Mortal Zin is an intriguing blend of suspense and dark humor that kept me engaged throughout. Diane Schaffer creates a vivid, offbeat world populated with memorable characters whose motives kept me second-guessing at every turn.
The story moves quickly and delivers some satisfying twists, though at times the plot felt slightly overstuffed, making it a bit hard to follow in places. Still, the sharp writing, quirky tone, and inventive premise make it a compelling read overall.
Overall, it’s an entertaining and unusual mystery that stands out, even if it doesn’t hit every mark perfectly.

I absolutely loved Mortal Zen, fast paced ,lots of wine background which I found interesting. The Vietnam tragedy was a surprise but good to hear about the tragedy again. She interwove this so well into the Tory. Loved the characters too.. thank you Dine Schaffer..looking forward to more books!

The book has multiple genres, but as the main, I'd call it a detective.
Noli has burnout and comes back to her hometown, in hopes of having her old job back as the PI instead of a big city corporate lawyer. She has stayed with her godparents since her parents are both dead (one under the strangest and most tragic circumstances), and now she returns here. By the door, she finds a disturbing note from one of her father's friends, and calls him just to find out that he has been found dead. Creepy, right?
She meets Luz, the new PI who worked for the latter friend, and together they are looking into the whole situation.

The vinery business, conspiracies, literal Vietnam flashbacks, family mysteries, vine-making process, and murder mystery are coming one after another. Loss, love, grief, and revenge - all these make the story worth your time. If you want to know how to make your own vineyard work, it is the right place to find out.

As for me, the story is going too slow at the beginning, and too fast in the second half of the book. By the end, the events are going like a rollercoaster, and it's hard not to lose it.

As for a debut novel, it is a solid 4/5. Not considering this fact, it is 3-3.5 tops.

Wow, there is so much I love about this book. First, the location is in my home area, and I love how Diane Schaffer accurately describes the towns and locations. I also love all the insight and knowledge of wine-making. Her description of the harvest and crushing is so perfectly accurate. That is just the background on this thriller. You have the subject of PTSD, and some stories of the horrors of the Vietnam War. Mix in a little family drama, and you will have a book that should be savored like a good glass of zin.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sibylline Press for the ARC

I thought Mortal Zin was a great mystery/detective story based in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountainside. Our main character, Noli, is horrified to learn that her mentor was found dead and she will stop at nothing to figure out the mystery surrounding how he came to be. I appreciated the authors ability to weave history into this novel. Overall, very enjoyable book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Engrossing, even if you know nothing about wine or the history of it in California, you will find this book hard to put down. Thanks to Diane Schaffer, net galley and sibylline press for the arc!

Ah, the perfect glass of wine - White Zinfandel to be exact. In Diane Schaffer’s “Mortal Zin”, we join Nollaig Cooper as she returns to her roots in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Southern California. Noli is a successful international corporate attorney who is ready for a change. She grew up in a mountain commune of Viet Nam Vets, one of which was her father. When he died in a landslide from a major earthquake, Noli went to live with one of his veteran buddies, Peter Hanak and his wife, Tina. Now Noli is returning to celebrate Tina’s sixtieth birthday as well as a job opportunity with another of her father’s buddies, John Fitzpatrick, known as Fitz. Upon reaching Santa Cruz she finds Fitz dead and Peter and Tina’s vineyard in trouble. What in the world could have happened!

“Mortal Zin” was a bit of a slow start for me, but it didn’t take long for this book to grab my attention so that I didn’t want to put it down. Greed, past hurts, and revenge are all mixed together to result in a skillfully written “who-dun-it”. I wasn’t able to figure out who was the bad guy until the very end. Ms. Schaffer has done a wonderful job of depicting the lives of returning Viet Nam vets and how they coped and survived. I enjoyed learning about the wine making process and now definitely want to visit some wineries. Anyone who likes murder mysteries and wine will enjoy this book.

I wish to thank Sibylline Press for the complimentary eARC of this book and for selecting me to review it on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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I loved the writing style including the humour. Sometimes it’s pretty dark humour, but it’s still funny. It’s a terrific plot and there’s a decent amount of detail which means it’s not overly simple. The information about wine was all new to me, as this is not something I have been interested in, and it is always nice to learn about something out of your usual zone.

Mortal Zin is a fun, zippy, thrilling murder-mystery of a book. Murder-mystery is my favorite genre, and this one was high octane. The chapters were short, and covered multiple viewpoints. I liked seeing the story through Noli and Luz the most - they were complicated, motivated, awesome women who worked hard to bring justice to Fitz, and their community. Speaking of community, the one that the author built in the Zinfandel fields of California was so rich and layered. This book had everything from communes, to small towns, to rich assholes buying up small businesses, to the small business owners struggling. I thought it would be too much to follow, but the author deftly wove each of the story threads through the other into a satisfying conclusion.

I would definitely read more stories with Luz or Noli as the protagonist (or both!) They worked hard to avenge Fitz, and their loved ones were all the better for it.

Who knew wine could be so deadly? Set in the Santa Cruz area, this mystery is rich in characters with a gorgeous backdrop. I love visiting wineries, and I could picture these in my mind.

Noli is on her way back to town at the behest of Fitz, who ends up dead. They claim it is suicide, but Noli and a few others know better. What they don't expect is for the past to be the root of the issues and the source of the turmoil in this town. While I didn't suspect the killer until closer to the end, I enjoyed unearthing the clues and trying to determine who might be behind the issues at the winery and the death of Fitz.

The book did start off slow, but this gave me time to get to know the characters and have them straight in my mind. It picks up over halfway through, and this is when my interest is piqued. I sifted through the clues in my mind while Noli, Luz, and Wolf looked for the guilty party. There is a lot to unpack, and I feel like there is even more to come if this is to become a series. 

While I enjoy a nice glass of wine, I don't know a lot about the process of turning grapes into wine. I felt the author did a good job of sharing the steps without making it too technical. I liked the addition of the vine clone project, which was a real study in California that looked at the history of the different varietals of grapes. 

I think that Luz and Noli will work well together in the future if they can learn to trust one another. They had the same goal, but it felt like they were working against each other at times.

This is a good start to a new series, and I look forward to seeing where the author takes these characters. 

We give this book 4 paws up.

★★★★.5

This cozy mystery, set in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is the start of a very promising series. This was my first book by Diane Schaffer, and I am amazed. To be honest, it would have been hard for me not to love Mortal Zin . As a former California resident, I have many fond memories of Santa Cruz and the scenic route through the mountains. As soon as Noli left the San Jose airport and started driving along Highway 17, I was transported right back. I also love zinfandel and learning about winemaking, so the book checked a lot of boxes for me.

The mystery kept me guessing about nearly everyone. Diane Schaffer handles a large cast of characters really well, and the big twist and final reveal completely surprised me. I don’t want to give anything away, but it was such a satisfying ending.

Between the characters, Noli’s name and its nod to her mother’s heritage, the mentions of local spots like the Crow’s Nest, and all the fascinating details about winemaking and California history, it’s clear Diane Schaffer did her research and drew on her own experiences. She shares everything with such a warm sense of nostalgia that I could have listened to her stories for hours. Even readers who don’t know the area will still feel immersed in the setting. She really captures the place and the vibe so well.

I am excited for more fun adventures with Noli and Luz!

Thank you to Mindbuck Media Book Publicity, especially Ari Mathae, for the copy. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one and I am glad I requested it and had the chance to read it. The first book in the Mortal Zin series it did set the scene with a death, a winery and of course plenty of secrets. In this book we have plenty of intrigue, some humour and some mystery. Noli Cooper is a great character for this book and she takes us on her journey from burnout to investigating the death of her mentor and crusading social justice lawyer. Of course it is all set on at a winery!

But this story has plenty of depth as it entwines stories of corruption, the Vietnam War, greed, secrets and of course revenge. This book takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride and it had me turning the pages as quickly as I could. Loved the pacing, the writing and the characters. A great read and now I am looking forward to book 2 of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Sibylline Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am a big fan of mysteries, and I was ready to read this book set in wine country. This is a fast-paced book where Noli returns to Santa Cruz to celebrate a birthday when the body of her mentor is found. Knowing it’s not suicide, she teams up with PI Alvardo to find the killer.

Everything was woven together nicely and kept me engaged. With this being the first book in A Mortal Zin Mystery, I look forward to what’s next.

Thank you NetGalley and Sibylline Press for providing a copy.