Witch Brew

Jack Daniels Thriller #22

by J.A. Konrath

TRY TO GET OUT, IF YOU CAN...

What happened in the Northwoods?

Former homicide cop Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels has two vacations planned. One at a bed and breakfast with her old pal, Chandler. Another, a visit to a themed escape room with Phineas Troutt, her daughter Sam, Harry McGlade, and his son Harry Junior.

Vacations are supposed to be an escape.

But what if you can't escape?

When both trips go terrifyingly wrong, Jack and those she loves must fight for their lives against a collection of villains too horrible to comprehend.

And the maniacs running things aren't nearly as bad as the killers from Jack's past who have plans of their own...

WITCH BREW by J.A. Konrath
The only escape is death...

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Humor, Fiction, Crime, Action

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2023

About the author

Joe Konrath has written over twenty novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series. They do not have to be read chronologically to be enjoyed, but the order is: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Shot of Tequila, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Dead On My Feet, Serial Killers Uncut (with Blake Crouch), Shaken, Stirred (with Blake Crouch), Dying Breath, Everybody Dies, Rum Runner, Last Call, White Russian, Shot Girl, Chaser, Old Fashioned, Bite Force, and Witch Brew. More coming soon.

Wow, that's a lot of Jack.

If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.

Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.

He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.

With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.

And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.

Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.

You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php

Reviews

[Mylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to have to ask for Witch Brew the next time I order a drink.

This story was fine but it was a complete segue to Pink Lady and the return of Alex Kork and friends. I can’t wait!!!! JA Konrath has an amazing sense of story timing and he has the art of the thriller down perfectly. I enjoy all his output. Although the villain(s) are not as colourful as they normally are, one of the best scenes took place at the bar Jack and Chandler found.

[Kal burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! The long awaited Jack Daniels #22 I had on pre-order is finally here! I’ve missed these characters so much, Konrath can’t seem to pump these out fast enough for me. Lol
I’ve come to fall in love with his knack for storytelling in his chosen format, which jumps back and forth between characters from chapter to chapter.

I am here to report that the wait was well worth it, as Konrath really delivers in this installment. I got big “Ernest scared stupid” vibes with this story arc/villain combo, and I am totally here for it! Witty dialogue as always, and I definitely got the dose of Harry McGlade that I’ve come to know and love.

Excellent.

[Matthew O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

JA Konrath is my favorite author.

Every book of his I've ever read has been superb.

I have this one problem, though.

Every night, I have a designated time frame in which I read. When my time frame ends, I go to sleep.

Whenever I start a new Konrath book, I go over my damn end time because the book is so good, so compelling, I can't stop reading.

This was another excellent Jack Daniels book. The series has phenomenal characters. The story of Witch Brew was fantastic, and really has me pumped for the next entry in the series.

Thanks Joe!

[Holt R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it is what it is at this point. 2-star rating here means "it was ok" and that's how I felt after finishing.

Between the fourth wall breaking, the out of control dad jokes (seriously at least 4 pages in a row of them) and all the previously cool/badass characters turning into clowns I'm glad I finished this in a couple of nights.

Ended with a cliffhanger, but honestly I don't even care lol. I'll stick with the series as long as I have Kindle Unlimited (been reading this series and others by the author for at least a decade now) but the days of being excited about a Konrath release are long gone

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed at 5%

Let's see. In the short investment of my time we had:
A witch. Don't know what to make out of it yet.
A long family talk about killing people which for some reason, true or not, was like a normal thing to do.
A family friend who is a spy that also kills people and apparently breaks to the family's phones to spy on them. Because that is what a real spy does.
Perfectly normal.

Pass

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love all of these characters in this series! Very good read. I cannot wait for the next one!

[David Blaylock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give any book dedicated to me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

[Christie Conklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need more!

As always, intriguing, funny, and vicious! I wish you would release 10 books at a time! There's not one of your books that hasn't left me wanting more.. please keep them coming!

[Kellie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I love the author. This story was written with excellence. Twist and turn, humor and caring for the characters. Its a book you do not want to put down.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

North Woods Creatures

J.A. Konrath brings the whole crew together for a frolic in the northern woods. Check out what they are up to.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the author, series, and characters. Not this book, my least favorite in the entire series.

It was like this was rushed or not fully fleshed out. The intended plot at the B&B could have been fine if that was the focus. We had multiple villains that were an afterthought. The added plot of the escape room was unnecessary. It took me out of the story every single damn time. The time shifts were too many. The puns/dad jokes were beyond excessive. It was not a book I'd recommend.

I'll read the next one whenever it's released, but I hope it returns to what I have grown to love with the Jack Daniels series.

[Nogueira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Daniels and Chandler (the main of another series by the same author) go out on a road trip in order to blow some steam and girl bond (if that is possible for a ex-cop with issues and a professional assassin with even more issues). But of course, it's not going to be a trip to Vermont watching the leaves fall... They go down south where a bunch of rednecks have another idea of girl bonding! Harry McGlade also drops by with is funky humour and dirty nonsense...

Hardcore Konrath fans live me will love this, every element that made this of the best crime thriller series currently being published are present and this time the author really goes a extra mile on breaking the continuity of the story with constant jumps in time and curious reflections about the notions of reality and dream/hallucination.

A bit like the previous one (JACK ROSE), this is a very good read, but still far from the amazing stuff the author has gave us earlier in this series - if you're new to Jack Daniels boot, don't start with this one! The end is a cliffhanger to the next one (already pre-order it) with a old acquaintance preparing a brutal revenge...

The Chandler character is very good, it had already made some cameos on other Jack Daniels books - think I'm finally going to download the first one on codename Chandler series...

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I usually love than Jack Daniels series. I've read it and enjoyed many of them. This particular book, although a good and insightful book, was not what I was wanting or expecting. There were basically three or four ongoing streams that related to each other but the way it was presented was confusing and annoying at best. There was not one straight timeline, but four concurrent timelines separately that really did braid back together and depended on each other, but it was not a standard Jack Daniels mystery at all!
It did include some fascinating ideas and subplots, and it left open a tantalizing recurring idea. I do look forward to future books come on but I hope the that Mr. Konrath does not continue this confusing format.

[Glenn And · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need access to better drugs!

I love the Jack Daniels series. Characters are unique, action is exciting, and the humor is a relief. Konrath has fun. It comes across in each story. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Maybe the story went over my head. The discussion of what is real and the crazy number of dad jokes took me out of the story. It was fun for awhile but became tiresome. In truth I was disappointed. I look forward to these books. I have read each at least twice. This one was not as good as the others.

[Elaine Lucky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the rest of the book series. Too many stupid dad jokes that just wasted pages. A jumble of back and forth of breaking the third and fourth wall. Way too much McGlade crap that started getting old. The good points were Chandler becoming more human than assassin and finding more friendship with Jack and the tongue in cheek how the author pokes fun at his pseudonyms. Disappointing that Jack is now using drugs. I will continue the series though.

[Andy Krahling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars. Not my favorite of the series, but, the author can tell a story, and I was engaged. Go ahead and hate me, but I think Harry McGlade is one of the funniest characters ever, and he made me laugh out loud 5 or 6 times. Young Harry Jr. was hilarious, too (in an inappropriate way).

I for one appreciated the Dad joke gag, and had a smirk-fest.

Will I read more of Jack and the gang? Sure.

[Amy Mcnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

Another amazing read from Konrath. This book does not disappoint. Lots of action, a bit of comedy and of course from the beginning you’re hooked. I love that Chandler makes an appearance in this book along with Jack and Harry. It’s a wild ride, but when is it not with this group? It’s a great book, but don’t take my word for it…READ IT!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Crazy tactics on how to torture and kill are unrevealed by Jackie, Harry, Phin and Chandler. Of course Jackie, Harry and Chandler have become victims as well, but escape. However the serial killer still on the loose. And with that , I will leave it right there. The final twist had me yell out loud “ What ?! You’re kidding me!”

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot more dialogue and a lot less action than previous Jack Daniels books. Book 22 had too much going on, too many villains and too many dad jokes. Also that annoying little shit gets her own chapters in this one. If she ends up taking over as the main character one day, that will be the day I stop reading the series. But that ending has me salivating for book 23.

[Vickie Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is never just one bad guy...or gal

Another gripping ride with Jack and company. There were plenty of bad g's to go around. Some of the storyline was hallucinations so it took a little adjusting to figure out the flow. Psychological tension Kept me wrapped up in turning the next page. Thank goodness for the comic relief. Reminded me to breathe.

[Britt Echols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite book of the series. McGlade is getting worse and worse (if that’s possible). The B & B had potential for a good story, but escape room felt forced. Hoping for a bounce back on the next book of series.

[Amy Treboni · Rating 4 out of 5]

too much extra?

These books and scenarios are always extra but there was a bit too much extra for my taste in some of the scenes.

[WendyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The usual twisted Konrath story, funny, gross, horrifying, everything readers have come to expect.
Love it.

[Courtney Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jack series is always a great time! Tension, adventure, and of course, McGlade's comedic relief make it difficult to put down! Can't wait for #23!!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's as good as the beginning of the series. I really enjoyed the dual stories. Read in February 2024.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Books Never Get Old

Non stop action, characters you know so much about they are almost real, and the jokes peppered throughout the entire journey. Loved it! 5 STARS

[Theresa Baccali · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

This book was excellent! I love all of the characters . I was so glad to see the crew back together!

[Halie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This another book in the "Jack Daniels" series. If you like the preceding books in the series, you'll find that it's written a little differently, I thought. I liked it, and I recommend it.

[Charlotte Thurman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This is my favorite series this didn't disappoint. Kept me guessing from the start to finish. Just incredible so recommend