Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover | Cozy Mystery Review

I’ve been following Adrian Andover on Instagram for a couple of months now. It’s been exciting to watch him finish up his first cozy mystery novel and share snippets along the way. Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover will be releasing in just a few weeks and I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy so that I could share my thoughts on the blog.

Keep reading for my full Whiskey Business review. And if you’re looking for more cozy mystery recs, click here.

What is Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover about?

Reece Parker is a mixologist-shaken by his recent breakup, stirred up in a mystery, and searching for proof of his innocence…

After breaking off an engagement with his fiancée, Reece Parker opens Subplot, a literary-themed underground cocktail lounge in his quaint hometown of Hope Mills, Pennsylvania.

While launching a new business temporarily distracts him from self-pity, Reece’s regret is compounded when he stumbles upon a customer’s body behind the lounge after a whiskey club meeting gone wrong. As if he wasn’t already on the rocks, his ex-fiancée’s big brother is a police officer on the case.

Reece takes matters into his own hands to prove his innocence, save his new lounge’s reputation, and restore peace in his beloved town. But as he seeks out the victim’s killer, will he meet his own bitter end? (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

The first thing that grabbed my attention is the cover! It’s really well done. The colors are very warm and inviting. It makes Subplot look very cozy, which is exactly how I imagined it in my head.

The Mystery

The mystery in this book takes place when a a local whiskey club visits Reece’s lounge. They’re excited to try out the new cocktail lounge as well as try out some locally distilled whiskey. But when one of the members gets rowdy, and later winds up dead, it’s up to Reece to figure out who the murderer is.

His business is new and the fact that a body was found in the alley behind his new business does not make a good first impression. So he takes it upon himself to do a little digging and try to figure out who killed the person in his alley. And why?

The Setting

I loved the description of Hope Mills, a fictional small town in Pennsylvania. I myself am from central Pennsylvania and so it reminds me of quite a few small towns that I have been too! The businesses there sound neat (like Subplot and D’amicos). And I thought the mentions of pocket parks sounded neat. Hope Mills seems like the kind of town I would love to visit in real life.

The descriptions of Subplot also made me want to visit there. The bookcase entrance. The bookish menus and cocktail names. And on Thursdays they even have a DJ playing chill music. It seems like a really fun place to hang out.

The Side Characters

Reece is a very sociable guy and has a lot of friends and acquaintances in this story. There’s Ava, his employee. Plus his other friends and acquaintances, as well as his ex fiancee Chloe. This is book one in the mixology lounge mystery series and I’m looking forward to learning more about these character in future books.

Things I Enjoyed

The town of Hope Mills
The coziness of Subplot
The different side characters
The side plot of Reece coming to terms with his sexuality and sharing this with his friends and family.

Things I Didn’t Enjoy

It bothered me a little bit how when Reece was trying to solve the mystery, he immediately started questioning Ava in a way that made her uncomfortable. Considering they were such good friends, it was surprising to me. Especially since she had been nothing but supportive since the very beginning. I feel like she could have used a better apology. But things worked out in the end!

In Conclusion

Thank you so much for checking out my Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover book review. This is a great start to the series and if you’re an avid reader of cozy mysteries, I think you’ll enjoy it. The setting is cozy and it has a solid plot. It’s the perfect read for the lifelong mystery lover.

To learn more about the author and the book release of Whiskey Business, you can find out more on at his website and instagram.