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Mack's Bar Mystery #1
Murder on the Rocks
Mack's Bar is one of those nice, friendly places where everybody knows your name. That's great when someone's buying you a round, but not so hot when you find yourself atop a list of murder suspects--with your fingerprints on the bloody knife! Mackenzie "Mack" Dalton is a Milwaukee bar owner with a nose for trouble--literally. A neurological glitch has left her with extra perceptive senses. So when she stumbles upon a dead body in the alley behind the bar--the same spot where her own father was shot eight months earlier--she can tell right away there's something fishy in the air. The lead detective thinks there's a link between the two deaths, and he'll need Mack's help to sniff out the murderer amid the crowd of eccentric regulars. But when all the evidence points to her as the most likely culprit, it could be an early last call for Mack--and celebratory cocktails for a killer.
Includes drink recipes
Includes drink recipes
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2013
235 people are currently reading
1817 people want to read
About the author
Allyson K. Abbott
7 books259 followersAllyson K. Abbott is a pseudonym used by Beth Amos, author of the suspense novels COLD WHITE FURY, EYES OF NIGHT, SECOND SIGHT, NICK OF TIME, and FACE OF DEATH. Beth is also the author of the Mattie Winston mystery series written under the pseudonym Annelise Ryan, which includes WORKING STIFF, SCARED STIFF, FROZEN STIFF, LUCKY STIFF, and BOARD STIFF.
Beth lives in Wisconsin, where she changes identities nearly every day.
Beth lives in Wisconsin, where she changes identities nearly every day.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
July 8, 2017
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Growing up in Wisconsin my parents owned and operated a tavern, much like Mack’s Bar. Drinks, food, pool table, dart boards, regular patrons and visitors from out of town. Thankfully we never found a dead body in the back alley.
Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton has taken over her father’s bar after he was murdered. That case is still open but without any real clues as to the killer. When Mack finds another body in almost the exact same place and she is one of the suspects she tries to stay calm and cool. She knows she didn’t kill anyone. But since the murder weapon did belong to the bar the suspects could be anyone of her staff or customers. When she explains to the lead detective about a neurological issue she was born with he actually doesn’t think she is crazy. He thinks maybe her hyper senses may aid in the capture of the killer. A killer that he thinks took her dad’s life as well. When he wants to go undercover and work at the bar she just can’t say no.
These characters are so likable. Mack loves what she does and in a business like hers you have to. Days are quickly consumed by the work it takes to keep the place up and running. She does have a boyfriend who is a paramedic, but they don’t have much time to spend together. Detective Duncan Albright seems more Mack’s type and they do have chemistry. In fact, when they are together is sends quite a rush to Mack’s senses. Most of the regulars remind me of customers who became friends with my parents over the years. All their reactions and actions rang true to life. Even the part where they gathered together trying to solve the crime themselves with the facts available to the public.
Learning about Mack’s Synaesthesia was very engrossing. When Mack explains the condition to Duncan the author is explaining it to the readers as well. It is a rare and complicated condition that at first thought must be awful but Mack has adjusted to it so well, it absolutely amazed me.
I really enjoyed that the author brought some Milwaukee history to the story. Yes, Al Capone once owned a bar in Milwaukee complete with some interesting basement activity. It is not much of a stretch of the imagination to think Mack’s Bar just might be the place. To spin the mystery to include part of this history was a fun plot line to follow with a twist that brings the whole story together. A little different from a normal cozy, Mack works hand in hand with the police and they appreciate her input. The police also love the coffee she serves so they were stopping by often, even ones not involved in the case.
This is a well written story with characters I want to know more about. Murder with a Twist has moved way up on my To-Be-Read stack. I am excited about this series.
Growing up in Wisconsin my parents owned and operated a tavern, much like Mack’s Bar. Drinks, food, pool table, dart boards, regular patrons and visitors from out of town. Thankfully we never found a dead body in the back alley.
Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton has taken over her father’s bar after he was murdered. That case is still open but without any real clues as to the killer. When Mack finds another body in almost the exact same place and she is one of the suspects she tries to stay calm and cool. She knows she didn’t kill anyone. But since the murder weapon did belong to the bar the suspects could be anyone of her staff or customers. When she explains to the lead detective about a neurological issue she was born with he actually doesn’t think she is crazy. He thinks maybe her hyper senses may aid in the capture of the killer. A killer that he thinks took her dad’s life as well. When he wants to go undercover and work at the bar she just can’t say no.
These characters are so likable. Mack loves what she does and in a business like hers you have to. Days are quickly consumed by the work it takes to keep the place up and running. She does have a boyfriend who is a paramedic, but they don’t have much time to spend together. Detective Duncan Albright seems more Mack’s type and they do have chemistry. In fact, when they are together is sends quite a rush to Mack’s senses. Most of the regulars remind me of customers who became friends with my parents over the years. All their reactions and actions rang true to life. Even the part where they gathered together trying to solve the crime themselves with the facts available to the public.
Learning about Mack’s Synaesthesia was very engrossing. When Mack explains the condition to Duncan the author is explaining it to the readers as well. It is a rare and complicated condition that at first thought must be awful but Mack has adjusted to it so well, it absolutely amazed me.
I really enjoyed that the author brought some Milwaukee history to the story. Yes, Al Capone once owned a bar in Milwaukee complete with some interesting basement activity. It is not much of a stretch of the imagination to think Mack’s Bar just might be the place. To spin the mystery to include part of this history was a fun plot line to follow with a twist that brings the whole story together. A little different from a normal cozy, Mack works hand in hand with the police and they appreciate her input. The police also love the coffee she serves so they were stopping by often, even ones not involved in the case.
This is a well written story with characters I want to know more about. Murder with a Twist has moved way up on my To-Be-Read stack. I am excited about this series.
July 21, 2023
I'm giving this two stars instead of just one because it's such a fun idea. I really wanted to like it. It should have been everything I wanted in a light read. I grew up with Spider Robinson's Callahan's Place, and loved it so much that for about a minute I wanted to open a bar (conveniently forgetting that I hate drunks)(and people generally), and the community and camaraderie at Mack's has faint echoes of what I enjoyed back then. And the main character's synesthesia is fascinating, something I've always been interested in. Also, in another book the main cop's decision to distance himself from the case because he's developing feelings for the main character - this would have been a huge point in the book's favor.
However, that latter thing? Duncan mentions distancing himself ... but he never seems to actually do it. And everything else that I should like is just failed by the writing. Or maybe the editing. Or both.
Both.
Let me get one annoyance out of the way: everybody in this book at some time or another winks. I just did a search in Google books, and got nine results - but that can't be all of them. There have to be another twenty or so in the non-searchable pages - someone winks at someone every few minutes of the audiobook. Maybe things are different in bars - I've spent very little time hanging out in them, and that was with non-winking friends - but I don't think I've ever actually seen another human being wink in real life. At Mack's Place or whatever it's actually called, every single scene features at least one wink from at least one character. It's nauseating. I started wondering if everyone had a tic. If nothing else, this author's editor should have stuck a hand up and said "ya know, you keep using this word ..."
There are several instances of someone giving someone else a "brazen head-to-toe assessment", too. It all starts to - appropriately - become a sort of drinking game.
There are quite a few things an editor should have stuck a hand up over, things I sure as hell would have piped up about if this had fallen to me to work on. The whole book is extremely repetitive, from small things like the winking and once-overs, the constant use of the phrase "the food" to cover all the edible offerings of the bar (I don't know why that irked me so much), and the exclusive use of "veggies" instead of the whole damn word - and the reiterations of examples of the synesthesia, which could be gotten over but which were completely unnecessary, to the whole section that takes place after the bar reopens.
The setting for that last one: Mack has discovered a body. Police came and forced her to keep her bar closed in the afternoon. They allow her to open in the evening, and this is how that plays out:
Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news to two of her employees. She found a body. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. One employee says "oh no" and the other doesn't know who Ginny Rifkin is. It is explained that Ginny was dating Mack's father before his death - phrasing that rarely changes: it's specified "at the time of his death" or "before he died" or whatever variant, over and over, as if Mack needs to make sure no one thought Ginny Rifkin was a necrophiliac. Then there are questions about how and where and by whom Ginny was killed. BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then another employee comes in, and Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news. She found a body. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Oh no". BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then another employee comes in. Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news. She found a body. It was Ginny Rifkin. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Wasn't she dating your father before he died?" Yes, and BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then the regulars start coming in, one at a time.
Mack (Duncan in tow) goes up to the first regular. "What's going on?" Mack breaks the news. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Oh no!" BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Mack (Duncan in tow) goes up to the second regular. "What's going on?" Mack breaks the news. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Wasn't she dating your father before he died?" Yes, and BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Lather, rinse, repeat. This is not an exaggeration. It wasn't word for word every time - but it was close enough that one more iteration would have tipped me over the edge. I don't understand it. How this near copy-and-paste excuse for exposition was okayed by editors is beyond me.
A little while later comes Mack's in-depth investigation into what connection the past might have with what's going on, which consists of asking every single person almost exactly the same question: "Did my dad ever talk to you about Al Capone?" Them's some powerful sleuthing skills.
I mentioned above that this was an audiobook. The narrator, Nicole Poole, was mostly pretty good; only two character voices that she did were annoying. The problem with that is that one of the annoying ones was Duncan, who has more dialogue than anyone except Mack. He is introduced as having "the faintest hint of a Scottish accent". Poole delivers his dialogue as though she's auditioning for Outlander. And she would not get a role, because sweet Mary mother of God it's a bad brogue. It's bloody flaming horrible. Initially I kind of shrugged and said "Meh" - but as the book went on and she continued to wrestle with the brogue (and it IS a brogue, NOT an accent), it grew more and more painful. There's a scene in which Duncan decides it would be adorable and charming to ... rap while mixing cocktails. I had to skip ahead, or it might have killed me. But ... someone please explain this whole brogue thing to me. "And where did you come from?" "New Hampshire." Oh, of course. The famous New Hampshire Scots brogue. "Duncan said he grew up in Newport" ... "Live anywhere else between there and here?" Chicago, apparently. Also famous for producing a brogue. At no point does anyone at all anywhere in this book (unless I missed it during the rapping scene I skipped) say that Duncan has even been to Scotland. So ... why, exactly, does he sound like a reject from a high school production of Brigadoon? (Her German accent for the cook Helmut isn't much better, but praise be to God that character is described as being taciturn, so she doesn't have to trot out her Sergeant Schultz very much.)
One plot point that bothered me about the whole thing was the fact that Mack summarily fires one employee when the investigation uncovers the fact that he has a criminal record - this despite the fact that Mack's father, who hired him, knew all about it and accepted it, and the other little inconsequential fact that the man has been working at the bar for some time and doing a fine job. One minute Mack is talking about her staff as family; the next she's kicking one of her fam to the curb. I get that she was unhappy about not being told, but there were reasons (whether or not they were good reasons), and it's not like her father had a chance before his untimely demise to explain anything. It never stopped feeling monstrously unfair for this bartender to have lost his job, especially so abruptly. It made Mack look like a heartless cow.
Near the end: "Looks like you might have been right about your Capone theory" - WHAT THEORY??? She had no theory - she was just asking everyone randomly if they knew anything. And no one did. It would have been so interesting if this book planted seeds of a story that would grow in the next book. But it all just sort of fizzled. (Spoiler. Sorry.)
I would love to see synesthesia handled by a better writer - controlling it, interpreting it, differentiating between "real" and synesthetic manifestations - it just doesn't seem to go deep enough here. Mack mentions a few times that she has trouble telling "real" scents (etc.) from the effects of the synesthesia - but it barely seems to affect her most of the time. It's such a shame - there are several books in this series, but I just can't do it. Maybe in print it would be better ... ()
On the plus side, I learned that Billy Joel is a synesthete, along with Tori Amos, Duke Ellington, and Itzhak Perlman. How have I been a Billy Joel fan for decades and never heard that before?
However, that latter thing? Duncan mentions distancing himself ... but he never seems to actually do it. And everything else that I should like is just failed by the writing. Or maybe the editing. Or both.
Both.
Let me get one annoyance out of the way: everybody in this book at some time or another winks. I just did a search in Google books, and got nine results - but that can't be all of them. There have to be another twenty or so in the non-searchable pages - someone winks at someone every few minutes of the audiobook. Maybe things are different in bars - I've spent very little time hanging out in them, and that was with non-winking friends - but I don't think I've ever actually seen another human being wink in real life. At Mack's Place or whatever it's actually called, every single scene features at least one wink from at least one character. It's nauseating. I started wondering if everyone had a tic. If nothing else, this author's editor should have stuck a hand up and said "ya know, you keep using this word ..."
There are several instances of someone giving someone else a "brazen head-to-toe assessment", too. It all starts to - appropriately - become a sort of drinking game.
There are quite a few things an editor should have stuck a hand up over, things I sure as hell would have piped up about if this had fallen to me to work on. The whole book is extremely repetitive, from small things like the winking and once-overs, the constant use of the phrase "the food" to cover all the edible offerings of the bar (I don't know why that irked me so much), and the exclusive use of "veggies" instead of the whole damn word - and the reiterations of examples of the synesthesia, which could be gotten over but which were completely unnecessary, to the whole section that takes place after the bar reopens.
The setting for that last one: Mack has discovered a body. Police came and forced her to keep her bar closed in the afternoon. They allow her to open in the evening, and this is how that plays out:
Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news to two of her employees. She found a body. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. One employee says "oh no" and the other doesn't know who Ginny Rifkin is. It is explained that Ginny was dating Mack's father before his death - phrasing that rarely changes: it's specified "at the time of his death" or "before he died" or whatever variant, over and over, as if Mack needs to make sure no one thought Ginny Rifkin was a necrophiliac. Then there are questions about how and where and by whom Ginny was killed. BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then another employee comes in, and Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news. She found a body. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Oh no". BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then another employee comes in. Mack (Duncan in tow) breaks the news. She found a body. It was Ginny Rifkin. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Wasn't she dating your father before he died?" Yes, and BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Then the regulars start coming in, one at a time.
Mack (Duncan in tow) goes up to the first regular. "What's going on?" Mack breaks the news. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Oh no!" BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Mack (Duncan in tow) goes up to the second regular. "What's going on?" Mack breaks the news. "Was it anyone we knew?" It was Ginny Rifkin. "Wasn't she dating your father before he died?" Yes, and BTW, this is Duncan, here's the lie about him being an old family friend to explain him working undercover at the bar.
Lather, rinse, repeat. This is not an exaggeration. It wasn't word for word every time - but it was close enough that one more iteration would have tipped me over the edge. I don't understand it. How this near copy-and-paste excuse for exposition was okayed by editors is beyond me.
A little while later comes Mack's in-depth investigation into what connection the past might have with what's going on, which consists of asking every single person almost exactly the same question: "Did my dad ever talk to you about Al Capone?" Them's some powerful sleuthing skills.
I mentioned above that this was an audiobook. The narrator, Nicole Poole, was mostly pretty good; only two character voices that she did were annoying. The problem with that is that one of the annoying ones was Duncan, who has more dialogue than anyone except Mack. He is introduced as having "the faintest hint of a Scottish accent". Poole delivers his dialogue as though she's auditioning for Outlander. And she would not get a role, because sweet Mary mother of God it's a bad brogue. It's bloody flaming horrible. Initially I kind of shrugged and said "Meh" - but as the book went on and she continued to wrestle with the brogue (and it IS a brogue, NOT an accent), it grew more and more painful. There's a scene in which Duncan decides it would be adorable and charming to ... rap while mixing cocktails. I had to skip ahead, or it might have killed me. But ... someone please explain this whole brogue thing to me. "And where did you come from?" "New Hampshire." Oh, of course. The famous New Hampshire Scots brogue. "Duncan said he grew up in Newport" ... "Live anywhere else between there and here?" Chicago, apparently. Also famous for producing a brogue. At no point does anyone at all anywhere in this book (unless I missed it during the rapping scene I skipped) say that Duncan has even been to Scotland. So ... why, exactly, does he sound like a reject from a high school production of Brigadoon? (Her German accent for the cook Helmut isn't much better, but praise be to God that character is described as being taciturn, so she doesn't have to trot out her Sergeant Schultz very much.)
One plot point that bothered me about the whole thing was the fact that Mack summarily fires one employee when the investigation uncovers the fact that he has a criminal record - this despite the fact that Mack's father, who hired him, knew all about it and accepted it, and the other little inconsequential fact that the man has been working at the bar for some time and doing a fine job. One minute Mack is talking about her staff as family; the next she's kicking one of her fam to the curb. I get that she was unhappy about not being told, but there were reasons (whether or not they were good reasons), and it's not like her father had a chance before his untimely demise to explain anything. It never stopped feeling monstrously unfair for this bartender to have lost his job, especially so abruptly. It made Mack look like a heartless cow.
Near the end: "Looks like you might have been right about your Capone theory" - WHAT THEORY??? She had no theory - she was just asking everyone randomly if they knew anything. And no one did. It would have been so interesting if this book planted seeds of a story that would grow in the next book. But it all just sort of fizzled. (Spoiler. Sorry.)
I would love to see synesthesia handled by a better writer - controlling it, interpreting it, differentiating between "real" and synesthetic manifestations - it just doesn't seem to go deep enough here. Mack mentions a few times that she has trouble telling "real" scents (etc.) from the effects of the synesthesia - but it barely seems to affect her most of the time. It's such a shame - there are several books in this series, but I just can't do it. Maybe in print it would be better ... ()
On the plus side, I learned that Billy Joel is a synesthete, along with Tori Amos, Duke Ellington, and Itzhak Perlman. How have I been a Billy Joel fan for decades and never heard that before?
August 21, 2013
Overall, I enjoyed the story. The characters were interesting. I suspected who the killer was early on, but the author cleverly threw many suspicious red herrings in about other secondary characters to keep you guessing. I would read future books by this author.
February 13, 2025
not for me but could be for you!
April 8, 2020
A decent enough start to a new series with a very unique protagonist.
The Good, The Bad, and Everything in the Middle: I've always been drawn to unique characters, particularly ones with some sort of "disability" as their inner character tends to be strong and full of perseverance. With Mack I've found a character I've never run across before. Mack has Synthesia (a very basic definition is a neurological condition where the person's senses are crossed often resulting in being able to see sounds or taste smells among other things...it is more involved but this is the gist.) Her constantly having to sort if she were having a real sensory reaction to stimuli or a resulting secondary reaction caused by her Synthesia was really interesting. Mack did mention she spent her whole life trying to ignore the sensory reactions that weren't "real" but I would think after so many years some reactions would be constant. For example, her father, although he had already died months before this book takes place, I would think Mack would have one specific occurrence when, let's say, she hugged her father. In turn whenever she would see, taste, or hear that particular indicator she'd know it was her dad's "ring tone" so to speak but all of extra sounds, colors, smells, etc. were viewed as garbage distractions she felt she had to ignore. Towards the end a friend and her were putting together something to track them but I would have thought she would have had a basic list already. Oh and on a side note tasting chocolate when a good looking man talks to me sounds like a great way of controlling my blood sugars. All the flavor. None of the sugars.
OK enough of that. As far as character development goes I thought Mack was done pretty well and left enough room to grow through the series. On a lesser degree, Duncan's character wasn't as fleshed out. I really don't know what he saw in Mack (other than she threw a temper tantrum and stripped in front of him and the rest of the police because she was considered a suspect)….and hey! what guy wouldn't appreciate a young healthy woman who strips in front of him after an hour? His admiration and attention to Mack felt a bit forced unfortunately especially since Mack went from nice to bitchy at the drop of a hat. I spent half the book liking Mack and half the book thinking she was emotionally unbalanced. The bar regulars were not really fleshed out and became stereotypical bar patrons to me. You got the floozy, the 2 brothers who are the wise old owls offering advice to everyone, the pushy boyfriend who was unlikable and you knew that relationship was doomed from the beginning, the crotchety cook, and the secondary father figure who happens to have book shop next to the bar. There were more but you see what I'm saying. None of them were fleshed out really well and none stood out to me. I'm hoping for more development for them in the coming books.
The conclusion felt rushed as the majority of the book was setting up the "sting" where Duncan would pose as Mack's new bartender/server and Mack turned out to be TSTL. Why Mack? WHY? Once murder has been established you do NOT fail to lock your door. You do NOT venture down into the basement during a BLACKOUT. You do NOT assume your fake employee, who happens to be a cop, decided to just leave without saying good-bye. Especially since the night before he was the last to leave and made sure you LOCKED YOUR FREAKIN' DOOR!!! Ugh...I just can't with her. If this was a Friday the 13th movie she wouldn't have even made it to the half way point. Matter of fact she probably would have died during the stripping scene.
In a Nutshell: Despite Mack's TSTL moment at the end of the book I will read the next book in the series. I'm interested in seeing how Mack's condition can be used in the future rather than being ignored and there were quite a few yummy sounding drink recipes included in the book. The coffee based Macktini sounded really tasty.
The Good, The Bad, and Everything in the Middle: I've always been drawn to unique characters, particularly ones with some sort of "disability" as their inner character tends to be strong and full of perseverance. With Mack I've found a character I've never run across before. Mack has Synthesia (a very basic definition is a neurological condition where the person's senses are crossed often resulting in being able to see sounds or taste smells among other things...it is more involved but this is the gist.) Her constantly having to sort if she were having a real sensory reaction to stimuli or a resulting secondary reaction caused by her Synthesia was really interesting. Mack did mention she spent her whole life trying to ignore the sensory reactions that weren't "real" but I would think after so many years some reactions would be constant. For example, her father, although he had already died months before this book takes place, I would think Mack would have one specific occurrence when, let's say, she hugged her father. In turn whenever she would see, taste, or hear that particular indicator she'd know it was her dad's "ring tone" so to speak but all of extra sounds, colors, smells, etc. were viewed as garbage distractions she felt she had to ignore. Towards the end a friend and her were putting together something to track them but I would have thought she would have had a basic list already. Oh and on a side note tasting chocolate when a good looking man talks to me sounds like a great way of controlling my blood sugars. All the flavor. None of the sugars.
OK enough of that. As far as character development goes I thought Mack was done pretty well and left enough room to grow through the series. On a lesser degree, Duncan's character wasn't as fleshed out. I really don't know what he saw in Mack (other than she threw a temper tantrum and stripped in front of him and the rest of the police because she was considered a suspect)….and hey! what guy wouldn't appreciate a young healthy woman who strips in front of him after an hour? His admiration and attention to Mack felt a bit forced unfortunately especially since Mack went from nice to bitchy at the drop of a hat. I spent half the book liking Mack and half the book thinking she was emotionally unbalanced. The bar regulars were not really fleshed out and became stereotypical bar patrons to me. You got the floozy, the 2 brothers who are the wise old owls offering advice to everyone, the pushy boyfriend who was unlikable and you knew that relationship was doomed from the beginning, the crotchety cook, and the secondary father figure who happens to have book shop next to the bar. There were more but you see what I'm saying. None of them were fleshed out really well and none stood out to me. I'm hoping for more development for them in the coming books.
The conclusion felt rushed as the majority of the book was setting up the "sting" where Duncan would pose as Mack's new bartender/server and Mack turned out to be TSTL. Why Mack? WHY? Once murder has been established you do NOT fail to lock your door. You do NOT venture down into the basement during a BLACKOUT. You do NOT assume your fake employee, who happens to be a cop, decided to just leave without saying good-bye. Especially since the night before he was the last to leave and made sure you LOCKED YOUR FREAKIN' DOOR!!! Ugh...I just can't with her. If this was a Friday the 13th movie she wouldn't have even made it to the half way point. Matter of fact she probably would have died during the stripping scene.
In a Nutshell: Despite Mack's TSTL moment at the end of the book I will read the next book in the series. I'm interested in seeing how Mack's condition can be used in the future rather than being ignored and there were quite a few yummy sounding drink recipes included in the book. The coffee based Macktini sounded really tasty.
September 1, 2013
I really loved this. It was so fun to read a mystery set in my home town of Milwaukee. Hearing familiar names and locations was very cool. I loved Mack and the idea of her special abilities could help solve mysteries. The bar setting was a fun back drop. The romantic tension between Mack and the detective was not over done which I liked. I am looking forward to more in this series.
Mack has been running the bar ever since her father was killed. It has been ten months since he died. The crime has not been solved and it still hangs over Mack like a dark cloud. She never expected that when she went to take out the trash that her life would be in upheaval once again. Mack lives in an apartment above the bar that she shared with her father. She suffers from a particular disorder that causes her senses to work in a different way than most people. For example when she hears certain tones in Detective Albright's voice she tastes chocolate.
Mack discovers a dead body in the alley behind the bar when she takes out the trash. When she finds out that it was her fathers former girlfriend it doesn't make the situation worse because she knows that she will be suspect number one. A group of regular patrons try and help Mack sort out what happened so that they also can be taken off the suspect list.
Great flow and interesting premise. I LIKED IT!!
Mack has been running the bar ever since her father was killed. It has been ten months since he died. The crime has not been solved and it still hangs over Mack like a dark cloud. She never expected that when she went to take out the trash that her life would be in upheaval once again. Mack lives in an apartment above the bar that she shared with her father. She suffers from a particular disorder that causes her senses to work in a different way than most people. For example when she hears certain tones in Detective Albright's voice she tastes chocolate.
Mack discovers a dead body in the alley behind the bar when she takes out the trash. When she finds out that it was her fathers former girlfriend it doesn't make the situation worse because she knows that she will be suspect number one. A group of regular patrons try and help Mack sort out what happened so that they also can be taken off the suspect list.
Great flow and interesting premise. I LIKED IT!!
August 8, 2014
Honestly, I do keep an open mind when trying out new books and my standards aren't all that hight. Good characters, in this kind of book a bit fun and potential for a good romance and a plot that makes sense.
If it's well written I'm on board.
But this book here ... It starts and ends with the heroine. I would like Mack, the basics aren't bad, but jeez, she get's on my nerves. First with her unique condition she never shuts up about, second with her out-of-the-blue moodswings and third with her tendency to summarize every other page what we just learned.
As for the plot, sorry, it's pretty obvious from the first clue given who is the murder. So no points there either.
She gets a few points for the potential romance, but there too, there are only weak hints that get ruines by the boyfriend she still has - obviously not for much longer.
And sadly, there were also a lot of mistakes in the ebook-edition and that comes from me whose mother tongue is German and not English!
So no, I can't recommend this one, it's rather like a first draw that does show potential, yeah - but still needs a lot of work.
If it's well written I'm on board.
But this book here ... It starts and ends with the heroine. I would like Mack, the basics aren't bad, but jeez, she get's on my nerves. First with her unique condition she never shuts up about, second with her out-of-the-blue moodswings and third with her tendency to summarize every other page what we just learned.
As for the plot, sorry, it's pretty obvious from the first clue given who is the murder. So no points there either.
She gets a few points for the potential romance, but there too, there are only weak hints that get ruines by the boyfriend she still has - obviously not for much longer.
And sadly, there were also a lot of mistakes in the ebook-edition and that comes from me whose mother tongue is German and not English!
So no, I can't recommend this one, it's rather like a first draw that does show potential, yeah - but still needs a lot of work.
February 4, 2016
This is a new series for Beth Amos and I really like Mack, she is a red-head with an attitude. Not quite the humor of the Mattie Winston series, but still good. Mack has a condition called synesthesia, that when she gets sensory input it gets translated into taste and sounds and colors. Now Mack has a good handle on the condition to a degree and it adds to the story. If you want to read about an English detective wh0 also has it to an extreme degree, pick up Nigel McCreary and his DCI Mark Lapslie series. Will be picking up the next in this series.
May 4, 2019
This book has been on the TBR pile for longer that I'd like to admit, so when it finally made its way toward the top I decided it was time to check out this series. I have to say that I enjoyed this book more that I expected. It grabbed my attention right from the first few pages and kept me hooked until the very end. I like Mack. She has a neurological condition that makes her character different giving her a unique perspective. In addition she is a feisty, independent red-head. The secondary cast of characters consists of her employees and regular customers. I enjoyed all of them and thought they rounded out the story. There are plenty of suspects to choose from and the author does a good job of laying out the clues to distract the reader from the killer's identity. I have to say that when the killer was revealed it was not a surprise but the fact that I had guessed the identity didn't detract from the story.
I enjoyed this first book and look forward to returning to Mack's bar for the rest of the books in the series.
I enjoyed this first book and look forward to returning to Mack's bar for the rest of the books in the series.
March 24, 2020
Enjoyable start to this series! I like the fact that the main character, Mack, has an ability that makes her senses extra perceptive. It was different for a cozy mystery. I didn't think the killer was that obvious. The added bit about Capone was nice too. I will be continuing with this series and in fact just requested them all :-)
July 21, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book!!! Definitely one of the best cozy mysteries I've read in awhile. The mystery caught my attention right away. There were quite a few suspects to work through and even though I pegged the culprit fairly early on, it still didn't take anything away from the remainder of the story. Mack is a fantastic protagonist!!! She is smart, snarky, incredibly likeable and her neurological condition was extremely interesting to read about. Before this book, I was unfamiliar with synesthesia, but have enjoyed looking up more info on it. Very interesting that several musicians and well known people have the same diagnoses. I think that it puts a fun, unusual twist on a mystery and really I loved how Mack used it to help the investigation out. The cast of supporting characters really made this a fun read too. The local bar patrons are a great assortment of quirky people. Then there is Duncan. I love Duncan and there is no denying the chemistry that radiates between him and Mack. I love how the author set up future books by making the bar a relaxing hangout for cops and using Mack as a special consultant. The author did a great job of making the scenes continuously flow. Looking forward to starting book number two!
May 18, 2016
Awesome first book in the series. I really liked Mack, her bar and her bar regulars. There was some real chemistry between the characters and I can't wait to see what happens next. I also liked how at the end they went over how some of Mack's synesthesia reactions were at the crime scene. For as much as it kept me guessing whodunit, I was excited when my top suspect was guilty. Maybe I'm getting close to getting my arm chair PI license after all!
August 8, 2019
I've been wanting to read this for a long time now, and I really enjoyed it! I loved how all the bar regulars joined together in trying to clear all their names--everyone was a suspect in this book, since Mackenzie aka Mack's father's girlfriend was found dead out back by Mack's dumpster. Big Mack, as her dad was called, had been murdered ten months ago, but it was still a cold case. I liked the new friendship Mack formed with the detective named Duncan who went undercover as a bartender to keep an eye on the crowd and observe people. (Personally, I'm team Duncan and think she should let Zach hit the highway lol). Mack's condition of synesthesia helped a lot in solving the murder and I'm sure the next four books will have her solving more cases. I just hope that she ends up with Duncan! I loved some of the bar regulars like the two older guys Joe and Frank Signiorello and Cora, although at first I didn't really want to like her, because I just thought she was after Mack's guy Zach or now Duncan. She proved very useful too.
I had guessed fairly early on who the killer was, but of course I didn't have any idea of all the reasons. I'm anxious to read the next book and hope that it doesn't take me as long as it took to get around to this one!
I had guessed fairly early on who the killer was, but of course I didn't have any idea of all the reasons. I'm anxious to read the next book and hope that it doesn't take me as long as it took to get around to this one!
March 15, 2020
3.5 stars. Pretty good cozy mystery. The synesthesia condition was something new to me and provided an interesting quirk for Mack, the main character and bar owner. I will admit that I got a little tired of it, though, after the many times that Mack got a familiar sensation and remembered that she had felt the same sensation when she discovered the body. There were so many of these that I had to wonder how she had so many different sensations at one very short time. But it did help to make me wonder about each of the suspects---and there were a lot of suspects.
I thought that they didn't really keep the "secret" of Duncan being an undercover cop, since he followed Mack everywhere, even when she interviewed the various suspects in her office.
There was also a big info dump in the last chapter, tying up the loose ends, I guess, but I lost interest because there was so much.
I will continue with this series.
I thought that they didn't really keep the "secret" of Duncan being an undercover cop, since he followed Mack everywhere, even when she interviewed the various suspects in her office.
There was also a big info dump in the last chapter, tying up the loose ends, I guess, but I lost interest because there was so much.
I will continue with this series.
July 30, 2017
Mack finds a body outside her bar. The evidence points to her as the possible murderer so it's up to her to help find out who killed the victim.
During the course of the book, you learn about a condition called sythensia. Mack was born with this condition. This makes an interesting read. Does her condition help with the investigation? You have to read the book to find out.
There is another interesting twist of events involving Al Capone.
Plus there was the romance aspect of the book. Mack already has a suitor, Zach, and then Duncan, the cop investigating the murder, comes on the scene. Who does she choose or does she choose either man? You have to read the book to find out.
This was an enjoyable read.
During the course of the book, you learn about a condition called sythensia. Mack was born with this condition. This makes an interesting read. Does her condition help with the investigation? You have to read the book to find out.
There is another interesting twist of events involving Al Capone.
Plus there was the romance aspect of the book. Mack already has a suitor, Zach, and then Duncan, the cop investigating the murder, comes on the scene. Who does she choose or does she choose either man? You have to read the book to find out.
This was an enjoyable read.
April 13, 2024
Not too bad for this book, really enjoyed reading it and finding out who did the crimes at the bar…
I wonder if Mack and Duncan might had a relationship in the next series maybe but just a feeling…
Looking forward to read book series soon…
I wonder if Mack and Duncan might had a relationship in the next series maybe but just a feeling…
Looking forward to read book series soon…
March 5, 2024
Me in real life: If you have a boyfriend you shouldn’t even entertain the idea of feelings for someone else.
Me when reading: Dump his a$$ and go after this random new person!!!!!
I LOVE the concept of this book - solving crimes thanks to synesthesia!? Sign me up for the whole series. Oh wait, I already bought them all 😏
Can’t wait to make some of the drink recipes from the back of the book.
Me when reading: Dump his a$$ and go after this random new person!!!!!
I LOVE the concept of this book - solving crimes thanks to synesthesia!? Sign me up for the whole series. Oh wait, I already bought them all 😏
Can’t wait to make some of the drink recipes from the back of the book.
December 23, 2013
Mackenzie "Mack" Dalton inherits her dad's bar after his murder almost a year ago in the alley behind the bar. Now she has discovered his girlfriend's body in the same place. Mack has a neurologic condition known as synesthesia which allows her to see sounds and feel odors. This extrasensory quirk may hold the clue to the killer. A sexy detective goes undercover in the bar to flush out the killer.
The author is an emergency room nurse who also writes the Mattie Winston series. She does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters and keeping the story flowing. The hints at a connection to Al Capone and his tendency for secret passages under bars during Prohibition led me to the killer early on. However that did not take anything away from the story. This is a good solid book and I look forward to reading more in the series.
The author is an emergency room nurse who also writes the Mattie Winston series. She does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters and keeping the story flowing. The hints at a connection to Al Capone and his tendency for secret passages under bars during Prohibition led me to the killer early on. However that did not take anything away from the story. This is a good solid book and I look forward to reading more in the series.
July 16, 2017
I loved this book so much! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Mack is working her dream job and has just found out that the bar was one of Al Capone's hangouts, how exciting! Business will be booming now. With the murder solved and her bar extended what could go wrong? I have to see because there are four other books to read.
February 6, 2018
Questa serie mi attirava molto, ma ero frenata dalla speciale abilità della protagonista di cui si parlava nelle trame: credevo che fosse qualcosa di paranormale, invece è una patologia reale. Si chiama sinestesia: i pazienti possono sentire gli odori, vedere i suoni e cose così; in pratica la percezione dei sensi è come incrociata.
Cosa dire del libro? Mi è piaciuto molto, non riuscivo a metterlo giù (e questo è il motivo per cui ho dato il massimo del punteggio), nonostante non sia interessata ai vari cocktail citati e abbia capito subito chi fosse il cattivo. L'unico neo è che si prospetta un bel triangolo amoroso, ancora una volta: devo lanciare una petizione contro questa abitudine nei cozy mysteries...
Cosa dire del libro? Mi è piaciuto molto, non riuscivo a metterlo giù (e questo è il motivo per cui ho dato il massimo del punteggio), nonostante non sia interessata ai vari cocktail citati e abbia capito subito chi fosse il cattivo. L'unico neo è che si prospetta un bel triangolo amoroso, ancora una volta: devo lanciare una petizione contro questa abitudine nei cozy mysteries...
March 6, 2020
3.5 stars
The amateur detective in this cozy series is a bar owner. The twist is that she suffers from synesthesia- a neurological disorder that affects the person's senses. Mack sees sounds, hears or feels smells, tastes or feels things. yeah, it's a little weird but i thought an interesting quirk to give the protagonist.
Like other cozies, i liked the characters. the mystery was good.
i had a feeling so i read quickly to see if i was correct. (i held back & didn't peak ahead. woo hoo!)
I was also curious to see how Mack's condition who factor in & help solve the crime.
My one negative is that when the cop goes undercover in her bar, they literally tell EVERYONE the same exact cover story- word for word. (yeah...um...that's not suspicious at all!)
The amateur detective in this cozy series is a bar owner. The twist is that she suffers from synesthesia- a neurological disorder that affects the person's senses. Mack sees sounds, hears or feels smells, tastes or feels things. yeah, it's a little weird but i thought an interesting quirk to give the protagonist.
Like other cozies, i liked the characters. the mystery was good.
i had a feeling so i read quickly to see if i was correct. (i held back & didn't peak ahead. woo hoo!)
I was also curious to see how Mack's condition who factor in & help solve the crime.
My one negative is that when the cop goes undercover in her bar, they literally tell EVERYONE the same exact cover story- word for word. (yeah...um...that's not suspicious at all!)
July 1, 2017
The mystery involving Al Capone was interesting, and the supporting characters were all well fleshed out. And I liked the fact that the author is taking her time developing the romance between Mack and Duncan. The fact that Mack experiences synesthesia made the story that much more interesting. There were some plot holes in the actual police investigation that bothered me, but I will definitely be reading the next in the series.
July 9, 2023
I really liked this one and will continue this series! Mac is such a likeable and interesting character and her synesthesia makes her different from alllll the other spunky female amateur sleuths in books. The reader of this audiobook is wonderful, and her Scottish accent for Duncan is perfection. She has a wonderful ability to seamlessly switch between many characters' voices and you always know who is talking. This book is also completely clean, which I really appreciate. I wasn't sure a cozy mystery could really take place in a bar, but Allyson Abbott makes it work wonderfully! I would call it cozy with an edge to it...
Read
February 15, 2018A great read. There are many twists and turns and keeps you in suspense.
May 19, 2018
I enjoyed this one, especially learning about the main characters hidden abilities.
May 23, 2024
Fun cozy mystery. I will enjoy the whole series I think.
Want to read
August 10, 2025Mood/Seasonal Reading: takes place in October
Read
February 16, 2022The first in the series and a good series to enjoy. Mack finds the body of her deceased dad's girlfriend and must figure out who done it.
June 23, 2020
Very good start, great audio! Reminds me of the coffee house mysteries.
September 9, 2016
Hmmm... I enjoyed this book overall but there were also parts that really irked me. I gave three stars because it is the first of the series and firsts are often a bit rough.
What did I enjoy?
-the protagonist Mack was generally likeable and unique
-the supporting cast of characters was enjoyable (and often more so than Mack)
-the story moved along
What irked me?
-a police detective readily tells one of the main suspects all of the details of the case, without a second thought or any repercussions from his department (though apparently his colleagues think his technique is 'weird') even after Mack outright rats him out to one of his colleagues
-Mack ignores some fairly obvious clues
-Although on the one hand Mack seems to give complete, unquestioned trust to anyone who has walked into her bar more than 2 or 3 times, she also very arbitrarily turns against Gary, even though her father trusted Gary
-Mack is moody
-Duncan blames Mack's, occasionally justified anger on her red-headedness. That is akin to asking 'are you PMSing?' and is just as wrong a gaslighting technique
-Mack tosses her empty beer bottles into the trash. Does Milwaukee not have a recycling program? Do the beer companies not have a deposit on their bottles?
-Mack's treatment of Zach is really wrong (see the 'spoiler' for my thoughts on that, though it's hardly a spoiler as it's entirely predictable)
-the plot often strayed away from the murder mystery and into 'a day in the life of Mack and Duncan'
-see spoiler below re. my thoughts on the ending (if you don't mind the spoiler)
So, overall despite the issues I had with the book I also strangely enjoyed it. It is the first of a series. I will likely read at least one more to see where it goes.
What did I enjoy?
-the protagonist Mack was generally likeable and unique
-the supporting cast of characters was enjoyable (and often more so than Mack)
-the story moved along
What irked me?
-a police detective readily tells one of the main suspects all of the details of the case, without a second thought or any repercussions from his department (though apparently his colleagues think his technique is 'weird') even after Mack outright rats him out to one of his colleagues
-Mack ignores some fairly obvious clues
-Although on the one hand Mack seems to give complete, unquestioned trust to anyone who has walked into her bar more than 2 or 3 times, she also very arbitrarily turns against Gary, even though her father trusted Gary
-Mack is moody
-Duncan blames Mack's, occasionally justified anger on her red-headedness. That is akin to asking 'are you PMSing?' and is just as wrong a gaslighting technique
-Mack tosses her empty beer bottles into the trash. Does Milwaukee not have a recycling program? Do the beer companies not have a deposit on their bottles?
-Mack's treatment of Zach is really wrong (see the 'spoiler' for my thoughts on that, though it's hardly a spoiler as it's entirely predictable)
-the plot often strayed away from the murder mystery and into 'a day in the life of Mack and Duncan'
-see spoiler below re. my thoughts on the ending (if you don't mind the spoiler)
So, overall despite the issues I had with the book I also strangely enjoyed it. It is the first of a series. I will likely read at least one more to see where it goes.
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