UNCORKING A LIE by Nadine Nettmann
The Second Sommelier Mystery

Paul Rafferty has finally found the bottle he's been searching for, the 1975 Chateau Clair Bleu, and is celebrating with a special dinner with friends, including sommelier Katie Stillwell. But when Katie opens the wine, she immediately notices something wrong. The $19,000 bottle of wine is a counterfeit! Cooper, the only other person aware of the fraud dies that night in an apparent accident, but Katie isn't so sure his death was accidental. Finally telling Paul the truth about the wine, he hires her to find out who is behind the counterfeit wine. Between working her job at the restaurant and studying for the Advanced Exam, Katie will attempt to ferret out the truth and uncork a lie.

Like fine wine, the Sommelier Mystery series gets better with age. This second entry is crisp and clean delivering a well executed mystery. As an admitted oenophile, I love the wine descriptions at the start of each chapter. Nettmann's knowledge and love of wine shines through increasing my own appreciation for this delightful beverage. Katie Stillwell continues to be a likeable and relatable protagonist, although there was a scene near the end that made me cringe at the stupidity of her actions. That being said, I enjoyed following her thought process as she reasoned through the mystery as she would an unknown wine, finding clues and discovering the truth.

Revealing collectors and counterfeiters, professionals and fans alike, UNCORKING A LIE shows that wine is an integral part of the lives of many. Nadine Nettmann skillfully guides readers through this infinitely fascinating world of wine while providing readers with an entertaining mystery. I savored this book and look forward to the next!

I love this cover. I also love that this book is centered around wine and, each chapter has a wine pairing! Anyway, I love it when an author doesn't take forever getting into a story. I understand the need to set the scene and giving context and perhaps some history. I understand that. However, some books I have read feels like I am trudging through mud to get to the actual contents of the story. This book, was not like that. It was engaging and captivating from the very start. The only disappointment for me, it felt a bit predictable. However, that did not stop me from finishing or enjoying this read. This is a quick and easy read, took me a couple days. And, I have a few new wines I want to try!

Katie Stillwell is thrilled to be asked to join a dinner party where wine collector Paul Rafferty is planning to share a rare bottle he’s recently purchased with his friends. However, Katie doesn’t think the bottle looks or tastes like an old bottle of wine should. Before the evening is over, someone is dead. When Paul asks Katie to look into what happened, she finds people covering up secrets. Can she find the truth?

Despite growing up in this book’s setting of Sonoma County, California, I’m not a wine guy. That wasn’t a factor for me at all in following this plot based very heavily on wines. Everything I needed to know was expertly explained. The plot was fast with lots of twists and clues to keep me engaged. The book also has strong characters, both returning and new.

So many great things about this book! I love a well crafted mystery and this fits the bill! I can't wait for more from Nadine Nettmann!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I have discovered a new author to me…combining a number of my favourite things – reading in general, reading cozy mysteries specifically and wine – all in one fun story. A wonderful pairing this is.

Uncorking a Lie (the second book in the Sommelier Mystery series) begins with Katie Stillwell (sommelier at Trentino’s) receiving a dinner invitation to the home of Paul Rafferty (wine collector). Served at dinner was the 1975 Chateau Clair Bleu that Paul had purchased at an auction recently for $19,000. During the festivities, Cooper Maxwell (Paul’s assistant) heads down to the wine cellar. Cooper does not return in a timely fashion so Katie goes after Cooper but instead finds Cooper dead at the bottom of the stairs. Initially, his death is thought to be an accident, but following the autopsy, it is now changed to homicide. So, all the dinner guests are now suspects, even Katie. So, what is a girl to do to clear her name but solve the mystery herself.

One of Katie’s thoughts certainly parallel mine with respect to keeping bottles of wine:

“I understand saving special bottles for long periods of time, but to know that a wine would never be released from the bottle, never to get to live out its purpose of being enjoyed and savored, always gave me a tinge of sadness.”

In true sommelier fashion, Katie sipped wine while talking with Roberto and identified the wine with no problem while she was investigating:

“I swirled the wind and took a deep sniff, a heavy scent of lychee floating from the glass. I sipped. The wine was well-balanced with almost a limestone quality to it. There was grapefruit and lychee, along with strong minerality. My mind raced to identify the wine. Possible varietals included Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Riesling… It’s an Alsatian Gewürztraminer. Gotta love that lychee.”

The mystery of “whodunit” managed to keep me guessing until the end – a quality I like in this genre. So many suspects Katie had to weed through. The relationship between them all certainly added depth. At times I was a bit frustrated with Katie…. for gosh sakes she had a concussion and was told to stay put but no…. she had to go and track down the bad guys herself. That certainly left me on the edge of my seat for a few pages 🙂 . She seemed so meticulous with respect to her sommelier duties and studies but when it came to sleuthing, she did not seem nearly as organized. But in the end, the bad guy was caught and all is well in the Napa Valley once again.

I found the interactions with Dean plausible and sweet in a “budding relationship” sort of way. I can’t wait to see what the next installment of the Sommelier Mystery series has in store for Katie and Dean.

“Katie, I’d do anything for you. Don’t you know that?” His blue eyes sparkled and there was a moment of electricity between us.

I have already obtained book one, Decanting a Murder, and cannot wait to start reading it. Hopefully more books are in the works for this series.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 2 in a series. I haven't read the first in the series, but that didn't matter.

I liked the premise, and most of the story. I'm not entirely thrilled with the main character. I don't know diddly about wine, I just know what I like. Kate is that wine snob that bugs the crap out of me in real life, I don't really want to listen to her in a cozy. She's not always so pretentious, and at those times I sort of wanted to like her, but all in all, I can't really bring myself to care about her or her companions in this book.

I think I will give anymore books in this series a miss.

Katie Stillwell is a sommelier who she finds herself invited to a dinner party with some very rich clients. The host Paul Raffery plans to open a 1975 Chateau Clair Bleu wine he has remembered from his past. When Katie opens the bottle she notices something is wrong - the color, the taste and the cork are not right for a 40-year-old wine. This leads Katie into the complex world of wine collecting and wine counterfeiting. An interesting book with a unique character.

Each chapter of this cozy mystery opens with a wine pairing, which is very fun and entertaining. Like the first book in the series, this book is a little light on character development, and it's not the most interesting mystery ever. But, the setting, the talk about wine, and the general tone of the book is well done enough that I'll continue picking up this series.

I loved Uncorking A Lie! Nadine Nettmann wrote a fast-paced, thrilling mystery! I really enjoyed the mix of action and cozy elements.
Katie is an excellent protagonist. I liked how real she felt. Her life is far from perfect and she struggles as she strives for her goals. She was relatable and easy to like. The cast if supporting characters kept my interest and added a lot to the story.
The mystery was well written and kept me guessing right up to the big reveal.
I love that the author is a certified sommelier - I want to try the wines that are paired with each chapter.
I highly recommend Uncorking A Lie!

Katie, a Sommelier in a restaurant in San Francisco, is invited to a special dinner where a vintage bottle of wine purchased at auction is being tasted. The evening doesn't go quite as planned- the wine does not taste like the vintage it is supposed to be and someone dies. Katie is determined to figure out if the wine is a fake and who was behind the fake and also figure out how Cooper died. This cozy mystery celebrates wine and those who love it.

I enjoyed the characters, the mystery and the information about wine and becoming a wine sommelier that was in this book. Katie is studying to become a Master sommelier when she takes on a second job trying to figure out who poisoned a friends assistant and who is counterfeiting wine and selling it at auctions for a high price.

This is book two in A Sommelier Mystery series. I had struggled with book one and was hoping that this installment would be better. But I’m sorry to say this one was a disappointment too. I liked the premise and the setting of the series but the main character just continued to rub me wrong and I could not get past it to find any enjoyment in the story. I guess this series is just not for me.

But I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy and the opportunity to read and review it.

Interesting story line but very slow start. I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was hoping to find just one character who I could love, but it just wasn't going to happen.

Wine and a mystery -- what could be a better pairing? I should have kept notes about the different wines and their traits for future reference because the information here was really well done. Living in Europe, I've seen many of the wines or types of wines in my local stores. I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss the availability and prices when we move back to the States! I highly recommend this book. Maybe uncork a bottle of your favorite wine to accompany your reading!

There is no sophomore curse for Nettmann. In her second installment of the Sommelier Mysteries, she introduces us to the world of wine collectors. Katie Stillwell has been invited to the special opening of a treasured bottle of wine purchased at great expense by collector, Paul Rafferty. As the bottle is opened and glasses filled, Katie can tell that this wine is not what it seems.

Nettmann, a Certified Sommelier, has delivered an exciting and informative peek into the world of counterfeit wines. Her extensive knowledge of wine is evident but not overbearing nor condescending. The trials of life that Katie experiences are real and readers can relate to her struggles to follow her dream. The story is nail biting as you come face to face with those who live a life of greed. This is a satisfying second installment and I think I need a glass of wine now.

Book #2 in the Sommelier Mystery series. It is not necessary to have read book #1; this novel works well as a stand-alone.
Set in San Francisco & Sonoma, it starts with a dinner party, counterfeit wine, and a death. The main character, Katie Stillwell, has passed her certification from book 1 & is working towards an advanced certification.
She receives an invitation to a dinner party and the unveiling of a special (expensive) wine at a customer's house. From there, she gets involved in solving the murder(s) - spoiler!, discovering who is behind the counterfeiting, and ferreting out the killer(s)!
From there, the book ventures into the implausible. For a sommelier to venture into detective work for the second time in a year and taking risks not warranted by the situations or her experience stretches the imagination.
The definitions of different wine varietals at the beginning of each chapter are informative - many regions & appellations I am not familiar with but will add to my wine app for future shopping trips - but not necessarily tied into the following chapter's contents and therefore seem extraneous to the prose.
The characters seem very two-dimensional and read as flat on the page. A disappointing sophomore outing, but I will give both the series and the author another shot when book 3 comes out.

Katie is thrilled to be invited to a special dinner hosted by one of the area's leading wine collectors, where the highlight of the evening will be the opening of a special wine Paul purchased at a recent auction. Unfortunately, the wine didn't live up to expectations and now Paul has hired Katie to figure out who was behind the deception.

This is the second book in the series, and while I enjoyed both storylines, I was very frustrated with Katie's tendency to put herself in danger over and over again. Along with these TSTL moments, the detailed information about wine and the wine-making process were enough to knock my rating of this book down by a star. The mystery itself was good, and had me changing my most-likely suspect several times before the reveal.

I'm confused by the "pairings" at the beginning of each chapter: a wine is described and a short background is provided, but to me a "pairing" would indicate what food/s that wine would go well with, and that isn't provided here. Maybe it's only missing in the ARC and will be provided in the published copy? I will probably read the next book in this series, but unless Katie learns to be smarter about her actions, that may be it for me.

I found the characters unlikable and boring. The plot was a good idea but more character personality. I did learn a bit about vintage vs new wines and think someone whose hobby is wine would find this enjoyable