Title: Killer Chardonnay
Author: Kate Lansing
Series: Colorado Wine Mystery #1
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 26, 2020
Pages: 301
Book Source: NetGalley
“Parker Valentine has always dreamed of opening her own winery in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. But she gets more than she bargained for when a food and wine critic unexpectedly shows up at Vino Valentine on opening day. A negative review could be fatal for her business, and not only does he seem to hate her chardonnay, he also collapses and dies shortly after drinking it.
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Although Parker hoped that the attendees would put a cork in it, soon her winery is at the center of a social media firestorm. With #killerchardonnay trending online, Parker’s business is in danger of closing, and she has no choice but to investigate the murder herself.
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To restore her reputation, catch a killer, and keep her struggling business open, Parker needs only one thing: some good proof.” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
The last few cozy mysteries that I’ve read have just been okay, so I was super happy when Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing turned out to be so good!
My husband and I love going to wineries, drinking wine, having wine tasting parties at our house, and making our own wine from kits. Because of this, I really, really enjoyed all the information that Lansing included in regards to wine, wine making, and pairing wine with food.
Lansing’s characters are very developed for a first book in a series. And the way she writes about family dynamics in regards to parents and siblings feels very true. By the end of the book a new romance has started, and has the potential to turn into a love triangle in future books. I’m not sure how I feel about that since I like the man she’s with, but in cozy mysteries it’s always good to have the help of the police.
The book’s location of Colorado was also very enjoyable to me, since that is usually where we go for vacation, and Lansing incorporates various venues and information about the state seamlessly into the story.
I had the killer pegged pretty early on in the book, but Lansing had a lot of red herrings and misdirection, so if you don’t pay close attention the killer will probably be a surprise for you.
I highly recommend Killer Chardonnay, and I will be reading book two when it comes out!
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