This is a DNF for me. When I chose it, I did realize that it was part of a series (though I did not realize it was so far into the series as it is) and that I hadn't read others in the series. Given that there are 2 couples who take a vacation together, it probably can be read as a stand-alone without having lost too much history of the series.

I just couldn't get into the characters or the storyline. ( )

A Case of Bier is the 31st Bed-and-Breakfast mystery by Mary Daheim, but according to the author's note, it takes place during August 2006. The book starts at Hillside Manor, which allows readers to glimpse regular supporting characters such as next-door neighbor Arlene Rankers (with a cameo from her daughter, Cathy), heroine Judith's cantankerous mother, Gertrude, and Gertrude's (unless he does something to annoy her, in which case he's Judith's), cat Sweetums. We also get to meet the hapless new mailman, Chad. Don't worry about Judith's religious fanatic cleaning lady, Phyllis Rackley. She has a subplot Arlene relays to Judith over the phone.

Judith, her husband Joe, her cousin Renie, and Renie's husband, Bill, are taking a vacation to scenic Banff, Canada. The cousins were there with their families decades ago. The place is as lovely as ever, but the ladies should never have let the men make the reservations. Joe and Bill don't have to suffer. They've gone fishing with a guide and won't be back for most of the book.

Judith and Renie go for a walk, which is how they meet the eccentric Stokes family, who are camping. The Stokes explain that their patriarch, Codger, wants to be sent down the Bow River on a bier when he dies. He hardly looks as if he's ready to drop dead, no matter what his kinfolk say about him. Adela Stokes Odell, her husband Norm, and their 18-year-old twins, Win and Winnie, are staying at the same motel as the cousins. The Odells appear to be the most normal members of the family.

The Mounties (and the cousins) have their hands full when a murder is announced, but the corpse vanishes. So do some of the living members of the Stokes family. Luckily for Judith, the main Mountie, Sergeant Brewster, has found out that Judith is FASTO (Female Amateur Sleuth Tracking Offenders). This helps since of course she's trying to solve the mysteries. Joe hates it when she does that. Can the cases be closed before Joe and Bill come back?

NOTES:

Chapter 1:

a, We meet Chad, the new mailman, whom Arlene prefers to call 'Charles'. He's from the Midwest, but his bride wants to stay in her native Pacific Northwest.

b. Here's where we get Cathy's cameo and Joe telling Judith what his ex-wife, Vivian, is thinking of doing.

c. There's no mention of gray when Sweetums is described as orange and white. His tail is plume-like, though.

Chapter 2:

a. The cab ride has an extreme example of Renie not being a morning person.

b. Renie and Judith talk about about their last trip to Banff. It doesn't seem as if the book Judith was reading then, Ten Million Delinquents, exists.
Mentions: Roman Colosseum, Best Western, Cranbrook, British Columbia;

Chapter 3:

a. The Banff Springs Motel is described. The couples were given the Rose and Yew suites.

b. The cousins meet the Stokes. Judith mentions their Aunt Ellen and Uncle Win in Beatrice.

Mentions: Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum, 'River of No Return' (film)

Chapter 4:

a. We meet the Odells.

b. Arlene makes the first of the Phyllis Rackley subplot phone calls.

c. Renie talks about their Great-Aunt Rosie and her husband, Duane, whom she called 'Drano'.

Mentions: the Ku Klux Klan, the Communist Party, the Great Depression

Chapter 6: We meet Mounties Sergeant Brewster and Constable MacRae.

Chapter 9: Adela Odell knows that Judith is FASTO.

Chapter 10: Judith's call to her mother updates us on the Phyllis Rackley subplot. A few pages later, we get a bit of Phyllis' background.

Chapter 17:

a. Arlene calls about Gertrude and Deb, who went to Sophie Savory's condo to play bridge. (Sophie flosses her teeth at church???) Arlene has a cousin Avery in Winona, Montana. Avery gets up early to feed his monkey.

b. Here is where Judith makes up a weird story about a non-existent Uncle Alfr3ed, Aunt Opal, and cousin Archie. Renie plays along.

c. Judith mentions that Mike and family like Quoddy Head State Park, Maine.

Chapter 18: I'd say that Judith and Renie were in Edinburgh in Scots on the Rocks, but that book came out in 2007 and this one is set in 2006.

Chapter 20: Codger's first wife was Marcella Jane Draper Stokes. His second, Adela & Cornelius' mom, was librarian Athena Pappas of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Aside from giving readers some local color for Banff, Ms. Daheim has furnished her mystery with plenty of odd characters for Judith and Renie to interact with. Joe and Bill may not be around much, but it sounds as if they were having a better time than their wives.

Dog Lovers: Sorry, Varmint is only mentioned.

Cat Lovers: Sweetums has merely a cameo.

If you enjoy this series, you'll want to read this entry. If you prefer your mysteries to lack a sense of humor, give it a miss. ( )

An enjoyable, cute cozy mystery! This is the first book I have read by Mary Daheim and it won't be my last.

After a busy summer, Judith McMonigle Flynn desperately needs a holiday. Her thoughtful husband, Joe, surprises her with a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Thrilled to be getting away, Judith’s overjoyed when Cousin Renie and Bill agree to join them. Though the husbands have made the arrangements, how bad can a short time away in the beautiful mountains be? Judith and Renie are about to find out!

However, the other guests who are camping nearby, are rather strange and peculiar. They’ve gathered on the mountainside to give a relative a proper and permanent send-off, but Judith realises that paying their respects might be a little premature. It’s up to her and Renie to save a would-be corpse from an early date with death.

I really enjoyed the main character and her husband. There was a lot of good humour in this book, which helped with the cozy atmosphere and I loved the random approach they had when trying to solve the case.

A CASE OF BIER is entertaining and a fairly fast read, with a quick pace. I was able to follow the characters and their backgrounds without any problem, even though I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. I would like to read the other books since I enjoyed this one.

Thank you to Edelweiss, William Morrow and Mary Daheim for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review. ( )

I won this in a GOODREADS giveaway. ( )