I love self-published authors who take risks and let the story take them across genres where it needs to go. M. Cox is a friend and fellow self-published author whose debut The Strange Brew does just that. She takes a cozy heroine like Dora Hermansen, a cafe owner in a small town in Australia, and starts her story with a bang. The mother of a past ex, who had tried to kill her, confronts her in her cafe. It's then we learn Dora can sense ghosts and a paranormal mystery begins, but it doesn't end there. M. Cox adds more thrilling and suspenseful elements as the plot thickens to a satisfying, supernatural conclusion. It's an original read. I found myself rooting for Dora and I look forward to more books from this emerging Australian author.

An original and well plotted paranormal mystery that kept me hooked and guessing.
I appreciated the unusual setting, the world building, and the fleshed out characters.
The mystery is solid and ful of twists.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An excellent paranormal mystery - thriller … well written, well-paced and a wonderful story. Dora and Sayed run a small-town cafe and want a normal life, but Dora is a sensitive and has ghostly visions of dead people. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when danger comes visiting with the 'ghosts'. The novel has aspects of happiness, humour, sadness, secrets, and surprises that successfully bind the story together. There is also an overall feeling of healthy support in a small community. A very enjoyable novel worthy of five stars.

What a brilliant book! I don’t read that many paranormal mystery books like this but I think I might need to start! This book was amazing! Everything was so cleverly thought out and the plot twists were exceptional! The writing was so good and I was genuinely terrified so many times! I never saw what was coming next and it kept me gripped the whole way throughout. The epitome of the perfect paranormal, mystery, thriller. Absolutely loved it! Would highly recommend!

This was a well done mystery novel, I was invested in what was going on and enjoyed the tense atmosphere going on. The plot was really well done and it had a great blend of mystery and scifi elements, I enjoyed what was going on in this book. The characters were what I wanted and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I hope there is more in this universe.

Totally recommend

Dora Hermansen runs a small town cafe with her husband. Life is ordinary, exactly how she wants it. Aside from sensing ghosts, that is.
Ignoring the dead had been working for her. But with a death in Deepwell, a town with secrets, she has to question. Is her PTSD flaring up again, or are the life challenged stirring?
Soon someone she cares for is in peril and, when all seems resolved, Dora might still be smack bang in the middle of a dangerous mystery.
Read in one sitting really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and The Long Hot Spell

I just reviewed The Strange Brew by M. N. Cox. #TheStrangeBrew #NetGalley

Excellent debut novel – creepy cozy mystery that bodes well for this author.

What I liked:

- Dora :business owner, survivor of abusive relationship, happily married to Sayed, sees ghosts, associates some ghostly appearances with odors, has avoided her abilities, grows in this story, look forward to finding out what happens in her future

- Sayed: business owner, calm, supportive, loving, kind, married to Dora, strong family ties, has a scary event to contend with in this book, survivor, good friend

- The healthy relationship that Dora and Syed share

- The supporting characters

- The small town setting

- The plot, pace, and writing

- The paranormal elements

- The mysteries solved

- The twists, turns, and surprises

- The conclusion that indicates there will be another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:

- Who and what I was meant not to like

- Having to wait to find out what will happen next.

*SPOIL FREE REVIEW*

This is a supernatural mystery with a solid backbone. The author took time setting the stage, which is something I always appreciate because let's face it, there's a lot of "shove it in your face" plots without proper pacing these days. If you have an appreciation for a real story with a real setting, and love a good world building element, this is for you.

Cox is an extremely talented and strong writer, and it shows in her intricacies with structure, storytelling, and plot execution. I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of modern and paranormal elements that made this book feel like it could be placed right here in the real world.

If you are looking for a supernatural cozy mystery book with a powerful conclusion and a well thought out plot, this is for you.

Dora Hermansen and her husband Sayad, owned and ran The Brew, a local cafe beside their apartment. Dora was loving her life with Sayad after the trauma of her last relationship, and she was grateful Troy was now in jail. But after a local man died from a heart attack, Dora's ability to sense ghosts came to the fore and she realised the man needed her help. But worse was to come when she learned her previous partner was dead, murdered - the evil she was feeling, was that the local's death or something far worse? The Strange Brew is the debut novel by Aussie author M.N. Cox and it was nothing like I've ever read before! I don't generally read horror, but I would class The Strange Brew as paranormal horror. It was intriguing, terrifying, fascinating and gut wrenching! I found myself gripped by the pages, while shuddering at what was happening. A great debut which would be perfect for a select group of readers. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Well I loved this book. It was quirky and well written and a great relaxing read. I love a cafe. I love a bit of spookiness. I love requited love. Full marks.

An original and well plotted paranormal mystery that kept me hooked and guessing. I appreciated the unusual setting, the world building, and the fleshed out characters. The mystery is solid and ful of twists. Recommended.

I had a need to read something a bit different than "normal" mystery and I chose this story about a small-town cafe owner and her husband that are living ordinary life, except she sees ghosts.
The Strange Brew is the debut novel by Aussie author M.N. Cox and it checked all the boxes, paranormal, mystery going on the horror side, interesting, intriguing, spooky, and totally gripping read that kept me awake just to read what will happen next. It is a good debut and would recommend it to readers of this genre.