Rum and Choke is the fourth installment in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon mystery series set in Emerald Cove, Florida and featuring Chloe Jackson, co-owner of the Sea Glass Saloon. Chloe is settling into her new life but is not too happy that her business partner, Vivi Slidell and head bartender, Joaquin Diaz have entered her into the annual Florida Panhandle Barback games, an obstacle course themed competition.

Vivi and Joaquin are determined that Chloe begin training in order to win the competition, but the other bars have brought in ringers - professional athletes - and Chloe fears she doesn't stand a chance and is only going to embarrass herself. However, instead of focusing on her training, Chloe finds herself accompanying Ann Williams, known as a "fixer" on a search for pirate treasure.

The two women go on a dive and discover the body of Enrique Laurier, one of the athletes in the games. It seems that Ann had a past with Enrique and Chloe recently had a troubling encounter with the man, so it's no surprise when the duo becomes the prime suspects in the eyes of Deputy Dan Biffle. Desperate to clear her name Chloe sets out on a dangerous hunt to track down a killer.

A terrific plot that perfectly weaves a mystery, new friendships and developing romantic relationship. The reveal at the end is surprising but the motive is understandable and in some eyes justified. There are many more adventures on the horizon for Chloe and her new beau Rip Barnett, and I for one will be bellied up to the bar.

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Dollycas's Thoughts

We are back in Emerald Cove, Florida just in time to witness Chloe Jackson train for the upcoming Barback Games. The obstacle course can be tough and the trophy is such a coveted prize some of the bars have brought in ringers. Vivi Slidell the saloon's co-owner and head bartender Joaquin Diaz both encourage Chloe to take the day off and check out the competition.

Chloe has also been asked by Vivi's friend Ann to help her with a project regarding some hidden treasure linked to her family history. Instead of finding treasure, they find the dead body of one of the ringers brought in to participate in the Barback Games.

So while searching for sunken treasure with Ann they are also searching for a killer. Suddenly pushing a keg up a hill doesn't seem so hard.

What a fantastic story!

I loved that Ann Williams who claims to be a descendant of the famous pirate Jean Lafitte was given a starring role in this installment. She is known as a âfixerâ in the area and until now has been pretty mysterious. The fact that she asked Chloe to help her was very interesting. Chloe becomes a loyal friend really fast especially when they find themselves in dire straights.

Chloe has really grown over the course of this series. She and Vivi co-owing the Sea Glass Saloon has opened up a ton of possibilities. They have learned how to work together very well. Throw Joaquin into the works and they all make a great team. I am so happy that they have realized they need to hire more help. Chloe's interview techniques had me laughing out loud. The other thing that makes me happy is Chloe's relationship with Rip. It is evolving at a perfect pace.

Miss Harris really pulled out the stops when she penned the mysteries in this book. The mystery of a sunken pirate ship grabbed my attention right away. The subplot has several nice twists and a moment that stopped my heart. The murder mystery was compelling as well. Chloe did her best to link all the clues together and my oh my that final twist was a doozy.

Everything I have read by Ms. Harris has been fun and entertaining. Rum and Choke is just the latest in a group of wonderful reads. Her characters are well-developed, the mysteries are complex and even when it's raining the setting is superb, especially when the snow is flying here in Wisconsin.

I am really excited for the next book in this series because the author has dropped a few breadcrumbs of probable coming events and the last line of the book had me grinning ear to ear.

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