Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

February 8, 2026

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Personal trainer Sarah Jones moves to Minneapolis where she quickly meets a group of women all named Sarah Jones. But when another woman named Sarah Jones is found murdered and a friend is suspected, Sarah the personal trainer finds herself involved with finding the killer. At the same time, FBI agent George Nightingale is trying to track down a con artist operating in the Minneapolis area.

One of the book's "quirks" was that a number of characters including the murder victim have the same name and were distinguished by their ages. I know a lot of readers found this cute and fun, but I thought it was just confusing. Two of the "Sarahs" played almost no role. 30 year old Sarah, the main narrator, was on the naive side and instantly bonded with everyone she met, especially the people who had the same name as her, even with a number of people telling her to be careful and less trusting. I was more interested in what happened to George's childhood friend who went missing. Cute cover. If you like mysteries with a lot of offbeat characters who are all over the place, this may appeal to you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Lager Queen of Minnestoa by J. Ryan Stradal

October 7, 2019

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

Three women from the Calder family (Edith, her sister Helen, and Edith’s granddaughter Diana) find unexpected satisfaction in brewing beer.  Edith Magnusson and her sister Helen Blotz haven’t spoken to each other in forty years, after Helen convinced their father to cut Edith out of his will and leave everything to her.  Helen never gave Edith a satisfactory explanation of why, and worse yet, convinced herself that it was up to Edith to reach out to her and offer forgiveness.  Edith’s granddaughter Diana is planning a life of crime, until she gets caught and is offered what turns out to be the chance of a lifetime.  It is also the story of how four grandmas end up running a brewery, making brews like Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb-Pie-in-a-Bottle, and having wonderful and unexpected adventures in their golden years.

This is a pleasant read, but I have to admit, I almost gave up during the first Diana section – I was so BORED with Diana’s life as a teenager and an amateur criminal.  I ended up skimming most of that section and then the story turned back to Helen, the least likable but most interesting narrator.  There is also a lot about the brewing process that could have been omitted without hindering the reader’s grasp of the story.  A good editor should have knocked out about 50 pages and made this a better book.  Like many writers, this second book didn't live up to the author's first book, Kitchens of the Great Midwest.