A Study in Black Brew by Marie Howalt

“They say life is a string of chances held together with grit and guided by passion, and who am I to disagree?” Kellieth ReinAraneinth was headed for a career as a field chemist on a newly settled planet when their dreams and ambitions were crushed by coincidences and chronic illness. They return broke to the wendek homeworld, Ganmak, where everyone’s basic needs are covered, but import luxuries like Kellieth’s favorite human-made beverage, black brew, is costly. While piecing together a new life and recovering from their ordeals, Kellieth ends up sharing lodgings with the attractive, enigmatic, and infuriating Raithan WeinZalneinth. When a human is found dead next to an alarming message on the wall in an empty house, Kellieth gets caught up in a gruesome mystery involving Raithan and the local peace corps. Who is the human? How did he die? What is Raithan hiding? And when will Kellieth have the time to catch their breath?

Adult • Crime Fiction • Science Fiction/Comic and Light SF • Diversity Representation/Disability • Science Fiction • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+

Content Warning: A Study in Black Brew is a light read and suitable for most readers. It does, however, include references to intoxication, abduction, obstructed breathing, guns, minor character death, blood, violence, ableism and speciesist language.