One of the minor obstacles readers must overcome in this extremely enjoyable series is the pronunciation of "death." Death & the Redheaded Woman, Death & the Brewmaster's Widow, Death & the Gravedigger's Angel... all have the sounds of a regular mystery series until you discover that Death is the name of one of the main characters and it is pronounced "deeth" because he's named after Lord Peter Wimsey. That does take some getting used to, and once trained I still find myself pronouncing the word the Wimsey Way. But as I said, that is a very minor obstacle that doesn't take away from how good this series is.

The plot is downright Hitchcockian, and readers quickly realize that this isn't a matter of whodunit but how. On the surface, the plot may seem far-fetched, but in these days of trying to beat DNA tests and "Forensic Files," it fits right in. It's wonderfully twisted and bound to keep readers guessing. The only real quibble I had with it is Death putting himself and his compromised health into unnecessary danger.

However, this is not a plot-driven book. In addition to the author's lovely sense of humor, she's created the sort of people that character-driven readers (like myself) crave. I did miss the auction angle of the series, but at least the auction company's owners made a hilarious appearance or two. Wren is smart, funny, brave, and very caring. Death is a veteran who returned from war with ill health and a troubled mind. It's taking him time to recuperate, and he's taking it all in with a mix of good humor and exasperation. What is wonderful to watch unfold is the creation of his support system, people gathering around him who truly care for him and will help when needed. This is a man who has lost so much, and his journey adds an extra dimension to this series that raises it above the usual cozy mystery you read.

Whether you read for humor, twisty plots, or characters, you'll find all three in Loretta Ross's series. I urge you to give it a try-- at the beginning-- with Death & the Redheaded Woman. ( )

Randy , Deaths' younger brother, was a firefighter and allegedly died in a fire at a local brewery.

Death (pronounced "deeth") & Wren are going back to close his brother Randy's house & put the contents up for auction. When Randy's Capitan gives Death Randy's badge, which had fallen off before being called to the fatal fire, Death notices that the number on the badge that the Capitan has given him does not match the numbers on the badge & helmet that are among Randy's belongings.

Then there are are the photos of Randy in the local paper during a school visit & again the badge shows a different number than that of the badge Death has been given.

The man who owns the empty brewery where the fire was that claimed Randy turns out to be arson... he has become seriously ill and is kept secured & sedated in his bedroom by his current wife, who it turns out will inherit nothing if she is not married to him longer than any of his previous wives...

Oddly enough, he is a distant cousin of Death & Randy and has an uncanny resemblance to Randy

I found the premise of this book so off-the-wall & unbelievable that I had to mark it down 2 ★. Nothing about it rang true and I would have liked a different explanation for the discrepancy of the two badges. ( )

I just read an amazing book, y'all — Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow by Loretta Ross. Let me tell you a little about it.

Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow is the second book in the Auction Block Mystery series, following Book 1, Death & the Redheaded Woman. Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow is a fun, fast-paced, and very entertaining read. It is even better than the Five-Kitty Death & the Redheaded Woman (reviewed here)!

Everything I loved about Redheaded Woman is present in Brewmaster's Widow.

World-building:
• Author Loretta Ross continues to depict the fictional East Bledsoe Ferry, Missouri in a very believable manner.
• Even when the action moves to a real city — St Louis, Missouri — she creates the fictional Einstadt Brewery quite realistically, locating it near the real Lemp Brewery.

Characters:
• Main characters Wren and Death (pronounced "Deeth") continue to have great chemistry together, and are still great fun to read about.
• We don't see as much of the Keystones in Book 2, since so much of it takes place in St Louis, but the Keystone twins (Roy and Sam) make up for it by being even funnier.
• Author Loretta Ross has created a whole new cast of characters in the St Louis setting. These characters are lifelike and totally believable.

Now for some passages from Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow, as examples of Author Loretta Ross's superb writing:

Wren, asking Leona Keystone (Roy's wife) if she should go with Death to St Louis.

"But ... should I go? I mean, I want to be there to support him if he wants me, but I don't want him to feel I'm smothering him either." .... "So I don't want him to think that I don't trust him because I don't want him to think that he can't trust me, though I don't think that he thinks that and I don't want him to think that I don't want to be there if he needs me either." She sighed. "Am I overthinking this?"

"I think you might be," Leona said, amused, "but when you figure it out you just let me know."

Death and Wren, standing by her man.

"You heard about what happened at the rifle range." It wasn't a question.

"It's a small town. " She didn't insult him by trying to deny it. "Cops are the world's worst gossips."

"Great. I'm the local freak now."

Wren smacked his arm. "Freak nothing. You publicly humiliated the most disliked person in a three-county area. Today, Batman wears Death Bogart pajamas."

A discussion between some Keystones (Rory, Leona, Roy, and Sam) and Death.

"Yesterday I was taking out a cart of groceries for these two ladies and they were having this conversation you would not believe. It was like I wasn't even standing there. I just wanted to run away screaming."

"Really?" Death asked innocently. "What were they talking about?"

Rory's ears turned red and he stammered. "Stuff," he managed finally.

"Stuff?"

"You know. Woman-ey stuff. Really graphic woman-ey stuff." His blush deepened as his peers and elders merely watched him expectantly. "One of them was having problems. You know."

"Woman-ey problems?"

"With her stuff," Leona nodded. "Her woman-ey stuff."

"Her lady parts," Roy clarified.

Rory was aghast. "Grandpa!"

"What? You're shocked that I know about lady parts? Let me tell you something, son. If I didn't know about lady parts, half the people in this building wouldn't exist."

"Can we have a moment of silence," Sam said, "so that I can pray for salvation for my brother?"

"You can act like an old maid all you want," Roy said, "but you've had the occasional brush with lady parts yourself, and I can point out a dozen or more pieces of evidence without even turning my head."

"Perhaps. But I don't talk about it at the dinner table."

"Maybe I just know more to talk about."

"You do know about lady parts," Leona agreed placidly. She reached over and patted her husband's hand. "Just don't go imagining that you're an expert."

Wren and Death, as they are cleaning out Death's brother's house.

"What's the funniest thing you remember ever happening in this room?" Wren asked, pulling down dozens of cartoons that were plastered around the door into the kitchen.

"This room?" Death thought about it. "There was the time Uncle Biggers set his butt on fire."

I have other favorite passages, but they contain spoilers, so I'll stop with these. Have I convinced you yet? Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow is fantastic! I recommend it to all fans of cozy mysteries. There are laughs, wit, chuckles, twists, turns, thrills, suspense, snark, mystery, and romance. Wren's role in the book's climax is priceless.

I love Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow by Loretta Ross, and hereby declare it worthy of our highest rating of Five Stars!

Note: I received a complimentary copy of Death & the Brewmaster’s Widow in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Originally published on my blog at Jane Reads.
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Dollycas’s Thoughts

The first book in this series made my Best Reads of 2015 list. I couldn’t wait for this book to be released because we were given a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the last one.

Wren Morgan and Death (Dee-th) “it’s a family name” Bogart are in St. Louis to wrap up affairs after Death’s brother is killed in an arson fire. But there is a mystery surrounding his death because he was found wearing a badge with the wrong number. His correct badge had a broken clasp and was left back at the fire station. Could this badge mix up have something to do with the fire? Wren and Death take us deep into The Brewmaster’s Widow and her secrets to find out.

I am going to say this up front. This book can be read as a stand alone but you really need to read Death and the Redheaded Woman to get to know this amazing couple. Wren Morgan is an assistant auctioneer and Death is a a private eye/bounty hunter. They meet and their relationship just grows and grows. He is a vet with not only PTSD, but physical disabilities too. Her life hasn’t been easy and she needs someone to lean on. They are just better together. These character are written so beautifully.

In this story Death’s brother Randy died while Death was still deployed. Randy thought Death had been killed in the war. As Death tries to wrap up Randy’s life there seem to be more questions than answers. Before Death can move on he needs to know why his didn’t get out of that building alive. He and Wren go to great lengths to find the answers.

I read this book quickly in an afternoon. I had a little suspicion about where we were headed but it was a wild ride to get there. I am so impressed with this author’s writing. She builds the story with intrigue, romance, and humor in a way that deflects your mind from everything around you and holds your attention fully. Both my dad and my husband were firefighters. I lived the fear of someone getting hurt at a scene. Dying at one would be unfathomable. Randy’s death effected not only his brother, but his chief, his fellow firefighters and so many others that knew him. Ross wrote this in an a way that we knew what everyone was feeling but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story as a whole. All her characters and their reactions and demeanor in the story were very believable.

The setting in the old brewery was so interesting. I enjoyed learning the history of the structure closed down at the start of prohibition in the 1920’s. It was quite a place. A perfect place for a mystery.

I love where Loretta Ross has taken us and these characters, and the little teaser she gave us at the end of this story tells us we are headed on another mysterious adventure soon. Just like the last time, I can’t wait!

Just a little spoiler alert – We finally learn Death D. Bogart’s middle name and it’s a doozy. ( )

http://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2016/01/death-and-brewmasters-widow-auction.htm... ( )