Cece Barton has started over again in the town of Colinas, managing a wine bar and spending more time with her twin sister and twin nephews. When a local bully gives her some guff shortly before turning up dead, Cece becomes the number one suspect. Can she prove her innocence or is her new life going to be ending before it really began?

In [book:Christmas Mittens Murder|124938236] we get a prequel for this book, we meet Cece before she decides to relocate to Colinas. Though it's not critical to getting into the story, it was nice to have the background. Cece is a really relatable character, she's in her early 40's, single, and starting over in a charming little tourist village with a small group of close family and friends. The wine bar is really cool, a small place with outdoor seating, I would totally hang out there!

The mystery was pretty transparent and at times the pace was a bit slow, but I still enjoyed the story very much. This is a series I definitely plan to continue.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

A promising start to a new, cozy series by Day (Country Store mysteries, etc.) Cece Barton is a multi-dimensional protagonist and there is a lot that can be explored in her back story in future installments. The plot is rife with red herrings although a careful reader should be able to follow the clues and discover the culprit along with Cece. The attractive setting in California wine country adds to the appeal.

This was a well-written book with a wickedly solid plot and a comfortable tone that made it easy to follow along with what the author intended. Cece investigates a murder when she appears to be a suspect in order to clear her name and reputation. The mystery was nicely executed with a few suspects who have strong motives for killing the victim. The narrative was visually descriptive with engaging dialogue and a small-town atmosphere where I felt like I was part of the action. The author did a great job in keeping me invested and intrigued in this drama and when I thought I had a handle on the person responsible, the author changed directions, all to enhance the telling of this tale. The more Cece inquired about a person’s motive, the more she gets pushback until someone takes matters into their hand and Cece finds herself in harm’s way. How far will the killer go to silence her? You’ll have to read this enticingly delightful whodunit. Bonus: I loved that you gave a shout-out to cozy authors in your book.

First in a new series by Maddie Day. With quirky characters, a solid mystery and lots of twists and turns this is an excellent start. Fast paced. Love the location. Another excellent read from this beloved author. Thanks#netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A cosy who-dun-it mystery, full of quirky characters, a great setting and lots of twists. This was overall a fun cosy mystery with an interesting premise and good characters, I do think this was pretty standard for the cosy mystery genre but it does make for a good fun read.

BOOK REVIEW OF “MURDER UNCORKED” NY MADDIE DAY

What a delight it is to start reading a new book by a beloved author! I have read most books that Maddie Day a/k/a Edith Maxwell has written, and found them brilliantly written, and the plots are outstanding.
Murder Uncorked is the first in the Cece Barton Mysteries, though a novella featuring the heroine sleuth is part of 3 novellas coming out on September 23rd, 2023. The title of that book is “Christmas Mittens Murder” …A novella collection by Lee Hollis, Lynn Cahoon, and Maddie Day. Can’t wait to read that book, and read the Cece Barton novella. A hint of that novella’s plot is told to us in “Murder Uncorked”.
From the very first page in the book, I was hooked. The location of this series is in Northern California wine country. I live in Southern California, but have been to that area many times. Maddie Day is an expert in location descriptions, and letting readers get to know the characters in her books in a subtle and brilliant way. I felt so good to be reading about places that reminded me of Northern California. I felt that I was there with Cece and the cast of characters. I read this book perhaps too fast, because I was surprised when it ended.
I love how Maddie, who is a linguist, uses some foreign languages (but explains the meaning in English, which is excellent!) and even foreign first or last names. In this book she has introduced an array of different cultures and idiosyncrasies native to the area, plus making you salivate by the gourmet delicacies that are mentioned…sadly, no recipes at the end of the book…

The plot is quite gripping, but by the last few chapters we are undoubtedly directed to find out whodunnit. At the beginning I was sure that it could not be the person I thought, because the clues were many and right in front of me, so, historically that person is NOT whodunnit at the end. I was pleasantly surprised at being correct, and applauded internally when the murderer was caught. Great ending!

All loose threads were tied up at the end, and we are left wanting more. Yes… This series is one of my favorites among Maddie Day favorites, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley and Kensington Cozies for allowing me to read this book and post a review!

Murder Uncorked is the first in a new series by Maddie Day. This is my first book by this author. It is a cute, cozy mystery set in Northern California. CeCe Barton is the manager of a wine bar in the fictional town of Colinas, CA. When a murder takes place and she is a person of interest, she takes it upon herself to ask questions and try to help the detective solve the crime. I am not a big fan of first person narratives, partially because I find it a bit difficult to fully develop the other characters and there are some colorful characters in the story. But overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more as the series continues.

This is an outstanding first book in a new series from well-known cozy mystery author, Maddie Day. (It looks like the first "case" involving these characters will be part of a trio of short mystery stories to be released from this publisher later in 2023).

In this series, Cece Barton moves farther north in California to be with her twin sister and takes on a job running a wine bar.

As is true with her Country Store series, which is one of my favorite cozy series, the author presents a tremendous ensemble of characters and a clever mystery.

If you're like me and love when a favorite author launches a new series, this one is for you.

Highly recommended!!

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

Cece, now divorced and her daughter in college decides to move to be near her twin sister Allie.
She tries her hand at managing a wine bar when a murder takes place. Now she's thrown into the mix of trying to solve a murder(or two) and keep from becoming a victim herself.
Fast-paced, excellent writing, well-formed characters, a real page turner.
I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

No sex
No graphic violence
No swearing

I recommend this book to anyone in search of a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have stumbled upon a new genre, and I am in love! COZY MYSTERIES!

The main character is in her forties and runs a wine bar. She is an important member of the town and has so many connections to all the townspeople.

She already has solved one murder mystery that her sister was a suspect in.

This time around the detective is at her door and she is a leading suspect for the newest murder in town.

She must clear her name. But this is difficult when the victim was disliked by the majority of the town’s occupants. Finding someone who actually liked the victim is harder than finding someone without a motive.

I like the coziness of this story. The small-town feel, and the day-to-day life of our main character felt relaxing to read.

The murder mystery was enjoyable and was well executed. So many suspects and motives!

It was a great palate cleanser and gave a warm fuzzy feeling.

Loved reading this new series by Maddie Day. I reading books that have wine included in them. Can't wait for the 2nd book in the series. Excellent

A murder who done it book, with so many different characters and guesses as to who uncorked Vincent! This book took a bit to get going and while I enjoyed the setting and the who-done-it aspect, I was left wanting more. This was my first book by the author, and it seemed like there may have been callbacks from other books that went over my head, not sure though, I could have just missed something. The book did seem to get a little political here and there, but it wasn't anything over the top. CeCe was just an okay character, I preferred some of the other characters to her. In the end, it was predictable and I wish there was a better twist at the end. I am not sure if I will continue on with the Wine Bar Series, but I may pick it up again depending on which character is followed next!

Sparkling new series from a tried-and-true author introduces us to Cece Barton, a widowed empty nester who sells her Southern California home, moves north to be in the same community as her twin sister and gets a job managing a wine bar. When the death of an obnoxious colleague leaves her in the cross hairs of a murder investigation. Smart and entertaining this first book bodes well for a debut of a new series.

I can't even begin to describe how excited I was to see that Maddie Day was writing a brand new cozy mystery series! So much so that I immediately requested this one. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint and I devoured this fantastic new cozy in one sitting! I can't wait for the next one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books f9rvthis ARC.

This is my 1st cozy by Maddie Day and the 1st in this new series. It appears that CeCe, Allie and the town may have been introduced in a short story called Murderous Mittens in the book Christmas Mittens Murder which won't be released until September 26. 2023. I think a reader should read that story prior to this book for background. I felt lost when the other murder was mentioned and wondered if I missed a book in this series. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and mystery. I will definitely be looking for more in this series even though I do not drink wine! I'll also have to look for more by Maddie Day.

I love this cover and was so excited to read this! I love wine and murder and this book was made for me! It was a cozy mystery which has become one of my new favorite genres. This had many suspects, a blooming romance and also made me laugh. I cant wait for more titles in this series!

Wine tasting cozy
Ms. Day’s Cece Barton series is a winner. Cece managers a wine tasting bar and has the knack for solving mysteries. When a business acquaintance turns up dead, the police have many suspects as he’d had more than one disagreement recently. Cece comes across information in conversations that point into an entirely different direction and tries to point the detective that way.
Ms. Day’s descriptions of Cece exploring the town and making friends is fun, but not so fun when she finds danger.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

I'm a little on the fence with this one. I love the Country Store series and was looking forward to a new series by Maddie Day. I will admit that California is not my favorite location but I remained open minded as I read. For me, cozies are a way to get away and enjoy a mystery with quirky, likable characters who you love going on each new adventure with. This one did not quite reel me in and leave me anxiously awaiting the next one. Far too political for my taste. I read to get away from politics and news. But I thought the author did a good job with the setting and introducing you to the characters.

This was the first in a new series from an author that I have read many times. It was an average cozy mystery. The setting was interesting. At times I thought the author must have been sitting there with a thesaurus using such uncommon and awkward words. The victim was of course unlikeable and had many enemies. The culprit was obvious pretty early on. It was okay, I hope that it will be developed more in the future.