Synopsis

As the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, Cecelia “Cece” Barton’s first Alexander Valley harvest is a whirlwind of activity. Her twin sister, Allie Halstead, who owns a nearby Victorian bed & breakfast, is accustomed to the hustle and bustle of peak tourist season. But Cece barely has a moment to enjoy her new home in between worrying about her estranged college-age daughter, juggling her responsibilities at the bar, and navigating the sticky politics of the local wine association. Just when it seems things can’t grow any more intense, Colinas is rocked by a murder within the wine community . . . and Cece is identified as a possible suspect!

With her reputation and her livelihood on the line—and the Sonoma County deputy sheriff breathing down her neck—Cece has no choice but to open up her own murder investigation. Tensions are already high in the valley, as a massive wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital tourist trade. And now, with a murderer on the loose, and Cece’s sleuthing exposing the valley’s bitterest old rivalries and secret new alliances, Colinas feels ready to pop! But with Allie’s help, Cece is determined to catch the killer and clear her name before everything she’s worked so hard for goes up in flames . . .

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Review

What a great start to a new series! Wine, small town, and murder…some of my favorite things.

Cece Barton is starting her life over in this small California town after the death of her husband. Her twin sister lives here, which made it a logical choice. Apparently, she is good at sleuthing since there are references to her solving a murder before. This is the first in the series, so I don’t know if it is a spin-off from another series or if there are just references to her solving a previous murder.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Cece at first. She seemed unsure of herself and perhaps a bit wishy-washy. However, as the book progressed, I watched her develop and become a little more self-assured. She has a great relationship with her sister but a rocky one with her daughter. However, they are both still grieving a loss, and sometimes, it is easier to take out your grief and anger on someone still living versus the deceased. However, I was glad to see that the relationship started back to somewhat normal by the end of the book.

I love it when despicable characters are axed in books. It is easier than dealing with a nasty attitude for a whole book. Not that there aren’t other characters that provide tension throughout, but sometimes truly bad characters need to go. I started having a strong inclination as to who the killer might be a little over halfway through the book. I didn’t know the why, but I just stumbled across a clue and thought it seemed likely. Glad to see I was right!

There is even a potential love interest for Cece, and I look forward to seeing where this relationship might go.

I think this will be a fun series, and I look forward to the next book. We give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Maddie Day is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries, the CeCe Barton Mysteries, and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as other series and short crime fiction written under the name Edith Maxwell. A member of Mystery Writers of America and a proud lifetime member of Sisters in Crime, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and belongs to the Wicked Authors, a group of bestselling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. Day lives with her beau and their cat Martin north of Boston, although she knows Indiana, California, and Cape Cod intimately. She is a wine enthusiast, talented amateur chef, and former farmer.

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