Plus hints on where to start if you like to jump into the middle of a series
It’s been a fun launch week for the newest Bohemia Bartenders Mystery, Why Oh Rye? I was a tad bit concerned that the novel’s parallel plots would be, shall we say, too much? But I’m happy to say that there’ve been some lovely reviews so far that see what I hoped to do with this zany story.
The Book Decoder calls Why Oh Rye? “a scintillating, intoxicating, and thoroughly engrossing mystery.” Stephanie at Book Frolic says this new novel is “fast-paced and full of mystery, action, and humour.” And Yvonne at Socrates’ Book Reviews wrote, “What a roller-coaster ride this book turned out to be! Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, you find out that you didn’t at all. This has become one of my favorite series.”
The book takes Pepper Revelle and her Bohemia Bartenders friends back to New Orleans. She’s ready to face her nemesis, only a murder gets in the way. And then the weekend gets really wild.
You can read each of these mysteries on their own, but as followers of the series point out, you’ll get more out of the ongoing stories of the characters by starting at the beginning. Why Oh Rye? in particular is almost a direct sequel to Beguiled by Bourbon, though there are seeds (eggs, actually) in Shocked by Champagne that lead to Pepper’s return to New Orleans. Still, each book catches you up, so you can dive in where you wish.
I’ve been thinking about series “entry points” and thought this list might help in case you want to start in the middle.
Risky Whiskey, Book 1 (free right now) – introduces Pepper and her friends and her New Orleans roots. This book, Beguiled by Bourbon and Why Oh Rye? would all be good to read in order.
Wrecked by Rum, Book 2 – Stands alone but drops nuggets you’ll hear mentioned in Vexed by Vodka, Book 3.
Vexed by Vodka, Book 3 – It’s fine to start here, but you might enjoy the bit of backstory in Wrecked by Rum, Book 2.
Jiggered by Gin, Book 4 – You can jump right in with this one, though if you want to track Pepper’s romantic interests – well, those start at the beginning of the series.
Beguiled by Bourbon, Book 5 – We meet characters that are critical to Why Oh Rye? and, indeed, are mentioned in Shocked by Champagne. In fact, there’s a twist here that future books will talk about. (And this is why I don’t recommend reading most reviews of the subsequent books until reading this one, if you want to be surprised.)
Shocked by Champagne, Book 6 – You can jump right in here, but as I just mentioned, you’ll discover the twist revealed in Book 5.
Why Oh Rye?, Book 7 – Of course, you can read it by itself, but you’ll get more out of it if you read Book 5 (Beguiled by Bourbon) first, and even more if you’ve read the first book in the series.
As an avid reader, I’ve jumped into series in the middle. It’s tempting to do so when series start to get longer and you’re eyeing the wait list at the library. You can certainly start wherever you like with these books. But it’s satisfying to get to know the characters as they develop. I love watching the friendships and relationships between the characters grow, and there are quite a few characters at this point!
Pepper’s friends are my friends, too, and they will be going on new adventures for a while. One reader review of Why Oh Rye? said, “I could see this series going on forever!” Thank you. I feel the same way!
The next novel will be Smoked by Scotch, which brings the crew to Scotland. Stay tuned!
