A whip smart librarian’s fresh start comes with a tart twist in this perfect cocktail of murder and mystery—with a romance chaser. MURDER ON TAP With Chicago winters in the rearview mirror, Chloe Jackson is making good on a promise: help her late friend’s grandmother run the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle. To Chloe’s surprise, feisty Vivi Slidell isn’t the frail retiree Chloe … feisty Vivi Slidell isn’t the frail retiree Chloe expects. Nor is Emerald Cove. It’s less a sleepy fishing village than a panhandle hotspot overrun with land developers and tourists. But it’s a Sea Glass regular who’s mysteriously crossed the cranky Vivi. When their bitter argument comes to a head and he’s found dead behind the bar, guess who’s the number one suspect?
In trying to clear Vivi’s name, Chloe discovers the old woman isn’t the only one in Emerald Cove with secrets. Under the laidback attitude, sparkling white beaches, and small town ways something terrible is brewing. And the sure way a killer can keep those secrets bottled up is to finish off one murder with a double shot: aimed at Chloe and Vivi.
“A slam dunk . . . surprising twists and turns.”
—Kirkus Reviews on A Good Day to Buy
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Loved the characters, especially the difficult bar owner. An enjoyable read!!
I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t pick out the couplet.
What a great start to a new series! I love Harris’s fun characters. Chloe Jackson heads to Florida to keep a promise to a friend, and she encounters more than she ever expected. This page-turner will keep you guessing until the end.
Interesting and well-written cozy mystery. And the world-building was excellent without too much unnecessary information. The storyline was both intriguing and fun.
I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.
I also won a copy via a Goodreads giveaway.
From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris is a fabulous start to a new series. The characters and the setting are perfect.
Will Chloe keep her promise to Boone or die trying?
Chloe Jackson
Chloe is our main character and sleuth. She is in Emerald Cove to mourn her best friend and keep her promise to him. Chloe lives in Chicago and is a librarian in the children’s department there. But she made a promise and now finds herself in Florida, waitressing in a bar and sleeping in her car. Chloe questions why she is there, when Vivi (Boone’s grandmother), doesn’t even want her around. But none of that matters as Chloe is there for Vivi, and she can’t believe that Vivi would commit murder. So, Chloe is out to find the real culprit, so; she can return to her real life.
I like Chloe, she has heart, integrity, honor, loyalty, and she is stubborn, a little reckless and didn’t see what was right in front of her until it was too late. But she has plenty of time to figure all that out. Heck, she may even make a good bartender one day.
The Mystery
Vivi is accused of killing Elwell, with her knife and leaving him in the dumpster area behind her bar. First off, that is preposterous. Who would be that dumb? But there seems to be more going on than just Elwell’s murder. Chloe starts asking questions, and now someone is after her too. With the help of her new friends, she figures out some of what is going on. But is it enough to save Vivi and herself? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
Five Stars
I was excited when I first read about this book, and it didn’t disappoint. Chloe is funny and is willing to do what has to be done to get the job done. The characters are well developed, and the setting is beautiful. The author’s descriptions paint a brilliant picture. My rating for From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris is five stars. I loved it and recommended this book to all you cozy readers out there.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I am so excited about Sherry Harris’s new series. Don’t worry, there is a new Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery coming in December.
In From Beer to Eternity, we meet Chloe Jackson, a children’s librarian in Chicago who has taken a leave of absence to fulfill a promise she made to her best friend Boone who was killed in Afghanistan. She promised that if anything happened to him to go help his grandmother in the Florida Panhandle with her business, the Sea Glass Saloon. Short on details, Chloe uses a few white lies to get Vivi Slidell to hire her as a cocktail waitress so she can find out just what help this seemingly very competent woman may need. Chloe never expected she would be working to keep the woman out of jail after one of her regulars is found dead behind the bar. Chloe soon finds that something is clearly brewing in the town of Emerald Cove and her questions could land both her and Vivi in the line of fire.
Ms. Harris has introduced some very strong characters in this story and fleshed them out nicely in this first book while leaving them plenty of room to grow in future installments. I loved that Chloe found common ground with the sometimes cranky young children she usually works with and the overindulging patrons at the Sea Glass Saloon. Handling both in the same way successfully. She is smart and can think on her feet. Dealing with Boone’s death is hard especially when she finds out his true feelings. Vivi is a strong, independent woman, and nothing like Chloe expected. She has run her business successfully for years. Bartender Joaquin befriends Chloe quickly and is a great buffer between Chloe and Vivi. These main characters are surrounded by a great supporting cast.
The setting for this series is positively divine. A place I would go to and probably never leave. As in her other series it is set near military bases, Elgin Air Force Base and the nearby Hurlburt Field and there are Navy bases nearby too. Her descriptions of the area were fantastic and created wonderful imagery. She took us to several places and I really felt like I was right there with her.
The mystery was well done, complex, and intriguing with plenty of suspects. I couldn’t really hone in on any person fully because they all seemed a bit shady with secrets or hiding something. The mystery reveal was a bit rushed for me although very exciting. I was on the edge of my seat.
As the book came to a close the ending wasn’t much of a surprise but this series is off to a fine start.
From Brew to Eternity feels like more than a cozy mystery. While it has all the cozy elements, amateur sleuth, small-town setting, humor in all the right places, etc. Chloe deals with the loss of Boone and that adds an extra serious element. I am eager to see where the author takes this series.
The first Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mystery, From Beer to Eternity, was such a page turner I started it at breakfast, read straight through, and finished just after lunch! Chloe Jackson of Chicago is temporarily residing in sunny Emerald Cove, Florida after the death of her best friend, Boone, as he requested she take care of his grandmother if anything ever happened to him. Unfortunately for Chloe, Vivi, Boone’s grandmother, is fiercely independent and doesn’t want her help – that is until a man is found murdered behind the bar and Vivi seems to be the chief suspect. A fantastic cozy with wonderful characters, beautiful scenery, and a great mystery – I loved it! A+++
FROM BEER TO ETERNITY by Sherry Harris
The First Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mystery
Taking a leave of absence from her job as a children’s librarian in Chicago, Chloe Jackson arrives in Florida to fulfill a promise to her late best friend. But helping his grandmother, Vivi, is not as simple as she thought. Instead of the shy and retiring lady she expected, Vivi is a brash spitfire who seems to hate her, although she allows Chloe to help out at her Sea Glass Saloon. Chloe stumbles upon one of the regulars, dead by the bar’s dumpster, and Vivi is brought in for questioning…multiple times. A promise is a promise, and if helping Vivi means looking into the man’s murder, so be it. Will Chloe be able to uncover the secrets of this close knit community in order to find a murderer? Or will she die trying?
Loyalty is the hallmark of the first Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mystery. Chloe’s loyalty to her friend, even after death, the heritage businesses loyalty to each other, and loyalty to Emerald Cove itself are integral facets to the mystery.
FROM BEER TO ETERNITY started out slow and I had a hard time getting into it, but by the end I was racing through, devouring every page. I like Chloe Jackson. Her quirks and backstory, along with her independence make her an appealing protagonist. Vivi is another story, as she is meant to be. Of course Joaquin is the perfect new friend and Rhett someone to smolder over. All of the characters come to life on the page and it’s obvious they all had lives prior to the novel, bringing a ton of developed characterization with them. The references to GONE WITH THE WIND, the Wizard of Oz, and other children’s books added a delightful element.
FROM BEER TO ETERNITY captures the beauty of the Florida coast, the refreshment of a well made cocktail, and the importance of friendship in a captivating mystery.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
From Beer to Eternity is the first book in a new series by Sherry Harris. As a lover of all things Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries, there was no way I was missing out on the first book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery series. I was not disappointed at all. Chloe Jackson is everything I need in a cozy mystery heroine. She is likable (always important), realistic, imperfect – but the perfect person for this series, a little clueless, fiercely protective, and someone I would love to be my best friend. The story is not, however, all grins and giggles as Chloe tries to find out who murdered a long-time resident of Emerald Cove.
From Beer to Eternity is probably the most heart-wrenching cozy mystery I’ve ever read. The reason Chloe finds herself in Florida helping Vivi run the Sea Glass Saloon cause an emotional reaction in my that I never have happen with cozy mysteries – I cried. The author is such a wonderful writer and I love her ability to instill true emotional reactions in her readers, and not just shock, awe, and humor. This book has a theme threaded through it a lot of people have, are, or will work through at some point in their lives. Realism – that’s where it’s at for me in any book.
Chloe is actually in Florida under false pretenses. No one knows why she’s staying in Florida while having an enjoyable career as a librarian in Illinois. When she finds the local resident dead behind the Sea Glass Saloon, Chloe knows she really can’t go back home now until she tries to clear the police’s number 1 suspect – Vivi Slidell. As a newbie to the town, Chloe stands out so sleuthing doesn’t work as well for her as she would like.
Book 1 is a great start to a new series. I love the introduction of an assortment of secondary characters. Chloe considers several of the characters to be suspects, giving the reader several viable murderers. Her process of elimination leads to a twist I didn’t see coming. The story is original and I was able to visualize the entire story as each scene played out. A fantastic story, a potential love interest, some tears, and a capable and competent main character make this 5 stars for me. The author has another hit on her hands!
From Beer to Eternity kicks off what is absolutely going to be a great series! It introduces us to main character, Chloe Jackson, with whom I quickly bonded. This is definitely not the case in all new cozy mystery series I start, so I’m always happy when it is! Chloe isn’t over the top like some characters can be nor is she boring. She’s “normal” like I am (okay, normal is a relative term). I just love her personality and moments of dry humor. She wants to be liked, loves books (her “real” job is as a librarian), loves running (yeah, no, not like me there), and she needs a pet! I made that last one up, but she does (hint, hint).
Vivi is one of the people Chloe wants to like her. After all, Chloe is there because of a promise she made to her best friend, Boone. He made Chloe promise that if anything happened to him, she would help his grandmother take care of her bar. So, what would you think if your best friend asked you to “help” their grandmother…you’d think she NEEDED help, right? Right. Well, Vivi doesn’t want or need Chloe’s help, and frankly, my dear, she seems to resent Chloe’s being in Emerald Cove. Vivi thinks Chloe should have gone back to Chicago by this time; however, Vivi doesn’t know about the promise. Plus Vivi has Joaquin, another hilarious and amazing character, to help her.
Speaking of frankly my dear (yes, we were speaking of it), another character I love is Rhett who may or may not become a love interest for Chloe. There are lots of fun, quirky characters in From Beer to Eternity. They’re so lifelike that you’ll just want to head down to the Florida panhandle and get to know them. Even if they were jerks, I’d want to head to Emerald Cove anyway…I’d just make different friends! The author’s descriptive writing will make you want to head there too. If I lived in Emerald Cove, I might be tempted to go on early morning runs like Chloe does. But I’d probably just walk and let my dog run.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot to mention the mystery! Well, you can see from the synopsis that someone ends up dead, and it’s a good thing for Vivi that she couldn’t chase Chloe back to Chicago! I loved solving this puzzling mystery with all sorts of suspects right along with Chloe and her friends.
Needless to say, From Beer to Eternity gets 5 stars from me, and I can’t wait to head back to Emerald Cove to spend more time with my new friends!
The first book in a new series is always a unique adventure for me. Will I like the characters? Does the premise work well? Will I want to read more adventures? I can honestly say that with Harris’ From Beer to Eternity, ALL of those answers are a resounding yes!
The first tug at the heartstrings comes because Chloe is living up to a promise to a friend who has died and is pulling up stakes to go help his grandmother Vivi. Not the most grandmotherly grandmother, Vivi has a way about her that simply makes you like her regardless. She’s fiercely independent and a force to be reckoned with – kinda like the 70yo I’d want to be. And you know that deep down she loves Chloe too.
This was my first book by Harris, but I am definitely looking forward to more of Chloe and Vivi’s adventures.
[I received an Advanced Reader Copy of the book from NetGalley and the author but was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed above are entirely my own.]
I loved this book! Lots of interesting, complex and quirky characters. Twists and turns that keep you guessing to the end. Chloe follows through on a promise to a friend to help his grandmother after his death. Murder and mayhem follow. A wonderful read!
I have enjoyed the Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series written by Sherry Harris so, when I saw that she had started a new series, I was eager to get my hands on a copy. I was hooked in the first chapter. Sherry Harris has given Chloe a way with words and the turn of a phrase. From her odd patron with his own version of a tin foil hat to her comparing children in a library and the patrons of the Sea Glass Saloon, well I knew I was in for a fun read. Once the story started to unfold and various other characters were introduced, I was going to read it in one gulp.
Chloe is a fish out of water. She made a promise to keep an eye on a friend’s grandmother, Vivi, down in Emerald Cove on the Florida Panhandle. True to her promise, she packs and leaves Chicago and her job as a children’s librarian to take a job at the Sea Glass saloon. Boy, howdy, is she in for a surprise. Granny is no little old lady, that’s for sure. She is outspoken, independent, grumpy and will tangle with anyone who crosses her. Chloe not only has to adjust to life in the Panhandle but she has to adjust to being a waitress in a bar. Talk about a learning curve.
Soon enough Vivi finds herself in a mess when a bar patron is found murdered on the premises and, with her past history with the victim, the police home in on Vivi as their prime suspect. Chloe had made a promise to Boone to help his grandmother but she never envisioned trying to keep her out of jail. She also had no idea that she’d be investigating a murder and trying to keep from becoming the killers next victim. But, hey, she’s a librarian and she is on the case.
With humor, a bit of romance, some wonderfully drawn characters and a great setting, this well crafted mystery is a winner from beginning to end.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
From Beer to Eternity is the beginning of an awesome new series by Sherry Harris and it is why I love cozy mysteries so much! It has everything I love about cozy mysteries! I was hooked from page 1 right until the end! I liked Chloe right away. She moved to Emerald Coast,FL a week ago because she made a promise to her deceased best friend, Boone that she would help his grandmother,Vivi, who owns the Sea Glass Bar. Chloe soon realizes Vivi doesn’t appear to need her help and doesn’t want Chloe there. One of the bar patrons ends up dead behind the bar and Vivi is the main suspect. The town and its residents have some secrets to keep it interesting. Including her coworker Joaquin and local guy Rhett. It kept me guessing until the end! This is one of the best starts to a new series I have ever read and I read a lot! I was intrigued from the beginning! Very, very enjoyable! I can’t wait until the next book! I received this book from Netgalley.and Kensington Books for an honest review and the opinions are solely my own. #FromBeerToEternity #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks
Cozy Mystery On Florida’s Emerald Coast
This book is the first in a new series. From reading this book, the rest of the series should be fantastic. It takes place on Florida’s Emerald Coast which is the white sand beach that runs from Panama City to Pensacola. The area is full of military and tourists. There is a history of smuggling and bootlegging in that region. The story revolves around an old beachside saloon, its original owner, and a twenty-something from Chicago. This book sets the scene for the series. There is a very good murder mystery that I couldn’t have figured in a million years, although all of the clues were there. I can’t wait for the next book. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I was just a few pages into From Beer to Eternity and I thought so far, so fabulous. What an absolutely fantastic start to a new series. This is the first book by Sherry Harris I have read, but it will not be the last. I already cannot wait for the second book in this series, and I am going to read her Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series and anything else she’s written. Yes, From Beer to Eternity was that good.
I loved Chloe from the start. She’s a librarian, so there’s that, plus she’s the best friend anyone could ever hope for. Before her long-time best buddy Boone left for military service in Afghanistan he asked her to promise that if the worst happened and he didn’t make it back, she would go to Emerald Cove, Florida and help his grandmother Vivi run the Sea Glass Saloon. Well, the worst has happened. Boone is dead. So here’s Chloe, in the Florida Panhandle, a far cry from Chicago “helping” Vivi, who doesn’t seem to need or want any help. Chloe doesn’t want to tell her of the promise she made to Boone so makes up an excuse and gets hired on as a waitress. She’s not really sure what Boone had in mind but she is bound to keep her promise, plus there are a lot of odd characters hanging out at the bar – and this guy who keeps showing up when she least expects it.
One of those odd characters get murdered right behind the bar, Vivi seems to be the main suspect, and there’s something going on that Chloe can’t quite figure out. Everybody seems to have a secret or two. Chloe is fearless. Maybe not always as cautious as she should be, be loyal and determined. It was a joy to watch her plot to discover the murderer unfold. Gets knocked down, gets right back up.
The location, plot and characters are so deep and well developed that I felt I was right there, in the Florida humidity, amidst the tourists, running in the sand. Chloe’s memories of Boone are so vivid that I had to keep reminding myself that Boone wasn’t just going to show up.
The writing is superb and just flows along, taking you with it. The references to books and movies and past events all resounded with me. Chloe made me laugh out loud with her antics and her asides to herself, and made me cry by how much she honored and missed Boone. There are good guys and bad guys and some just weird guys ( well, women too). There’s a hint of romance and a promise of friendship, and some real danger all wrapped up in a good, solid mystery.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I loved this story and recommend it without hesitation.
A smart children’s librarian solves this cozy mystery set in paradise!
Before Chloe Jackson’s best friend, Boone, deployed to Afghanistan, he had her promise him that should anything happen to him; she would take care of his grandmother, Vivi. He added the stipulation that she couldn’t tell his grandmother that this was his final wish. So when a sniper’s bullet took his life, Chloe took a leave of absence from her job as a children’s librarian in Chicago, loaded up a few things in her hand-me-down VW beetle, and headed to Emerald Cove, Florida, to keep her promise.
Chloe’s expectation of caring for a sweet, little, gray-haired lady quickly evaporated when she met the actual Vivi who turned out to be the vibrant, independent, feisty, 70-something-year-old, hell-on-heels owner of the Sea Glass Saloon right there on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico. Grandma Vivi certainly didn’t seem to need, and definitely didn’t want any help from Chloe, and in fact, appeared to dislike her on sight! But Chloe persevered and starts waitressing at the bar to help Vivi and her one employee, Joaquin, out, all the while sleeping in her car or aboard Boone’s tiny boat moored at the nearby marina and hunting for a needle in a haystack: an affordable rental at the height of tourist season.
Just as Chloe is getting this waitressing thing down, she discovers the body of one of their regular patrons out back by the dumpster with one of the bar knives stuck in his throat. And when suspicion falls immediately on Vivi and, seemingly, no one else, Chloe begins to question all the suspects that the police are overlooking. She knows she’s on to something when she’s almost run off a bridge one night, and then someone tries to set fire to Boone’s cottage where she ends up staying. But, even though she wants to pack up and return to Chicago, she believes a promise is a promise and becomes more determined than ever to clear Vivi’s name and find the real killer
“From Beer to Eternity” is the first book in the new series, “Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon,” by author Sherry Harris. While dealing with issues of grief and loss, it is still a fun and exciting start to the series. Chloe is so likable! She’s smart and kind and is quite a sympathetic character as she goes through quite a lot making good on her promise to her best friend (and that’s before she finds the dead body!) I enjoyed the ways she used her skills as a children’s librarian to gain her footing in the unfamiliar bar setting and her comparison of toddlers at the library and the bar patrons. I was ready to sign up for either a course in library science or bartending!
Because she was a total stranger to the community (like a reader is), her investigations really begin at ground zero, and I liked that. We were both discovering clues at the same pace. She had to ferret out all the hidden history in Emerald Cove herself. And speaking of Emerald Cove, I wanted to make a reservation for a vacation there; it sounds ideal.
All in all, the mystery was logical and plausible with bad guys we immediately knew were up to no good and secret villain lurking behind the scenes and a façade of gracious kindness and a smile for Chloe to uncover in the nick of time. I highly recommend this book to cozy mystery readers and those that like the beachy-bar setting in a paradise of a vacation spot, and those that enjoy a smart librarian as the protagonist.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. #FromBeertoEternity #NetGalley
FROM BEER TO ETERNITY by Sherry Harris is the first book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon cozy mystery series. I am a fan of this author’s Sara Winston Garage Sale cozy mystery series so I was excited to see she had another series starting. The story is largely set in a small town on the Florida Panhandle between Panama City and Pensacola.
Chloe Jackson had promised her late friend that she would help his grandmother if something happened to him. Therefore, she packs a few of her things, heads from Chicago to Florida and gets a job at the bar owned by Bonne’s grandmother, Vivi. What could possibly go wrong in this beautiful location?
Chloe is definitely a protagonist that you can root for and she had good depth for a first book in a series. The internal and external conflicts were well defined and believable. There was enough at stake to keep me turning the pages. The pacing allowed for the scenes to progress and flow with effective transitions. As always, this author did a great job of world-building. I got a clear sense of the town and the area around it as well as the people. While the reveal of the antagonist was not a complete surprise, there were plenty of twists and turns to get there.
Overall, this was a well-done mystery that was engaging, entertaining and a great start to a new series. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. If you enjoy well-done cozy mysteries, then this is an author that I recommend.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks go to Goodreads, Kensington Books and Sherry Harris for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
I enjoyed being introduced to this new series by Sherry Harris. A lot of likable characters and settings. Many twists and turns that kept me guessing. A fun and exciting read and I look forward to future books in the series.
I really enjoyed this book. It is my first mystery by Sherry Harris and the first book in her new series, Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mysteries. It was entertaining, witty, unpredictable and wonderful characters. Loved all the plot twists and surprises. Can’t wait to read the next one in the series. I enjoyed this so much I have started reading the Garage Sale series as well.
I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.