I enjoyed this book so much that I wish that I had read it sooner! This is the first in a series that has great potential. The characters were likable and I want Taylor to succeed in her new business. The mystery was well-written and the story had an easy flow to it. I can't wait to read the next one!

Taylor O’Brian returns to Sonoma Wine Country to help her Aunt Jemma after a heart attack scare. Wanting something she can call her own, she starts a tour company called Off the Beaten Path but her first tour proves fatal as one of her clients is found murdered at the bottom of a cliff. Not only is Taylor a suspect but her business could be killed before it gets off the ground!

I liked the characters and the setting, I see great potential for growth in both.

Taylor is trying to get her business of off the beaten path wine tours started. The only problem is that someone is murdered on her first tour, with something that belongs to Taylor. She quickly becomes a person of interest in the case. As Taylor and her best friend Holly dig into the case they find something huge going on! As other people start dying can Taylor solve the case before she ends up in jail?

This is a book in the wine country mystery series. I look forward to reading more of these in the future and seeing where these characters go!!

Taylor O'Brian has moved back to Sonoma, in California's wine country, from San Francisco after five years as an ad executive ostensibly to assist her Aunt Jemma after a heart attack, which may or may not have actually happened. Aunt Jemma has a small vineyard and Taylor is assisting with the day-to-day running of it whilst also setting up her own business venture, "Taylor O'Brian's 'Off the Beaten Path' Wine Tours". Her first tour is the following day; a local yoga instructor and her employees are booked for a day trip of a local garden, but it ends badly when the instructor is murdered! Taylor gets fingered for the deed and decides that she needs to investigate what exactly happened to clear her name.

I've read the gluten-free series by Ms Parra and enjoyed them, but this is the first in her new series and I'm already looking forward to the second instalment.

There are two potential love interests for Taylor - her lawyer and the county sheriff - and it will be interesting to see how Ms Parra works that out (BUT PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM A LOVE TRIANGLE!! PLEASE??). Taylor is fun, when she's not rushing off and doing things that she shouldn't - like talking to everyone involved in the murder whilst she's a suspect, despite being warned by both her lawyer and the sheriff multiple times. I can appreciate she wants to clear her name, but too many TSTL moments can ruin a series quickly.

There are plenty of characters involved, all of whom have a reason to kill the victim, and the mystery is good and convoluted enough to keep you guessing until the end. I admit I did wonder if I was correct about the murderer, but there were plenty of red herrings that diverted me away from them, so the ending was quite satisfactory. I think some of the actions undertaken by Taylor and her friends would seriously compromise a murder investigation in real life (stalking suspects, filming or taping a discussion without express permission of the person involved, breaking into someone's house...).

Overall, however, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nancy J Parra's A Case of Syrah, Syrah is the first book in the Wine Country Mystery series. Taylor left her advertising job to move in with her aunt and start a wine tour business. On her very first tour a participant is killed and Taylor is the prime suspect. In order to save her business as well as her aunt's, she sets out to solve the murder. My problem with the book began there. While this is the usual premise of nearly every cozy mystery, Taylor's behavior comes across as just plain stupid. Rather than going through her lawyer with everything she find, Taylor goes to the police, a reporter, and every other person imaginable. The book had a good premise. I just hope the author smartens up Taylor for future books.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
A murder mystery set in Sonoma, deep in California wine country should be fantastic. The suspects were all interesting, the twists were good and the mystery was compelling. Yet, I have to say it never really hooked me and I know why.
I realize authors have to put their heroines in danger and create challenges for them to overcome. As long as the heroine does not stretch credibility, I am okay. I prefer where the danger occurs more organically. When the heroine acts like an idiot and keeps doing things, despite being warned many times, that gets her deeper and deeper in the hole,. Taylor is Einstein's definition of insanity: doing the same things, the same way and expecting different results. If I was the sheriff, I would lock her up to keep her off the street.
It is a shame because even with that, I did like the story.. I liked the people and animals who surround Taylor. It is the character of Taylor that irritates me. As a feline, I could say she is only human but any humans I know are not that dumb.
I can only give this three purrs and one paw up.

Great characters, the backdrop of a winery, the Sonoma County setting, and an engrossing storyline made this one a good start to a new series.

Taylor O'Brian has set up a business where she intends to take groups around Sonoma County to view gardens. All is going well until a member of one of her tours is found dead with Taylor's own corkscrew buried in her neck. Several people seem suspicious, and as Taylor begins to investigate, another body turns up. Taylor has to solve the mystery before she is the next vicim.

This was an enjoyable book with characters I liked and a good storyline. I look forward to more from the series. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The Case of Syrah, Syrah

by Nancy J. Parra

A Case of Syrah, Syrah starts off as an interesting cozy mystery in a great setting and proceeds with building excitement. Unfortunately, by the time the book reaches its conclusion, the reader is ready to commit a crime against the main character. There are two major issues. First, the usually enticing twists and turns of a mystery evolve into a ride on a hamster wheel, churning round and round on the same territory. Second, the main character Taylor, in her efforts to prove her innocence, refuses to follow instructions from her own lawyer and from the sheriff to stop talking to people and to stay out of the investigation. She keeps exposing herself and others to danger, and her friends and aunt encourage her compulsions. By the end, I was ready to arrest her for obstruction.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Wine Country Mystery Series

Publication: December 12, 2017 —Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

It was a fun and carefree moment with the wind whipping through my hair. The night smelled of vineyards and warm earth. Stars twinkled in the dark sky.

Taylor says of her investigative efforts—without altering her actions:

I couldn’t help myself.

It seemed the more I investigated, the more I incriminated myself.

This is a delightful cozy mystery ! A Case of Syrah is set in beautiful Sonoma wine country which adds to the enjoyment of this book. Our protagonist is Taylor who has moved to her Aunt's winery to care for her after a heart attack. Once her Aunt is recovered she does not want Taylor to leave. Determined to make her way Taylor opens a winery tour business in a old VW bus. Soon afterward she is involved in a murder and must find the murderer .
This is enjoyable look at the wine business, Sonoma California and a smart independent protagonist. The writing is wonderfully fast paced and fun to read. I enjoyed it from cover to cover and look forward to the next in series. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC which did not influence my review.

I love wine and a good mystery so I was obviously drawn to this title.

Narrated in the person by Taylor O'Brian, who gave up her high-powered career in advertising to look after her aunt Jemma on her small winery - Sookies Vineyard - in Sonoma, California.

The murder of yoga instructor, Laura, on one of Taylor's specialised tours, sees the finger of blame firmly pointed at Taylor, who investigates with her BFF Holly, as a means to clear her name.

I liked the way the story unfolded, and the introduction of new characters didn't bog down the story or over-clutter the pages with too much detail. There was the right amount of momentum to keep you interested till the very last pages.

I will be interested to see where this series may lead.

This book introduces us to Taylor O'Brian, a young, newly single former advertising executive from San Francisco living at her aunts winery. She has moved to Sonoma to help look after her Aunt Jemma who recently suffered a heart attack. Although her aunt is doing much better she doesn't really want Taylor to leave. Taylor decides to open her own business "Taylor O'Brian Presents 'Off The Beaten Path' Wine Country Tours" catering to tourists and locals who want to find neat and unique little places in town. She is all set for her first tour group which consists of a group put together by her Yoga Instructor, Laura. Laura is a bit high strung, not at all what Taylor had imagined for someone in her line of work. Laura doesn't really like Taylor nor does Taylor like Laura, in fact Taylor was just banned from Laura's Yoga class, but business is business. Taylor is looking forward to her first tour and being her own boss. The day of the tour arrives and everything is planned out in great detail. A stop at the botanical gardens for a hike and a picnic--with wine from her aunts winery; then on to a winery for a tasting and dining. Things are off to a great start. Taylor was able to give historical tidbits about the area and everyone seemed to really enjoy hiking. Laura thinks that it is 'okay' but that it could be better. She and her husband, Dan. offer to help Taylor improve her business. A little offended Taylor politely declines. It is her first tour and there will be a learning curve but she will get it on her own. Things take a turn when everyone gets ready for the picnic. Laura is missing. Taylor instructs the rest of the group, minus herself and Dan, to stay put. Dan and Taylor take off in opposite directions to hopefully find Laura or meet in the middle. Taylor happens across Laura. She seems to have fallen off a cliff and is hurt. She contacts the authorities but it's soon discovered that Laura was murdered--and with Taylor's corkscrew. The police believe that Taylor is involved. She has to clear her name.

I am a fan of Nancy J. Parra novels. I first came upon her books by accident a few years ago. My library system had her book Engaged In Murder mistakingly listed under A First Date With Death by Diana Orgain. I had requested A First Date With Death and my husband picked up the books from the library for me while I was at work. I realized right away that it wasn't the book that I was looking for but after reading the back cover it still sounded intriguing so I read it and loved it. I ended up buying the next two books in the series. I was excited to see this new series and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Taylor can be a bit whiny at times and absolutely refuses to listen to her lawyer, Patrick. Not listening to Patrick does not work in her favor and she keeps looking guilty. The book is a light, quick read. One thing I didn't really enjoy was the dognapping. It seemed a little farfetched to me. It would have been more believable if it were either a prize winning dog worth alot of money or her aunt or julio or juan or holly. I just can't see a person using their entire savings (when they are a suspect in a murder and their business is hurting because of that) for a dog they have had for a couple of weeks. I didn't know who the murderer was until the very end of the book, so the mystery wasn't too easy to solve which i always appreciate.

Taylor O’Brian is excited to begin a new chapter in her life. She has moved in with her Aunt Jemma at her small winery and will be leading tours through the Sonoma wine country. She has so many plans for her new business and is nervous, but excited about her first tour, leading a group of yoga instructors through an outdoor garden. The leader who arranged the tour is demanding, but Taylor feels she is up for the challenge and is eager to get going. However, when the difficult client is found murdered during the tour and the murder weapon is one of Taylor’s corkscrews. Taylor becomes the prime suspect. After all her hard work, it looks like her first tour could be her last. Since Taylor’s tours have been put on hold, she uses the time to conduct her own investigation to find the real murderer. Unfortunately, every move Taylor makes seems to put her more in the spotlight of law enforcement and a killer.

I love the author’s Perfect Proposals series and was eager to read the debut of a new series set in California wine country, a perfect backdrop for a series. The setting and the premise of leading tours get the book off to a good start, but because of the main character, I ended up a little disappointed after finishing the book. If cozy heroines listened every time they were told to back away from investigations, there wouldn’t be much to the stories! However, Taylor takes ignoring advice to new levels. She doesn’t listen to the sheriff because she doesn’t think he believes in her innocence, which has some logic. However, Taylor goes through the trouble and spends money she doesn’t have to hire a lawyer, and then doesn’t listen to a word he says. She continually puts herself into physical danger and bumbles around to gather evidence that keeps making her case look worse and worse. After a while, I had a hard time feeling sympathy for Taylor. Sheriff Hennessey and her attorney, Patrick, feel differently, though, and it looks like a love triangle could be brewing in future books. I found the best part of the book to be how well Taylor her aunt, and Taylor’s best friend, Holly, all get along and support each other in difficult and even dangerous situations and I enjoyed these characters’ interactions.

Identity theft plays a large role in the book and the author includes some informative facts about this growing crime. The subject is relevant, but the presentation is awkward and reads like a news report instead of a natural discussion between the characters. The solution to the investigation gets a little far-fetched, but does answer all outstanding questions. After the story concludes, I enjoyed the information the author includes about recommended foods to pair with Syrah wine and thought that was a clever way to end the book. With the interesting setting and tour business premise, the series has potential if the main character learns from her experiences and acts more cautiously in the future.

~ Christine

A Case of Syrah, Syrah by Nancy J. Parra is the first in A Wine Country Mystery series. Taylor O’Brian has returned to Sonoma, California and is living in pool house at her Aunt Jemma’s place called Sookie’s Vineyard. Taylor has decided to start Taylor’s Off the Beaten Pat Wine Country Tours. Her first tour is for Laura Scott and her employees for a team building day. Taylor is setting out lunch for the group and it is mentioned that Laura is missing. A search ensues, and Taylor finds Laura near a stream down a cliff. Despite being warned by the 911 operator to not go down the cliff, Taylor scrabbles down along with Laura’s husband, Dan to check on Laura. Laura Scott is dead with Taylor’s missing corkscrew in her neck. Sheriff Ron Hennessey is in charge of the investigation and quickly narrows his sights on Taylor. Patrick Aimes, Taylor’s attorney, warns her to not talk to anyone regarding the case and keep a low profile. However, Taylor’s new business venture is in jeopardy along with Aunt Jemma’s winery. Aunt Jemma states that they need to find the culprit on their own. Taylor starts nosing around, but then the investigation gets derailed when an arrest warrant is issued. Someone is setting up Taylor to take the fall for Laura’s murder. Out on bail, Taylor continues her quest for the killer. Then Taylor finds another victim and her puppy, Millie is kidnapped. Will the killer be caught before Taylor gets prosecuted?

A Case of Syrah, Syrah is easy to read, has a lovely setting of Sonoma (California) and an adorable cover. I did find the pace a little slow in the beginning. There is an abundance of speculation and inept questioning by Taylor (she ends up angering people). The author did not take the time to properly develop the characters (or tell us much about the town). I found Taylor a hard character to like. She is irresponsible, impulsive, does not think things through, and ignores counsel from others (I found her annoying and a danger to others). I do not know why she bothered to retain an attorney if she was going to continually ignore his advice (seems a waste of money). Taylor got into one ridiculous situation after another throughout the book. While she does have these traits, Taylor is otherwise very bland (lackluster). Part of the problem is readers are not told what Taylor is feeling. I am giving A Case of Syrah, Syrah 3 out of 5 stars. There are two mysteries in the story. The murder and an identity theft problem. Master cozy mystery sleuths will find solving this one effortless, while others will be surprised when the solution is revealed. There are two possible love interests for Taylor who are (of course) handsome (let us hope this does not mean a love triangle in future books). There will be a twist to Taylor’s tours in the future that I found intriguing. A Case of Syrah, Syrah will appeal to cozy mystery readers who prefer light, humorous cozy mysteries.

This is the first book in A Wine Country Mystery series Taylor O’Brian has returned to Sonoma, California and is living in pool house at her Aunt Jemma’s place called Sookie’s Vineyard, named after a ghost. Taylor has decided to start “Taylor O’Brian’s Off The Beaten Path Wine Tours,” She is lives in a pool house on her Aunt Jemma small winery. Her new business venture is set to take small groups around romantic Sonoma county to discover some of the county’s activities to include wine tours. The first tour consists of touring a local garden when Laura, the leader of the group of yoga instructors on the tour, is found dead.
The plot thickens when only two weeks after the murder, her very own administrative assistant, Amy, marries Laura’s husband, Dan, who doesn’t seem very bereaved about being widowed. The three yoga masters under Laura’s tutelage begin to seem shadyTaylor needs to find the killer before she is convicted of the murder.
This story is well written, easy to read, and humorous. The cover is really cleaver. It contains elements of the wine country, a cat and a VW bug. How could you not enjoy. The only thing missing besides the kitchen sink is the new mascot, Millie.
Our sleuth is flawed. She has poor judgement which lands her in most of the trouble set in the book. I can only hope she develops into a less fool hardy sleuth in future episodes. I was surprised by the ending.
Recipes and wine pairing are also included with the book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

As soon as I saw this cover I knew I had to read this book. Yes, the wine, the vineyard, and the VW bus, but it was the cat the really caught my attention. Look at those eyes. I was happy to learn there is a canine in the story too.

Taylor O’Brian’s Aunt Jemma was having “heart problems” so she asked Taylor to come to her winery to help run the place. There are other employees and Aunt Jemma is still very hands-on with the winery so Taylor doesn’t have to spend all her time there. She has decided to put her marketing knowledge to the test by opening “Taylor’s Off The Beaten Path Wine Tours”. She doesn’t get off to a good start. As the group was wrapping up the first stop they discover one of the guests was missing. A quick search finds the woman dead with Taylor’s corkscrew plunged into her neck. Taylor believes there are plenty of other suspects including the woman’s husband but he is telling everyone she is the murderer. It is not long before another dead body is found by none other than Taylor. Taylor needs to save herself, her reputation, and her business. Hopefully, she doesn’t have to do that from behind bars.

Ms. Parra has introduced us to several characters in the first story. The all seem genuine and I hope the characters develop more fully as the series continues. Taylor really is her own worse enemy. The hot water she found herself in time and time again was because of her poor judgment. I understand the whole amateur sleuth thing but she really made some poor choices. I hope that she has learned something for the future cases. Aunt Jemma is quite a woman and while the way she brought Taylor to the winery was a little shady, she is my favorite character in the first installment. She reminds me of my own mother in many ways. We barely have scratched the surface on the other characters but am excited to get to know them better.

The plot was truly puzzling. The murderer had to be someone on the tour, didn’t it? Taylor learned more about the group every day and a variety of motives were uncovered. I didn’t put all the pieces together until the very end. Twists, turns, red herrings, this story has them all.

The setting was extraordinary, Sonoma, wine country, the vineyards and the gardens. I have always wanted to visit and this author gave me an excellent virtual trip.

This series has a lot going for it with plenty of potential. The area is full of wineries to visit no matter what direction Taylor takes her business. As the characters continue to evolve this series will have no bounds. I have enjoyed everything this author has written and I am looking forward to my next trip to Sonoma.

4 stars
Taylor O’Brien returned to Sonoma 6 months ago after giving up her San Francisco advertising manager job to be closer to her Aunt Jemma after a heart health scare. Taylor just started her new business, Taylor’s Off The Beaten Path Wine Tours, and is taking her first tour group, a group of master yoga teachers group and their mentor, when the leader, Laura is found dead. Making matters worse for Taylor she is the first responder to the death and Laura is found with Taylor’s corkscrew in Laura’s neck.
Taylor quickly becomes the prime suspect in the murder and after being indicted for Laura’s death, Taylor decides to take matters into her own hands to clear her name with the help of her best friend and Aunt Jemma. Taylor proceeds to find herself in circumstances that only increase the case against her. She doesn’t seem to be able to take the office of the local Sherriff to not investigate and stay out of trouble.
This first novel in the Wine Country Mystery series starts out strong – I was so excited I had a potential 5 star, first novel at the outset. A little quirky from time to time, the characters and storyline are solid. Taylor’s desire to clear herself, at all cost, and avoiding the advice of the local police gets a little tiring. A strong first novel, hopefully some of the kinks in the plotting are worked out so Taylor can come across as a stronger, less contradictory, heroine. I will read the next novel to see how her character develops.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64352>

Even though I found the main character annoying, I still enjoyed this fun cozy mystery set in Wine Country! A Case of Syrah, Syrah is the first book in the new Wine Country Mystery series set in the city of Sonoma, in the heart of California’s Wine Country. I live in Sonoma County, and it turns out that I am very picky about books set in my home area, and I really enjoyed this mystery! I enjoyed the setting; it felt authentic enough, although we really don’t all sit around fire pits drinking wine every night as the characters in the book do. Especially not now as we were hit with terrible wildfires! But the setting was a lot of fun.
The main character is Taylor O’Brian, who returns to her home city of Sonoma after living in San Francisco. She wants to start a wine tour company, and unfortunately on her first tour, someone is killed. I found Taylor quite annoying in that she repeatedly follows the typical cozy mystery heroine antics of not listening to law enforcement, going where she shouldn’t go, and talking to people she shouldn’t talk to. As Taylor becomes the lead suspect in the murder, she stirs up more trouble for her case as she returns to the scene of the crime, handles crime scene evidence, and just basically does everything you aren’t supposed to do when accused of murder. But, even though Taylor’s actions were oh-so-frustrating, I did really enjoy the mystery of the murder. I was able to keep all of the characters straight, I remembered who they were, and fell for some of the red herrings. In so many cozy mysteries I enjoy the setting but not the actual mystery, but in A Case of Syrah, Syrah I enjoyed both the setting and the mystery itself! I just found the main character a tad annoying as she behaved as a typical cozy mystery heroine behaves.
Bottom Line: Annoying main character, but a fun mystery with a great setting.

A Case of Syrah, Syrah is the first book in the new wine country series by Nancy J Para.
Taylor O Brian moves back home to Sonoma County to take care of her Aunt Jemma after she has a heart attack. To support herself she starts “Off The Beaten Path” Wine tours. On her very first outing, one of Taylor’s guests is murdered, and Taylor is very quickly arrested.
A quick and easy read with an engaging cast of characters, I enjoyed this book, and look forward to seeing what the author has in store for Taylor and friends , I will definitely be looking for book two when it’s released!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book

A Case of Syrah, Syrah is the first book in the A Wine Country Mystery series.

Taylor O’Brian help her Aunt Jemma at her aunt’s winery while she is busy getting her tour business off the ground. Her business, Taylor’s Off The Beaten Path Wine Tours, will tour interesting sights in the area and then relax and discuss what was seen while having appetizers and sipping some wine.

Taylor’s first tour is a group of yoga instructors from her yoga class and headed by Laura Scott. Just a day or two Taylor had a run-in with Laura and hopes the tour will go better. The tour begins with a walking tour of the Quarryhill Botanical Gardens to view a large collection of Asian native plants. As the walk begins, Laura is rather insistent that Taylor needs to take some her management classes to really be successful. Taylor takes exception to this and tells her so. Later in the walk, Laura’s husband Don, starts the same type of discussion with Taylor. As everyone is returning to Taylor’s VW van for wine and cheese, everyone realizes that Laura is missing. Everyone starts to retrace their steps from where she was last seen. Taylor is paired with Don and they soon find the body of Laura off the path with a corkscrew of Taylor’s in her neck. Taylor is soon arrested for the murder of Laura.

Granted, most of the evidence that is being used is circumstantial, Sheriff Hennessey doesn’t, in Taylor’s mind seem to be looking for any other suspects. Once she is bonded out of jail Taylor set off with her best friend, Holly Petree, to find who killed Laura. They soon find that the other members are all providing each other with alibis, so this is where they start looking. They soon learn that Laura had an SD card on her with personal information of all her students. They then begin looking into that someone might have been involved with selling stolen identity information, but they are still no closer to knowing who or if that was why Laura was killed.

I really liked the premise the story and it was a well-developed story with interesting characters, which I hope more will be learned about in future books. What I did have a problem with is that Taylor was told many times by her lawyer, Patrick Aimes, to not talk to anyone but him and numerous times by Sheriff Hennessey to stay out of the investigation which she failed to follow, thereby, making herself look more guilty, to say nothing of putting her life and Holly’s in danger.

I will be watching for the next book in the series to learn if Taylor will in the future take the advice of those in the know. Also whether there might be a romantic interest that was hinted at in this book and whether her tours will be visiting wineries in the area where crimes have taken place.

Recipes and wine pairing are also included with the book.