While I enjoy the Witches’ Brew cozy mystery series by Gretchen Rue, amateur sleuth Phoebe Winchester irritated me at times in the second book, Death by a Thousand Sips. I can accept an amateur sleuth who is a suspect, and wants to clear her name, so she investigates. But, even when Phoebe knows she’s in danger, and the police and a PI friend warn her, she’s too nosy to quit. “What had once been about clearing my name was now about protecting my life.” Yes, because she wouldn’t let go.

When Phoebe’s Aunt Eudora died, she inherited a bookstore and tea shop, The Earl’s Study, along with an orange tabby named Bob, and half the businesses on Main Street. What a difference. Seven months earlier, she was divorced without a home or sense of direction. Now, she has a home, a business she loves, and friends. She’s also trying to develop her recently discovered talents as a witch who can stop time when she’s in danger.

One of her employees sends Phoebe to an estate sale because there’s one lot of books to be auctioned. She’s on the way when Bob pops up in the back seat, and she realizes he snuck into her car. Now, she’ll have to work her plans around the cat. At the estate sale, she’s not impressed with the hoity-toity estate sale coordinator, Madeline Morrow, especially after she sees Madeline’s assistant flee from the house in tears. But, she just managed to buy the lot of books when Bob appears in the room. She hastily follows him, only to find he’s stepped in blood. Bob leads her to the body of Madeline Morrow.

Phoebe recognizes Police Detective Patsy Martin who works out of several small towns in the area. When Martin warns Phoebe not to take any trips, she worries she’s a suspect. She also fears she’ll have to investigate if she wants to prove she didn’t kill a woman she only just met.

Phoebe’s warned. Her PI neighbor, Rich, warns her not to go to the victim’s funeral. She receives a warning note, and her car is sideswiped. The police warn her not to investigate. But, Phoebe Winchester is determined to prove she isn’t a killer. So, she ignores all the warnings until it’s almost too late.

When I read Steeped to Death, I commented that Phoebe was one of the best amateur sleuths I’d read about lately. I even said, “My biggest complaint with amateur sleuths is their determination to investigate, ignoring the police at every turn. Phoebe not only admits she lacks the knowledge and skill set to investigate a murder, she worries that she’s calling the police too often. But, what do you do when you overhear a plot to break into your house? Phoebe does her best to keep Detective Patricia Martin in the loop, and she tries to consult her aunt’s attorneys with her questions. Sometimes, things just go wrong despite the best efforts of the sleuth, and the warnings of a cat.”

The excellent supporting cast is still there. I enjoy the setting and background. But, this time, Phoebe ignored all the advice she received. I was disappointed in her in Death by a Thousand Sips.

Gretchen Rue’s website is https://www.sierradean.com/

Death by Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue. Crooked Lane Books, 2023. ISBN 9781639104536 (hardcover), 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.