Beyond a Reasonable Stout

It was a successful Oktoberfest for Leavenworth, WA, the tourist town dependent on the local breweries, pubs, and German village appearance. Election season doesn’t look fun, though, because Kristopher Cooper, the incumbent city councilman, is running on a temperance platform. Brewer Sloan Krause and Garrett, owners of Nitro, a small brewery, attend the town meeting, where a number of people argue with Kristopher. But who hated him enough to kill him? When April Ablin, self-proclaimed ambassador for the town, is arrested, the sheriff suggests to Sloan that April needs help and advice. Although she’s tangled up in a relationship with her soon-to-be ex and still looking for answers to the mystery of her parentage, Sloan steps in to help April, knowing a reputation for murder won’t help the town.