I received this book for free from . This review is voluntary. My opinion is not influenced in any way.

The seventh book in the Cait Morgan series finds the eccentric Welsh criminologist–sleuth accompanying her husband Bud to Amsterdam to try to unravel a puzzling situation.

To Bud’s surprise, he discovers he has a long-lost uncle, Jonas, who’s met an untimely death. Bud's mother assures him Jonas was a bad child, but, from beyond the grave, Uncle Jonas begs his nephew to visit the city he adopted as his home to delve into the life he built for himself there, founded on his passion for art.

With an old iron key as their only clue, Cait and Bud travel to Amsterdam to solve the cryptic message left by Jonas—and to honor the final wishes of a long-lost relative.

Anyone who’s read a Cait Morgan Mystery knows Cait is a woman who enjoys a tipple! Indeed, as Cait travels the world tripping over “corpses with precious body parts” she’s able to sample the local cuisine and imbibe the local brews as she goes. In THE CORPSE WITH THE GARNET FACE I’ve sent Cait and Bud to Amsterdam, one of my favorite places in the world, and they certainly have a chance to indulge in quite a few of the local offerings – both edible and drinkable! Amsterdam is a great city in which to sample many different beers, and I gave Cait and bud a chance to sample some in this book.

These days I live in Vancouver and, like many other cities, we are witnessing a massive growth in the number of micro-breweries offering a variety of lagers, ales, stouts and other types of drinks – like ciders – that owe their inspiration to the local surroundings. The use of fruits, spices, and even unexpected ingredients like “weeds” or even vegetables is now less unexpected than it would once have been, and the forest of taps with quirky and engaging motifs upon them that decorate local bars has never been more intriguing. Some of the names are a blast too.

Being from Wales I grew up in a land where beer was the usual tipple, but the range on offer was rather narrow. As the years passed so more brews became available, but the inevitable “pint of bitter” was pretty much standard. On the European continental land-mass however, things were different. I remember drinking my first bottle of Grolsch when I was in the Netherlands, and I also recall the joy of discovering Belgian fruit beers. It was also in Amsterdam that I became a devotee of wheat-beers too – served with a slice of orange, they were very exotic (this is back in the 1970s, you understand).

The other delight was to discover that each of these specialty beers had its own glass – designed to present the beer to the drinker in the best possible way. I further developed my own self-education in beer-drinking when I lived (during the summer months) in the south of France for several years. In Nice I had an apartment directly above a “Cave a biers” where hundreds of beers were offered, each with their own special glass, and each with the wonderful owners of the bar – a delightful married couple who were great characters in their own rights – notes about the beer’s origin, ingredients and history. It was a tough education, but I applied myself and, over several years, I developed an appreciation for the fact that “beer” is far from just one thing.

So, next time someone asks you if you “fancy a beer” remember there are many more choices than a glass of something that’s the color of straw, with a flavor much the same, and served at a temperature fit to freeze your tongue. Sharing a bottle of beer between a few people, all having a taste of something new, and chatting about what you like/dislike about it, then trying a different one, again shared and again discussed, can be as interesting as doing the same thing for wine – and a good deal less costly. So, go on – next time you’re having a get-together, have your own mini beer-tasting…and think of how much Cait Morgan (or I) would like to be there with you, sipping and chatting away about the complexities of beers. Cheers, folks!

The Corpse with the Garnet Face by Cathy Ace is the seventh book in the Cait Morgan mystery series. I love this series. Seriously, it is so good. If you are a fan of classic mysteries with a great female lead, you need to read this series.

In this installment, Cait and Bud head to Amsterdam to solve a mystery of a previously-unknown uncle of Bud’s. There was so much mystery and intrigue right from the beginning. I was instantly pulled in. I had to know what was going to happen. I stayed up too late finishing this one. Loved it!!

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