Laughing at Murder is a Poor Choice
I really enjoyed last year’s Whiskey Business, the debut from Adrian Andover. And I wasn’t the only one since it has won both the Lefty and the Agatha for best first novel this year. I was hoping that the follow up, Pour Choices, would be just as good. Fortunately, it was.
The first book introduced us to Reece Parker, who has just opened Subplot, a literary themed speakeasy, in his hometown of Hope Mills, Pennsylvania. He’s trying new things to promote his business, and as this book opens, he and his team are preparing for their first comedy night. They’ve brought in up-and-coming comic Meghan Spencer. While there are a few awkward moments, overall, the evening appears to be a success.
The next morning, however, Reece’s best friend finds Meghan’s body floating in the nearby Delaware River. Not only does Reece want to make sure his friend doesn’t take the blame for the crime, but he is concerned his business will get a dark mark with another murder connected to it. But it seems like each person he interviews just adds to his confusion. Can he solve this murder?
The plot of this book is strong. I’m not kidding about all the confusion that Reece encounters as he tries to unravel this second murder. I was kept guessing since I was just as confused as Reece was. However, he does begin to unravel things, and when we reached the climax, everything made sense. And the climax has me turning pages as quickly as possible.
My favorite series are the ones that create a sense of community filled with characters we can’t wait to spend more time visiting. That’s already present with this series. In fact, I was a little surprised at just how much I felt it after just one book. We got to spend more time with all the supporting players we met in the first book, and I enjoyed getting to know them better. While the romantic subplot involving Reece’s potential love interest, Julian, wasn’t super surprising, I still enjoyed it.
And what reader wouldn’t love a literally themed speakeasy? The names of the drinks are fantastic. I like that we have non-alcoholic drinks as well. There are definitely a couple I’d like to try if Subplot were a real place.
Pour Choices is going to please all the Adrian Andover’s fans and win him some new ones. Grab your favorite beverage and prepare for a fun second mystery.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
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