Ale I Want for Christmas is a Clue

Sloan Krause #6.6

by Ellie Alexander

Amateur sleuth and brewer Sloan Krause returns in Ale I Want for Christmas is a Clue, a new cozy mystery novella from author Ellie Alexander. Includes recipes!'Tis the season for frothy winter ales and the annual Bavarian holiday market in the charming alpine village of Leavenworth, Washington. Brewing partners Sloan Krause and Garrett Strong are debuting their latest collaboration, “Merry Brew Year,” a hoppy ale brewed with caramel, toffee, and cinnamon for the opening night of Christkindlmarkt. It’s a festival atmosphere in Front Street Park as the snow begins to fall and the children’s lantern parade illuminates the street. But not all is merry and bright when a twisted turn of events leaves a local vendor as dead as last year's Tannenbaum.

Now Sloan Krause must tap into the mystery and pour over the clues. Can she barrel through the lies and uncask the truth, or will the holiday season end in a bitter finish? With their new beer on the line and a killer who's not afraid to malt the competition, Sloan must unravel the mystery before the final toast is made. Will it be a "hoppy" holiday, or will the murderer's cold-hearted draft leave everyone's spirits flat?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Holiday, Christmas, Novella, Food

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2023

About the author

Ellie is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over forty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.

Find out more about Ellie and her books by visiting her website at: http://www.elliealexander.co/ or following her on social media—
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Reviews

[Sarka B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It has nice, cozy, Christmassy atmosphere. The descriptions of drinks and food are great, I just wanted to taste everything. There are even recipes included at the end. The book is very well written. I am looking forward to read other books from this nice serie.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I needed to start getting into the holiday spirit - a charming short in Leavenworth during the Christkindlmarkt! This was a great little armchair trip and I am craving some German food big time.

The mystery was entertaining as always, and I love seeing Sloan and Garrett’s relationship continue to grow!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes place at Bavarian holiday market in Leavenworth, Washington where Sloan Krause and Garrett Strong have a booth serving beer from Nitro, a popular nano-brewery. Sloan takes time out from serving their special winter brews to solve a potentially deadly mystery involving a few of the other vendors.

I enjoyed catching up with Sloan and Garrett again, especially in this wonderful setting. I felt like I was right there with Sloan visiting all the vendor booths and enjoying the holiday celebration. Sloan and Garrett make a great team and Sloan is very compassionate, helping out other vendors when they're in need. and trying to find out if a killer is on the loose at the market. Sloan's investigation was interesting, and I like the way the story wrapped up. I will be on the lookout for new books in this series.

[Taylynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite novella to date!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this world of Leavenworth WA and esp cool bc I’ve been there. Sloan always bakes and cooks the best food and always gets her killer ! I’m also digging her and Garetts slow romance :) can’t wait for the next one !

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Sloan Krause mysteries. This year, I've been getting caught up on the novellas and they are perfect way to spend an afternoon.... curled up with a mystery, delicious descriptions of mouthwatering food and all the the ambience of being in a little German village.

Ale I Want for Christmas is a Clue was a fun little mystery. I liked that it involved characters in the village that are either new or rarely seen. After all, you know we can't go killing off our favourite characters, which is why I was happy it was a relative newcomer who ended up the focus of the mystery. Don't worry all the best people in Leavensworth are still here, including Sloan, Garrett and her "found family" the Krauses.

I'm not a beer drinker, but I just love this series. Ellie Alexander writes mouth-watering descriptions of delectable food and drink, and if this town was real I would definitely visit... I mean without the murder! If you love culinary cozies I strongly recommend giving this series a try!

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like beer and I like mysteries so that's why this series has caught my eye.

Sloan works with Garrett in his microbrewery/pub, Nitro. It's time for the annual Bavarian holiday market in Leavenworth and Nitro has a booth along with other local vendors. Owen, a merchant who recently moved to the village, isn't particularly liked because he's not a very nice fella. When he's found with a knife in his head and barely alive, there are a few who could have wanted him dead. Sloan sets out to find out who would want him dead.

This is a novella after the sixth book in the Sloan Krause Series and I liked it. I've read the others and this works as a stand alone (there is enough background provided). It's written in first person perspective in Sloan's voice. There is some talk about beer and food pairings and recipes at the end. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/06...

[Tammy Jata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cheesy Hallmark movie in a book! Seriously. If Hallmark Christmas movies were told in written words, this book is it. The setting is Leavenworth, WA. I’ve been there several times and could easily picture the places and venues mentioned; the Gingerbread Shop, the Wine monger, the restaurants, etc.

The author did a good job of painting Leavenworth at Christmastime. I’m not sure you could find a more christmasy book anywhere! The story takes place on the opening night of Christkindlmarkt. For a bit of a plot, somebody stabbed somebody behind one of the tents at the bazaar. Who was it? Amateur sleuth and owner of Nitro, Sloane Krause, is determined to find out how did this.

The mystery is not a deep one and easily guessed by readers, but then isn’t that the way it is with the Hallmark Christmas movies too?

I do not watch those Hallmark movies at Christmas. As many others, I find them repetitive and light and…well…as I said before, cheesy! But hey, if you love those kind of stories you will love this book.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas novella featuring brewer/beertender Sloan Krause and company. Can be read as a standalone, but think it will resonate better if you've already downed a couple of other Krause brews before. (There's a lot of backstory that is referenced, but not explained in detail given the abbreviated length). Loved the characters and Leavenworth, WA scene per usual. My only gripe is that Sloan didn't so much solve the mystery in this one as the mystery just happened to resolve on its own.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holiday Cozy Mystery

I love this series so much. The mystery, the characters. I absolutely adore spending time with Sloan, Garrett, and all the town's people of Leavenworth, WA. The Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt) made a great backdrop for this story. I'm not A beer drinker, but Sloan and Garrett's holiday "Merry Brew Year" sounds delicious.
I highly recommend this book and series.

[Susan A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great holiday short story

Despite a possible murder, this is a very enjoyable holiday read. Sloan Krause and her family and friends make for a lively story filled with now familiar characters. When what seems like Ana tempted murder occurs midst the holiday festival, Sloan and company are on the case. I really enjoyed the description of the Christmas market and the descriptions of the food and drink added to the whole holiday atmosphere.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sloan discovers a man with stab wounds at the Christmas Festival. Sloan wants to figure our who hurt him and there seem to be a lot of potential culprits. I enjoyed this entry in the series which is a novella. The Christmas Festival setting was interesting. We get updates on some of the secondary characters and get to see continued development of Sloan's relationship with Garrett. Very enjoyable read that I would recommend.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, this was a bit rough. For one, Christkindl is not an angel like creature, it's literally baby Jesus who brings the presents. Also, for the first half I couldn't figure out what 'Knust and Kaffee' is supposed to mean as the name when it finally came up as a typo as it should be 'Kunst and Kaffee' (Art and Coffee).
I'm not really sure what to think of these last few efforts in the series. It was alright I guess, but honestly you can stop at book 5 and it's all good.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmasy mystery with delicious sounding food and drink. Sloan and Garrett are participating in the Christkindlmarkt this year. On opening night, they witness three separate incidents involving a new crafter in town . Later, Sloan finds him seriously injured and can't help but get involved in finding the culprit.
Although this is a shorter book , the story is complete and satisfying. I always enjoy the characters, setting, and food delights in this series.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to return to Leavenworth, WA. This “ short”moved at a good pace and captured the Christmas vibe. I did find numerous proofreading errors which distracted me and took me out of the experience briefly. Retired English teacher - what can I say? Still giving it 4 stars. Thanks for the adventure, Ellie.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a holiday cozy mystery, and this is a good one. The Sloan books are satisfying reads no matter what, but when you add in all things Christmas too, perfection.
Although a short mystery, there were still several suspects to choose from. I liked that it wasn’t obvious. The Sloan books are great, and I highly recommend this one.

[Deborah Almada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick holiday mystery

Always fun to visit with this group! Enjoyed the holidays and market as a backdrop and we got to spend time with all our favorite characters. Obviously the mystery cannot be in depth when we have so few pages but their were options and a better than average ending, happy holidays!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect little Christmas mystery

A short mystery featuring Sloane Krause and Leavenworth’s Christmas festival. I like this author’s Bakeshop mysteries, but I absolutely love the beer theme in this series and find Sloane a much more interesting protagonist. This was a fun, satisfying read with a sweet surprise at the end.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Sloan books and this story was a fun installment. I prefer a longer format but it was a good novella. I love finding out what is happening with my favorite characters and what yummy beer Sloan and Garrett have developed. I noticed several consistency errors in this story, but it was basically a good fun quick read.

[Kathleen Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beer Puns Ahead!


I enjoy reading cozy mysteries that are linked to bookstores, coffee shops, etc. This was the first series linked with a brewery. I love books that have strong family or friend relationships. I only wish it was real because the various beers sound so intriguing > I wish I could enjoy a beer flight!

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Short Story

Ellie Alexander redeemed herself with this Christmas short story. There's not quite a murder, lots of lovely visualization, and fun recipes. Sloan and Garrett are still inching along in their relationship, but it does appear serious now. The book's ending leaves open a secondary plot line for another book.

[Deepa T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit I was surprised by this book - it was too short, and it was more Christmas than Mystery. But then it was everything I signed up for. This is, as advertised, a Christmas Mystery novella. There’s so much baking and beer-ing and warm, cozy winter vibing throughout this book. A short mystery is sprinkled in, too. I quite enjoyed this book.

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I'm a teetotaler and can't stand the smell of beer, I love this series. I love the setting. I love the characters. I love learning about brewing beer for some unknown reason. This is a very good addition to the series. I hope a full length book is in the works.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. I loved the food talk and the descriptions of the festival. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series so I wasn’t familiar with the characters but it makes me want to read them and find out .

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly perfect short novel for last day of holiday reading. Attempted murder at the Christkindlmarkt nearly upends everyone’s holiday spirits, but Sloan Krause’s empathy and powers of observation aid Leavenworth’s police chief once again.

[Donald E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retired from the book business after 44 years and a longtime craft beer lover this series never fails to amaze me. And if you’ve never tried any of the recipes I highly recommend that you do.

Ellie Alexander please keep writing this series.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas cozy set at the winter market - a lot of drama around Owen, who seems like a terrible person. Good beer and good food set with a festive holiday atmosphere round out this quick cozy where there is no murder but a big injury.

[Cindy Pendergraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet cozy holiday mystery. It was fun to read.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this novella! Perfect Christmas reading!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always thrilled to get to spend time in Leavenworth with Sloan and Company!