For Mack and her barfly allies, solving homicides calls for equal parts instinct and wit. To strain out a crafty criminal, the mixture has got to be absolutely perfect . . . It’s a week before Christmas, but Milwaukee bar owner Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton is hardly in good spirits. Chilled to the core by the murder of bouncer Gary Gunderson, Mack is determined to use her extra perceptive senses to … perceptive senses to identify the gunman responsible. Did Gary’s patchy past brew up some fatal trouble, or could his death be linked to a series of cryptic letters concocted by Mack’s anonymous adversary? With a second case to crack, innocent lives at stake, and a media frenzy in their midst, Mack and her barstool detectives have little time to mull over the grim details–especially when clues lead dangerously close to home . . .
Includes drink recipes
“The first book in the Mack’s Bar Mystery series is a hit!” —RT Book Reviews on Murder on the Rocks
”Murder with a Twist has a lot of sleuthing pleasure packed into its pages.” –Fresh Fiction
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
Mack’s holiday is not going to be happy until she ends the letter writer’s reign of terror and they are held responsible for the death of her employee Gary Gunderson. While she awaits the next letter and nurses her broken leg she and her fellow barstool detectives agree to look into another case where an innocent man may be serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. Can her unique gift of Synaesthesia help break the case wide open?
What I love about this series is the cast of characters the author has created. Everyone has Mack’s back. Her employees keep the bar running while she sleuths out killers. Her relationship with Detective Duncan Albright is in flux because of a case they worked together and the letter-writing criminal has forbidden her to be in contact with the police specifically Detective Albright but they still manage a few meetings. Undercover cop Mal is posing as her boyfriend to help her with both cases but they are clearly developing feelings for each other. The Capone Club, a group of patrons that love to solve mysteries work so well together even when this time a new person is added to the group. Every character is distinct and has a purpose in the story. Their unique talents are used in many ways. They are also very believable and you could find people like them in any Wisconsin bar. They may not all have a group like the one at Mack’s bar but gossip, crime, and current news can all be topics mused over with a shot and a beer.
The mysteries included in this story are gripping. I was really taken in by the Capone Club’s case because I could poke holes in the police investigation immediately. Investigating a crime that takes place during a Wisconsin blizzard is tough but anyone could see they jumped to several conclusions not supported by the evidence. Right alongside that case, Mack is working tirelessly to solve the case she is personally involved in so another one of her friends doesn’t end up dead. This case has unfolded over the course of the series so it is good to read the prior books in order to understand everything but the author does a great job of recapping the highlights in each new book.
Having the series set nearby is an absolute delight especially when my current place of residence is mentioned several times in the story due to the correctional facility just down the road. It is easy to imagine Mack there visiting one or more of the residents using her personal method of lie detection.
Shots in the Dark was a gripping story but only one mystery is solved by the final page. There are also some romantic issues up in the air and I am starting to support one cop over the other so I am very interested in what will happen next. I am thankful that the next book in this series is on my To-Be-Read shelf and I will be jumping into A Toast to Murder soon.
A fun mystery taking place at a local bar. Characters are interesting. Bar reminds me of Cheers with a mysteries and a slight paranormal bent.
It is great and wish I didn’t have to wait another year for the next one
Christmas is right around the corner and Mack Dalton is struggling to find any Christmas spirit. She is still reeling from the murder of her bouncer, Gary, and she is on the edge waiting for the letter writer to send the next missive. She must figure out who is taunting her, or face the murder of another person close to her.
The Capone Club is taking on a new case. The sister of a convicted murderer is asking them to prove her brother innocent of the crime. This case takes them into a new relationship with a local reporter. Mack hopes by forging a relationship with him she can turn negative publicity around and possibly explain her neurological condition rather than have people believe she is a mind reader, or psychic.
This is the 4th book in the Mack’s Bar mystery series and it did not disappoint. This is a series that can not be read out of order. Too many threads in the story rely on making connections to the previous books. At the beginning of the book I was worried the letter writer storyline was going to go on too long, probably because while looking at the recipes in the back I noticed the ominous, “To be continued…” on the last page. I was pleased that the book seemed to wrap up some important information and we may have a solution to that mystery in the next book. The characters remain interesting and well written. There are many suspects in the murder case due to Abbott’s ability to weave in character traits nicely. The setting remains a favorite of mine, an old bar in Wisconsin. Having grown up in my grandmother’s tavern in Wisconsin I find the setting comfortable and easy to picture, hear and smell. The plot in this book seemed to move at a steady pace and takes place over the course of a week. I look forward to reading the next book and I recommend this series.
Cozy mystery fix
Another AWESOME, FANTASTIC, REALLY GOOD story! I’m still PRO MAL and totally see Duncan as a user, not only of Mack’s gift but of her “gifts”. The letter writer has upd the stakes but finally we may be closing in on them!
Fun to read because of our close proximity to Milwaukee, the setting for this book along with the witty and unusual protagonist. I recommend highly.
Seemed like a desent book . I bought the next bookk in line to see if part of the plot that started in this book had an ending. That was probably done so you would buy the next book.
Left reader completely hanging at the end. Very aggravating. Should know this when you start the book.
Love this series!
This was a good quick read.