The regulars at Mack’s Bar love putting their heads together to solve a good mystery. But Mack is learning there’s a big difference between barroom brain teasers and real-life murder. . .Milwaukee bar owner Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton has a unique neurological condition that gives her extra perceptive senses, and police detective Duncan Albright is convinced Mack’s abilities can be used to help … to help catch crooks. Mack may be at pro at mixing drinks, but she’s still an amateur when it comes to solving crimes–and she’s not sure she should mix business with pleasure by working with a man who stirs up such strong feelings in her. At her first crime scene–a suspicious suicide–she experiences a heady cocktail of mixed sensations and emotions that make her question whether police work is right for her. But when Duncan asks her to help find a kidnapped child, she knows she has to give it a shot. . .
“The first book in the Mack’s Bar Mystery series is a hit!” —RT Book Reviews on Murder on the Rocks
more
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I found this series a few years ago and loved the first book in the series Murder on the Rocks. Then I picked up this book, Murder with a Twist but I immediately had to stop reading. I knew from reading the synopsis there was a suicide element but I hadn’t expected it to be so similar to the way my son took his life back in March of 2015. I put the book back on my To-Be-Read bookshelf but I kept passing over it until last week when I decided I should be able to handle the subject matter by now. Well, I was partly right. I still had to skip or skim some triggering passages but soon the suicide part of the book wrapped up and I was able to enjoy the rest of the story. I am glad I waited and didn’t just skip the book or forget about the series.
Mack is such an interesting character. She has Synaesthesia which means she experiences everything differently. Over the years she has learned to control it or she would continually be suffering from an overload of her unique senses. While trying to help Detective Duncan Albright solve her father’s murder (in Murder on the Rocks) they realize her unique extra perceptive senses can be helpful in solving his cases. So this time Mack tags along as he investigates a suspicious suicide and a murder with a missing child.
What I really enjoyed was The Capone Club. A bunch of bar regulars that love to solve puzzles and mysteries, both real cases and those dreamed up by members of the group. Some have special talents that become very helpful in closing Duncan’s cases. The investigations take on a real community feel as they sort through clues and dig up new ones. I usually try to solve the mystery before the protagonist but this time I felt like I had a place at the Capone Club table and we were all working it out together. I did like that there were two completely separate mysteries within the book. One wrapped up and another began which is easy to believe for a city like Milwaukee.
There are a wide variety of characters, regulars, and employees of the bar. Even one from “up Nort’”. I love the way the author brings the uniqueness of Wisconsin to the story. It is so comfortable. I was drawn to this series because Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton and I have some things in common. We both grew up in Wisconsin living above and working in our family’s taverns. Walking into Mack’s Bar virtually brings back so many memories. Unlike Mack, thankfully I never had to deal with a dead body.
I have the next book in this series, In The Drink, waiting on my TBR shelf. I hope to visit Mack’s Bar again soon.
Mack’s Bar is a local tavern filled with patrons who love a good mystery. Daily specials revolve around a crime of the day. The first to solve the crime wins a free drink and meal. Mackenzie Dalton is the owner of this Milwaukee bar. Not only does she make a mean drink, but she is able to use a unique neurological condition to help others. Her new friend, Detective Duncan Albright, believes that Mack could use her special ability in crime solving. Mack agrees to try out Duncan’s theory. The first crime scene she witnesses is a suspicious suicide. After the trauma of see a dead body Mack is not sure she wants to work with the police. However, when Duncan asks her to help find a child who has been kidnapped she is willing to help one more time.
This is the second book in the Mack’s Bar Mystery series. I enjoyed the first book very much and looked forward to reading this installment. I was glad I kept this book on my “to be read” list. If you have not read the first book I believe you will be able to pick this up and understand the background of the main character with no trouble. The characters in this book are an ensemble of unique people who all have something to contribute. They are developed well enough that you remember them and yet have room to grow within the series. The main setting is Mack’s Bar. As someone who spent my early years hanging out in my Grandmother’s Wisconsin tavern it is easy for me to sense the sights and sounds of the establishment, as well as the uniques accents you may encounter as customers chat with one another. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. The only problem I had was a threat was made near the beginning of the book and I don’t know if we are left hanging and will learn more in a later book, or it was just thrown out there never to be thought of again. But, I keep thinking about it. This cozy mystery is worth the read.
I love this series and the WONDERFULLY UNIQUE characters! The only issue I’m having is Duncan. Is he using Mack and her unique gift for his own gains or does he truly have feelings for her? I liked him at first but know I’m getting leery of his intentions.