I read this book, having not read the first...however, it did not diminish my enjoyment.
I found the lead character engaging and the setting was fun!
A fun book and I will look for book #3.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

This is the second book in this great series. It can be read as a stand alone but you'd miss an equally awesome first book. From the title and the cover art, you'd expect this to be a cozy mystery but it's really much more than that. THE BARTENDER'S GUIDE TO MURDER centers on a young woman, Avalon Nash, who has the uncanny knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is the bartender in the series title and her customers tend to talk to her. She is a very good listener.

When her last customer of the day is murdered, the local police think Avalon would be a good suspect. So Avalon and her friends must dig a little deeper to find the real murderer.

The mystery remains central but the characters make this an excellent read. Try it for yourself.

Avalon Nash is still hiding out in the Olympic village of Tranquility, New York, serving as bartender at the Battened Hatch bar. As one of her duties she has to keep the patrons from getting too rowdy and one evening she has to stop a former Olympic luger from demonstrating how its done using tables and chairs. Now the Olympian is dead, but why was he murdered? was someone jealous of his ability to gain attention or was it something from his past?

The story was captivating with clues sliding in all directions. The interaction of the characters was delightful and the recipes for new cocktails could easily intoxicate the mind.

I started with Sharon Linnea's first book in this series and have read each that has come after. I like her heroine and the set up and find the books both engaging and entertaining.

another great entry in the The Bartender's Guide to Murder series, the characters were great and I enjoyed the mystery plot. It was a fun read and I have not tried the recipes yet.

I read the first book in this series and loved it. I wasn't as engrossed in book 2 as in the previous one. I found Avalon a little off putting this go around. I haven't been able to figure out why yet, I just didn't enjoy her character. I was also bothered by the fact that the author continually pointed out race this time. I don't know what bearing that had on the mystery.

I wasn’t too enthralled with this story, although it was well written had mild intrigue and excitement. Avalon’s sleuthing ability was almost non-existent, just like the involvement of the police. Her tough gal persona wasn’t convincing, just like her investigative style.

Another edgy and intriguing mystery by Sharon Linnea! I love the setting and the fast paced story. Not your typical cozy mystery! I love mysteries that include cupcakes and puppies but every so often you need a strong cocktail and a bit of murder. Not only is Avalon crafty with her bartending skills but she's also crafty at sniffing out a killer. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

This compelling and well-written story totally surprised me with its engaging and intriguing characters along with a plot full of unexpected developments and red herrings. When Avalon Nash stepped off a train in upper New York, her cross country journey was derailed after she was told not to leave town. Now Avalon has settled into enjoying her life as a bartender in a town flushed full of Olympians and tourists. When one dies after leaving her bar, she picks up information without seeming to investigate.

This is a strange series. Avalon is a bit unlikeable to me though in this book we are given some more clues as to why. However, I don't find the explaination so far as truly plausible. The author also seems to make a point of telling the reader what race the characters are, but it doesn't flow naturally for me and stands out as strange.. There's a lot of character introspection as well which detracts from the mystery for me.

Regarding the mystery, it's nice there are two mysteries, the current death and a kidnapping from the past, and that kept me reading..

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Fun read, made all the more enjoyable by a cocktail or two while reading. Well plotted with characters I truly enjoy.

When I saw the cover, I thought cozy mystery or a cute mystery but boy was I wrong. This book had me from the start and at the end, I was on the edge of my seat. It has mystery, friends, romance, twists and thriller all written into a hard to put down book. If I could give it more than five stars I would.

I know my third recommendation comes from that horrible year of 2020, but we have to celebrate the good, and the really good that fought to rise from the ashes. The Baretender’s Guide to Murder series is one of those phoenixes to be born of that disastrous year. Sharon Linnéa deserves a big virtual hug for releasing not one but two books in the series in 2020—plus, Death By Gravity includes 30 drink recipes! (Sounds like book club will have more than just wine next month!) Add a feisty bartender to the mix and you’ll want to solve this Olympic size murder with her just in time for the summer games! (Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the free copy of this book which was featured on Fresh Fiction's Cozy Corner Blog on 3/29/21)

A solid cozy mystery and a good second installment in this series.
It's well written, the characters are likable and it kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A great easy and fun read! The mystery is solid and the characters are likable, which I find to be the second most important part of a mystery book. Avalon is interesting and very, very cool. The drink recipes scattered through are a fantastic touch!

Bartender's Guide to Murder, book 2 is just as good as book 1 and it comes with excellent cocktail recipes. I never realized how many different types of simple sugars could be created. Thankfully, Avalon, bartender extraordinaire and collector of stories is looking into not one but two mysterious deaths and a 20 year old disappearance as well. Of course she would know about disappearing. I am glad that we learn a little bit more about how she ended up in Tranquility and that she has decided that it isn't just a stop over. So many feels from this story, good, bad, sad, romantic, maddening, scary, and that is just in the first few chapters! So many great characters in Tranquility that I will wait with baited breath deciding if I can or should attempt to make one of Avalon's amazing drink recipes, because much like our heroine, I am not trying some crazy high zipline!

I haven't read the first in this book series, nevertheless I quite enjoyed this one. Even though it is a murder mystery, it is rather light hearted and an altogether an easy read. Avalon is a likeable protagonist, with a somewhat quirky charm. The drink recipes at the back of the chapters are intriguing, I think I might consider continuing to read this series. (My original rating is 3.5 stars, but it doesn't seem possible to do that here).

A quick read, book 2 of the series featuring a small town bartender/amateur investigator. Drinks recipe at the end of each chapter and these were highlights! A nice setting in an Olympic training village up in northern New York, with a cosy community sets off our prickly main character, Avalon. A picturesque and cozy mystery, but the plot unravelled without too much involvement from me as the reader.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was an easy read but that didn’t prevent it from being a page-turner as I held my breath and ploughed through the book until almost three in the morning. I absolutely love the premise of a bartender detective, who else knows the town’s secrets. Avalon is the perfect combination of determined, committed and witty to make her relatable and make me root for her in all situations. I look forward to reading her future mysteries and letting her blow me away.
I found the ending quite satisfying as it tied in all of the characters that I had seen for one or two chapters and had then slipped away. While Linnea did not drop many clues for the audience to pick up on, the ending was believable, satisfactory and there were no loose ends. It would be very difficult for a reader to guess the ending, but once told the ending, it makes perfect sense. Once the thousands of questions I had been asking the book began to be answered, I couldn’t put the book down and my heart began to race as Avalon raced against the clock.
Every character is loveable and real and I can’t wait to find out more about the quaint town and it’s inhabitants as I continue to read the series.