“Ja.” Otto blew me a kiss. “Go. We will be here when you’re ready.”
I left my dinner untouched and my stein nearly full. The twinkle lights blurred together as I stepped out into the cold. Any relief from hearing Otto and Ursula’s side of their story was lost in light of Marianne’s letter. Who was she? Why had she been watching me? Why had she never made contact?
Questions swirled through my head like the tiny snowflakes erupting from the dark night sky. I wasn’t going to be able to answer any of the questions tonight. I wasn’t even going to try. My plan was simple—for the first time ever, I had a starting point. I had an address. Marianne might have lived in the shadows, but that was about to change. Tomorrow my search for answers would begin in earnest, and I had no intention of stopping until I learned the truth.
ALSO BY ELLIE ALEXANDER
THE SLOAN KRAUSE MYSTERIES
Death on Tap
The Pint of No Return
Beyond a Reasonable Stout
THE BAKESHOP MYSTERIES
Meet Your Baker
A Batter of Life and Death
On Thin Icing
Caught Bread Handed
Fudge and Jury
A Crime of Passion Fruit
Another One Bites the Crust
Till Death Do Us Tart
Live and Let Pie
A Cup of Holiday Fear
Nothing Bundt Trouble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELLIE ALEXANDER is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of “research.” She is also the author of the Bakeshop Mysteries, which began with Meet Your Baker. Find her on Facebook to learn more!.
Visit her online at facebook.com/elliealexanderauthor, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Also by Ellie Alexander
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
WITHOUT A BREW. Copyright © 2020 by Kate Dyer-Seeley. All rights reserved. For information, address Minotaur Books, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by Rowen Davis and David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher/Bernstein & Andriuli; beer icons © rtguest/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Alexander, Ellie, author.
Title: Without a brew / Ellie Alexander.
Description: First edition. | New York : Minotaur Books, 2020. | Series: A Sloan Krause mystery ; 4
Identifiers: LCCN 2020021892 | ISBN 9781250205773 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250205780 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3601.L353755 W58 2020 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020021892
eISBN 9781250205780
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First Edition: 2020