Florida, friendship, ex-librarian, cozy-mystery, small-business, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, competition, inheritance, firefighters, law-enforcement, lawyers*****

Unputdownable whether you've read the earlier ones or not!
Earlier: When her best friend died in Afghanistan, recently let go (budget cuts) Chicago children's librarian Chloe got herself down to the Florida panhandle upon inheriting house, boat, and a share of the Sea Glass Saloon from her best friend. In the course of other recent investigations, she met and fell in love with Rip, a former criminal defense lawyer now a volunteer firefighter and small business owner.
Now, Chloe gets coerced into representing the Sea Glass in a very physical competition known as the Barback Games and in the course of preparing for it... Well, the publisher's blurb gives a good hook, so there's no need to recap, and spoilers are just wrong! Loved it!
I was happy to get this ARC because I really loved the first three books in the series, so I can't really say this is an unbiased review. I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I tried a few times to get into this book and just couldn't. It just didn't grab me. Maybe I'll try again later.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read.

Chloe Jackson goes to work one morning and discovers that her boss, Vivi, and her coworker Joaquin have signed her up for the Barback Games. It's a competitive game, so much so that some of the other bars in the area have hired ringers -- professional athletes -- for the competition. This doesn't sit well with Vivi, and she wants Chloe to go undercover and check them out. But instead one of them, Enrique, seems to be checking out Chloe.

Once the three she's been visiting discover who she is, they come to the Sea Glass to confront her. But her friend Ann Williams is there also -- and she recognizes Enrique from a long time ago when he assaulted her. Things don't look good for either of them, so Ann leaves. But later Ann asks Chloe if she'll come with her as support when she plans a dive to find an old shipwreck of her ancestor, pirate Jean Lafitte. Instead of finding sunken treasure, she finds a sunken body, and now both Chloe and Ann are persons of interest in death.

Trying not to make things worse for herself, she continues to help Ann on her personal quest and finds not only murder, but intrigue, suspicions, secrets, and break-ins along with adventure and excitement. Wanting to stay above the law, but caught in the web of Ann's life, she wants to be part of this exploration also.

Then there's also the fact that she's falling for Rip, and hard. Does she tell him or allow things to go as slow as they have been? Not wanting to keep her involvement in the shipwreck from him, but not wanting to break a promise to Ann has her warring with herself. Which one will win out in the end? And will she finally be charged in the murder?...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I have read them all. This just might be the best one of the group. I was as drawn to the action as Chloe was herself. Watching her try to juggle her relationship, her involvement in the Barback Games and the lure of the excitement of finding a pirate ship was enough in itself, but the murder only added to it. She's determined to find the killer, because if she doesn't, she could be sent away for complicity in the crime.

There's so much going on, but it's all easy enough to keep straight; nothing overlaps so much that you can't follow the action. And there's plenty of that. My favorite, of course, would be looking for the pirate ship (who wouldn't want to?) but we must solve the murder first. Who would want to kill this person? It turns out that plenty of people would. Their past seemed to follow them, and they left unhappy people behind (I will say no more as to not spoil the book for others as to whom the dead person might be).

We learn slightly more about Ann in this book, and I have always found her an intriguing character, so of course I was interested; but not enough to give us everything, leaving her with her secrets. This is as it should be.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's both sad and understandable; while there is no excuse for killing, sometimes we need to think things out. And yet -- the ending gives us something very good to look forward to, and makes us want to read the next in the series now. If you haven't read this series before, you can start with this book, but it would be better if you read the first in the series, From Beer To Eternity. Highly recommended.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

An enjoyable series. Chloe Jackson this time is participating in the Florida Panhandle Barback Games. When she finds another contestant dead in the water, Chloe and her friend Anne become persons of interest. They must find the killer. Great characters that are well developed, strong story plot and lots of red herrings make for a great read! Thanks #netgalley and #Keningston for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Rum and Choke is the 4th book in the A Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mystery series and they continue to be very enjoyable. Chloe is co-owner of the Sea Glass Saloon, a tiki bar in FL along with Vivi and Joaquin. In this book, Chloe is talked into competing in the Barback Competition which involves an obstacle course, rolling a keg uphill, and other bar-related activities. One of the other competitors ends up dead. Chloe is helping Ann with a "project" which is interesting and we learn quite a bit about Ann and her friend Dex. The cozy mystery is good and not complex. Chloe is dating Rip. He really only has a small part in the story but he is supportive and their relationship is growing. Vivi and Joaquin are great supporting characters and Ann definitely has a big role. This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery and it was hard to put down! #RumAndCoke #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks

A pretty good mystery. I enjoyed the story
Thank you to Sherry Harris, NetGalley and Kensington Books for the arc of this book.

In every good series there is at least one pivotal book that opens up new worlds, experiences, and opportunities for the main character based on but beyond the foundation laid in the preceding books. Rum and Choke is just such a book for Chloe Jackson. Chloe is a wonderful character. She is intelligent, brave, loyal, and kind, with just the right balance of spunk and vulnerability to keep her interesting. After moving from the big city to a small beach town in Florida, inheriting a beach house and part of a saloon, learning to bartend, sticking her toe into the relationship pool again, and meeting a number of new and quite eclectic characters, Chloe has settled into her new life. But wait. There's more. In Rum and Choke, Chloe steps way outside her new comfort zone in all aspects of her life: work, friendship, and love. First, there is the competition that Vivi and Joaquin spring on her, and what's this about ringers and Wonder Woman? Then, there is what begins as a seemingly harmless treasure hunt. Finally, how is Rip going to respond to Chloe's new adventures? As they say, buckle up, it could be a rough ride - but only in the best sense, of course. This is a cozy.

I received a copy of this book from #Netgalley for an honest review.

Chloe Jackson’s helpful midwestern personality gets sees her agreeing to participate in an annual bar back contest and helping Ann Williams with a personal matter. One has her training and the other lands her on the suspect for a murder.

Spending her early mornings helping Ann, her days working in the bar, and the rest of her time sleuthing and trying to spend time with Rip, she’s not getting much rest. With a killer loose Chloe can’t afford to let her guard down. Can she trust Ann, or did she set things up to make herself look innocent? Did someone set Ann up? Chloe just isn’t seeing things clearly. Will she be able to make everyone happy or did she just set herself up for prison?

Sherry Harris has yet another hit on her hands. between this and her Sarah Winston series, I cannot get enough! She contrives the best whodunits, sprinkles in likable characters, adds plenty of red herrings, and then sets it all in a great location. What’s not to love?

I have been enjoying this series from the beginning. This one has Chloe drawn into a bar contest. Then there is a dead body that has a old connection to Ann. Chloe finds herself helping Ann and along the way becomes embroiled in the investigation. I enjoy the characters. This book brought in much more of Ann that we had not seen before, which was great. The others took more of a back seat within the story. Chloe has a proactive role in the investigation but I am not sure that I quite buy into how she came to discover the culprit. It seemed a bit convenient. It was an enjoyable read.

This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series, and this latest book did not disappoint at all.
Vivi and Joaquin have volunteered Chloe to enter the annual Bar Back competition While checking out her fellow competitors, Chloe is introduced to Enrique, who seems a bit full of himself and his charm. Meanwhile Ann has enlisted Chloes help in searching for a hidden treasure from a map that has been in her family. While the two are off hunting, they discover Enrique’s body. Soon the suspect list is piling up and Chloe is determined to uncover the true killer
Love these characters, they seem like old friends. The plot flows smoothly and enjoyably from scene to scene. There is never a dull moment in this series! Now I can’t wait until the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know what makes me like this series so much, but I raced through this one. Thought it may have been a short novel, but it says 320 pages.

I will say that I thought several elements weren't as developed as they could have been including the contest, whodunnit and the surprising thing Chloe finds. I think the last may be explored in the next book. I still enjoyed the read and didn't dwell on these elements after I finished.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Not content to have trouble find her, Chloe Jackson decides to actively court trouble by hanging out with Ann Williams, the local "fixer" and a descendent of pirates, when she should be training for the annual barback games. This outing of the Sea Glass Saloon mystery finds Chloe juggling her search for hidden treasure with Ann, trying to get the scoop on the ringers in the barback competition, all while nurturing her romance with Rip and trying to hire staff for the bar. Sherry Harris balances all of these elements and provides a fun read that evokes the beach atmosphere. You can almost hear the waves and smell the salt! Great fun and not to be missed.

Thanks to Kensington for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Kensington Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Sherry Harris has another successful cozy mystery with Rum and Choke.

Chloe Jackson gets roped into competing in the Florida Panhandle Barback Games competition for the Sea Glass Saloon, only to discover she will have to face Wonder Woman and two burly men. All three are ringers brought in by there bars, but Chloe is determined to train and win. When she and Ann are on the water searching for lost treasure, they discover one of the contestants dead in the water. Deputy Biffle makes Chloe and Ann persons of interest as he investigates. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Chloe searches for clues to the murder as well as the shipwreck. Another outstanding addition to this series.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are great and the story is interesting. I was surprised and a little sad when the killer is revealed. #RumandChoke #NetGalley