and her family are in grave danger. The death of a housekeeper spurs Sloan to find the killer before something happens to her or her familhy.

I really enjoy this series even though I am not a beer drinker. The chemistry of brewing speaks to my nerdy heart. I think I would actually try the Lemon Kiss brew. It sounds excellent. I love the relationship that Sloan has with her former inlaws. I'm so glad they consider her a part of the family even though she and Mac have split. I applaud Sloan and the Krause family for finally talking about the past.

We learn more about Sloan's quest to find her birth mother and learn more about her past. I think Sloan is one of the strongest characters in cozy mysteries today.

The murder is almost an afterthought. More time is spent unraveling the web that Marianne has woven around Sloan's past. Involving her son makes Sloan even more determined to find answers.

The descriptions of Leavenworth always make me want to visit. The ever present April keeps everyone on their toes (and in lederhosen!), I feel at home when I step into this series.

I can't wait for the next book.. I highly recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.