Friday, January 22, 2016

Drinks with Reads: Six Years & Hibiscus Iced Tea



Today we are matching Harlan Coben’s standalone thriller, Six Years, with Hibiscus Tea. The main character, Professor Jacob “Jake” Fisher, gets drunk a couple of times in the story, and he was not drinking hibiscus tea but I’ll tell you why I picked it in a moment. First a little bit about the book.

The book starts out with Jake telling us about attending his lost love Natalie’s wedding to her ex-boyfriend after dumping him suddenly the day before.  He’s heartbroken. She asks him never to bother her and her new husband. Makes him promise. He does. And he keeps that promise for six years, until he sees an obituary for the husband. Now that the husband is gone, he has a glimmer of hope that he can win Natalie back. 

Jake proceeds to do some crazy things that some people might consider stalking, but he pulls it off with humor and aplomb. I started to like the guy even though he was doing things that I wouldn’t do – like visiting the new wife of Natalie’s dead husband a few days after he died. But it works for him and it works for the book. Soon the same people that killed Natalie’s dead husband are after Jake – with guns, power tools, and accusations- they even threaten his students. Everyone he knows keeps telling him that people will die if he doesn’t let go. He tried but he can’t let go. He has to find out what happened to Natalie and to make sure she’s OK.
Why did I pick such a mellow drink for such an amped up book? 

Easy. 

Once I started reading this book, I could not stop. I think I stood up once because I had a leg cramp. You’ll need something soothing and refreshing as Jake runs from place to place, getting shot at, and discovering things that I am not going to tell you about because it would spoil the suspense. 
This is a perfect airplane or vacation book. 


To make Hibiscus Iced Tea, the first thing you need is dried Hibiscus leaves. Some Smart & Final Stores carry them in their bulk department, and you can also order them online at a variety of places. 

Once you have your dried flowers, here’s how you make Hibiscus Tea.

1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers (about 1/2 ounce or 15 grams)
4 cups hot water
Lime wedges (save for serving)


Steep the flowers in the hot water and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate. Add ice and lime wedges for that extra punch. And now you're ready to sit down with your Hibiscus Tea and Six Years

- Deborah Lacy, Mystery Playground


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