Mulled to Death is book three in Kate Lansing's Colorado Wine Mystery series. It features Parker Valentine, who owns a premier winery in Boulder. Parker is taking a break and holidaying in the Colorado mountains on a skiing trip with her boyfriend Reid, her brother Liam and bezzie Sage. It will be a busman's holiday for Parker as she is promoting her Snowy Day Syrah mulled wine. But when Annmarie Bauer, the resort's owner has an accident on the ski slopes and dies, Parker begins her own investigation...

I found this a great read even though I haven't yet read the first books in the series. Parker is quick and resourceful and I found her to be a good protagonist, even if she's a little bit impetuous. The mystery was well done, packed as it was with action, turns, concealments and lashings of drama. I was confounded by the killer until the end which was a stonker! An intriguing tale with some fabulous characterisation.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Berkley via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

In the third book in Kate Lansing;s Colorado Wine Mystery series, Mulled to Death, Olympic Gold Medal winner Annmarie Bauer is murdered. Amateur sleuth and owner of Vino Valentine Parker Valentine is determined to find out who killed Annmarie. This puts Parker in danger which doesn't stop her from sleuthing. I liked how this storyline incorporated information about wine too. This was an interesting read and I plan to catch up on the earlier books in the series.

3.5 Reviews

Parker Valentine owns a premier winery in Boulder, Colorado. She is excited to combine business with pleasure when she visits a nearby ski resort with her boyfriend, brother, and best friend over Valentine’s Day weekend. She is able to make a pitch for the resort to add one of her wines to their menu and is thrilled when the owner, a former Olympic skier, agrees to the deal. However, the celebration is premature because the next morning, Parker finds the lifeless body of the owner out on the ski slopes. Parker at first simply shares something she witnessed with a member of local law enforcement, but soon puts the fun part of her trip aside to investigate Annmarie’s tragic death.

This is the third book in the Colorado Wine Mystery series. I’ve only read one of the prior books, but had no problem getting to know the characters. The main characters are all fairly likable, but I couldn’t fully connect with them. Parker comes across as self-centered much of the time. She explains her aversion to celebrating Valentine’s Day, which is putting a damper on the weekend, but it seems overly dramatic. I am glad she eventually acknowledges this and tries to overcome it. I know this happens a lot in cozy mysteries, but in this book it seems especially contrived that Parker would become so involved in the murder investigation of someone she had only met once. Her confrontation of all the suspects at the end is a little hard to believe, but does get results.

Although her motivation for going all in seems weak, the book is entertaining. Parker is a capable amateur sleuth, using her knowledge of people to read witnesses and suspects. She also does a good job of sharing what she learns with Jenny, the sheriff officially investigating the case. I really enjoy the information about wines and winemaking included in the story, which keeps the book true to the premise of the series. I began craving some of the mulled wine that Parker kept describing, so fortunately there are directions on how to prepare your own at the end. I’m not a skier, but the author also does a good job of helping the reader visualize the setting of the resort and the ski runs. The mystery itself is interesting and I was convinced I knew the identity of the killer, but I was wrong. I was pleased to be surprised, and the solution is logical once everything is explained. Overall, this is a fast-paced cozy that is coming out just in time for the beginning of fall and cooler weather.

~ Christine

Princess Fuzzypants here: In spite of having mixed feelings about Valentines, Parker is off to a ski resort for an exciting weekend mixing business with pleasure. If she can interest the wine manager with her mulled wine, it will mean a big break for her winery. But even getting there presents a challenge thanks to the roads and the weather. It is but a harbinger of what is to come.

Albeit a bit later than she planned, both the manager and the owner, a former Olympian, are both impressed and plan to put in an order. But rather than relaxing, the weekend turns deadly when the expert skier is murdered on her own run. Parker found the body and was a witness to what happened just prior. She is forthcoming with whatever information she can provide but the killer must think she knows more than she realizes. After a possible attempt on her life, Parker is more determined to ferret out the villain and is busy asking questions and sharing knowledge with the local cops. This is where cozies can fall off the rails with me.

Intelligent heroines being reckless and dumb ruin the story, no matter how good the other parts are. It is a fine balance between suspense and stupidity. Parker might have crossed that line when she continues investigating after a second, very obvious attempt on her life is made. But she manages the feat. With just the right amount of daring and sensible caution, she forges ahead and uncovers the murderer. There are some twists and turns that keep things moving. Not sure if this is the book to read during a blizzard but it is great for now.

The characters are strong and compelling and there is an absolutely charming hotel cat, Mathilda, who steals the show and lots of other things.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Another great addition to the series. I really enjoyed the fresh setting and all of the side characters. I was happy to see more of Parker's brother and her best friend as they are great characters. I also really enjoyed seeing more development of Parker and Reid's relationship, though her insistence on solving the mystery and not spending time with him was frustrating. The mystery was well done but not quite as good as the first two books. I think anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries will like this, especially people who enjoy wine and unique recipes.

I am still not sold on this series. For me, there is too much atmosphere description which is not necessary since the reader can fill it in for themselves. The plotting is slow, and Parker Valentine, the owner of a wine label and tasting room in Boulder, Colorado, is way too obsessed with her boyfriend and comes across like a teenager instead of the adult she is supposed to be. Unfortunately, I find her friend Sage more interesting than her.

Kate Lansing needs to bring more dimension to Parker, tone down the crushing on the boyfriend, and maybe spend less time describing the room and more time creating suspense.

Vintner Parker Valentine is looking forward to a working vacation with her boyfriend Reid, her brother Liam and her best friend Sage, the latter two of whom are dating too. The foursome are headed to the Silver Creek Lodge where Parker plans to pitch her Snowy Day Syrah and accompanying mulling spices to the ski resort’s wine director. Since her meeting coincides with Valentine Day’s weekend, the four friends have decided to make a couples getaway of it, even though Parker herself has a lot of reservations about the holiday, mostly to do with the untimely passing of her beloved Aunt Laura.

Fortunately, Parker and Reid have promised each other no gifts this first Valentine’s they’re spending together, even though Parker hasn’t really told him why she’s so lukewarm on the idea. With the important business meeting occupying her thoughts -- not to mention all the skiing and snowboarding the rest of the group is intent on doing -- there isn’t much time for an emotional heart-to-heart either. Plus, the appearance of the resort’s famous owner, glamorous former Olympic athlete Annmarie Bauer, is more than enough to dominate all conversation, for which Parker is secretly glad.

She’s very much not glad, however, when Annmarie dies while skiing down the most difficult of the lodge’s runs. Parker was on a neighboring course when the tragedy happened and isn’t sure whether she saw something suspicious in the lead up to Annmarie’s accident. Sheriff Jenny Scott doesn’t think Annmarie’s death was accidental at all though, so is happy to entertain Parker’s concerns. As a rash of thefts and a series of other weird and dangerous incidents begin to plague the resort, Parker wonders whether she did indeed see something she shouldn’t have, and whether a killer is ready to eliminate the only witness to what truly happened on the slopes that day.

This was another fun, millennial-focused installment of the Colorado Wine mystery series. Mulled To Death touched deftly on many headline-inspired issues in the course of laying out its tricky mystery which, along with Parker and Liam’s sniping sibling relationship, grounded the story in reality (though I freely admit to being on Liam’s side when it comes to weekend work and work-life balance.)

There were three recipes included here, for a delicious snack, a tasty soup and decadent cupcakes. I was quite torn but ultimately decided on the soup:

QUOTE
Cozy Chicken Soup with Thyme Dumplings
(Serves 4 to 6)

1 whole (2 split) chicken breast, bone in and skin on
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and medium-diced
4 stalks celery, medium-diced
2 leeks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 cups chicken stock
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat chicken breast with olive oil and place on sheet pan. Sprinkle with fresh-ground black pepper and salt and bake for 45 minutes. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone, discarding the skin. Dice into 1-inch pieces.

In large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, carrots, celery, leeks, and ½ teaspoon of pepper and a pinch of salt. Sauté together, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, chicken, and parsley, and simmer for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, thyme, and pinch of salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs the size of peas. Stir in milk. Drop teaspoon-sized spoonfuls (the dumplings expand a surprising amount!) into the soup. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

To serve, ladle broth, chicken, veggies, and dumplings in bowls and enjoy!
END QUOTE

The preparation of the chicken for this soup is outstanding, leaving it perfectly tender and juicy, melding almost perfectly with the delectable vegetables. I actually poured some of the roasted chicken juices into the soup to give it further body (and also because I couldn’t stand the thought of just pouring all that tasty liquid down the drain. I definitely snacked on the roasted chicken skin as well!) The only thing I’d change about this recipe is perhaps increasing the salt level of the thyme dumplings. They’re delightfully herbaceous, but could use a little more than just a pinch of the salt to really bring out the flavor, in my opinion.

Next week, we continue our run of savories with a delicious pasta as we go back to the beginning of a series by one of my favorite culinary cozy authors. Do join me!

Book 3 in the Colorado Wine Mystery series takes us on a snowy adventure. Parker is pitching her mulled wine to a new possible customer at a nearby ski resort. Reid, Sage and Liam decide to tag along and turn this trip into a fun Valentine’s getaway. I loved this change of scenery and all of the descriptions made me very nostalgic. While I’ve never been skiing in Colorado, we use to always go on Winter getaways to various resorts across New Mexico. I could easily imagine the anticipation of studying the trail map, selecting your run, hearing the clip of your boot into the equipment, the crunch of fresh snow and the excitement of going on the chair lift.

After witnessing a fatal incident on the slopes, Parker can’t help but get involve in yet another case. This mystery was so good. It kept me guessing and being highly suspicious of all of the resort’s employees. The culprit tried to scare Parker off several times with some pretty suspenseful moments. I enjoyed all of the extra actions!! There’s a cute side story about items being swiped from guest’s rooms too. I definitely smiled when that was resolved.

This book provided some great character growth for Parker. She not only overcame some grief, but progressed her relationship with Reid. They seriously are a cute couple. Fingers crossed we hear about book 4 soon. Maybe it will be a story about the rockstar Liam just booked!!

Several recipes are included.

Mulled to Death by Kate Lansing is the 3rd book in the Colorado Wine Mystery series. Parker Valentine is a Colorado wine maker who is trying to spend a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Reid, at a beautiful ski resort. After a quick business meeting with the owner of the resort—famous Olympian, Annmarie Bauer—Parker and Reid hit the slopes. But on her way down the mountain, Parker hears something suspicious and heads off to investigate, only to find Annmarie’s dead body. Even though it was made to look like a ski accident, it becomes obvious that this was no accident. Parker quickly finds herself immersed in the investigation and in danger. With so many suspects, who has the most to gain by Annmarie’s death?

This is the first of these cozy mysteries that I’ve read and I would definitely be interested in checking out the first two book! Super cute characters—I really enjoyed Parker and her friends. Easy read with beautiful scenery and fun food and wine descriptions. I would recommend this to fans of cozy mysteries!

4 Stars

Mulled to Death is an entertaining and adventurous edition to the Colorado Wine Mystery Series.

Parker is mixing a bit of business and pleasure with Valentine's weekend getaway. Nestled away in the mountains of a beautiful Alpine ski resort Parker and her boyfriend Reid have plans of a romantic time in between hitting the slopes and Parker pitching her wine to the Director of the resort. On what should be a fun day of hitting the slopes Parker comes across the resort owner's body dead on a ski trail. What should’ve been a fun and romantic weekend is thrown into chaos. Not only does Parker find a dead body but little things keep happening that have her looking a bit over her shoulder.

Mulled to Death was fantastic. Each book in the series gets better and better. Parker takes sleuthing to a whole other level. She wants to get to the bottom of it and she goes full tilt. Even if sometimes it’s not the best choice. She’s very passionate about finding out who and why. I love seeing Parker‘s romantic side come out a bit more. As a romance lover I love seeing a bit of romance with my cozy mysteries. As for the mystery part this one is twists and turns and has the reader doing some thinking. I also love how the author is able to incorporate things about wine in just about every aspect of the book that does not involve winemaking. The description of the spices for the mulled wine makes me want to try and make a batch myself.

Kate Lansing’s Mulled to Death is what you want in a cozy mystery.

In book 3 of this series, we venture outside of Boulder to a ski resort, and while I sometimes get nervous when a cozy series take us outside the community we've grown to love, this adventure was worth the journey. Because we weren't accompanying Parker as she made wine or led tastings (except for the titular mulled wine), this one gave room for character development and a still interesting mystery. This continues to be a fun series, and I'm looking forward to more.

This is book three in a series. I don't think it's imperative that you've read the first two books to enjoy this one, but I think it might help. I personally have not read the previous books and found it a bit hard jumping in the the characters. It was an enjoyable cozy mystery, nonetheless. We spent the Valentine's Day weekend with Parker and her crew at a tony ski resort. There were lots of suspects and the culprit was surprising. Definitely worth a look if you like cozies.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It’s a Valentine getaway for Parker and her boyfriend Reid. They take a weekend trip to a ski resort. Parker also hopes to get the owner to carry her wine. When a murder happens on the slopes she can’t let it go. This is a fun, fast paced mystery.
#MulledtoDeath #NetGalley

I was so happy to be back in Parker's world with her wines. Reading this series is like being wrapped up in a warm blanket, all snuggly and cozy, diving into a world that becomes so real as I open the book. Following along with Parker as she solves another mystery, with Reid, Sage and her brother on a ski adventure gone wrong when the owner is killed on the mountain. Guaranteed to pull anyone in, I highly recommend this series to anyone wanting to escape their lives for a bit. Especially if you love wine and mysteries!

Parker Valentine and her boyfriend Reid are planning a romantic Valentine’s weekend trip to a ski resort. Parker is hoping to take a few minutes to sell the resort on her mulled wine, and is star struck when the owner, Olympic gold medalist Annmarie Bauer, sits in on the meeting. But the next morning, Parker is nearby when Annmarie has a deadly skiing accident. Parker saw some things that make her question whether it was an accident or not, and as she begins poking around, strange things happen to her. Can she figure out what is really going on?

Having enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was looking forward to checking in with Parker again. I did feel that Parker’s motive for looking into this as much as she did was weak until late in the book and the plot relied a bit too much on events over investigation, but overall, this was a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Parker and Reid are joined by another couple, Parker’s brother Liam and her best friend Sage, who have recently started dating. These four characters are the core of the series to me, and I loved seeing how they developed here. As always, the books are written in first person present tense. I love how the author works in tidbits about wine making as metaphors for what Parker is going through. We get three delicious sounding recipes and suggested wine pairings at the end. Fans of the series will have fun with the newest in this series.

Series Background: This is book 3 in the Colorado Wine Mysteries featuring Parker, owner of the wine shop Vino Valentine I’m Boulder, CO.

In short: Parker and crew head to a resort for a Valentine getaway, pitch for a contract to carry Parker’s wine, find a dead body on the ski slopes and investigate the murder.

My thoughts: A strong addition to this series! I liked that they left the normal setting for a getaway. The descriptions of the resort, the mountains and ski hill made me feel like I was there. Mix in a Murder mystery with many clues and twists, this was an enjoyable read.

One thing I love about cozy mysteries is that you often care more about the people and their relationships than the actual murder mystery. Mulled to Death loved up to that, especially the evolving relationship with Parker and Reid.

🍷Genre⁠
Culinary Cozy mystery⁠
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🍷Excerpt⁠
Chairlifts whisk a dwindling crowd of skiers and snowboarders up the mountain, while a gondola runs parallel for those interested in taking in the views without the sport. Excitement courses through me at strapping on my skis and facing down the mountain, but that will have to wait until morning. On the upside, delayed gratification is like a good cabernet sauvignon, the waiting enriching the experience.⁠
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🍷My description⁠
Parker, Reid, Sage, and Liam are planning a cozy Valentine’s Day ski trip to coincide with pitching Vino Valentine to the resort’s wine director. Parker is thrilled with the possibilities for her winery and her developing relationship with Reid but doesn’t know how to tell him about her emotions around Valentine’s and her Aunt Laura’s death. When Ann Marie Bauer, resort owner and Olympic medalist is murdered, their romantic getaway takes a deadly turn.⁠
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🍷How it made you feel⁠
Swoony⁠
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🍷Favorite part⁠
Don’t make me choose! Okay, fine, I pick the dynamic between Parker, Reid, Sage, and Liam. I love this friend group.⁠
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🍷One word description⁠
Cold⁠
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🍷Would you recommend?⁠
Another excellent entry in one of my new favorite series. Great characters that continue to grow and develop, fun details about wine and food, and more wine similes and metaphors than you can shake a stick at. Throw in some very swoony romance, lots of danger, and a twisty plot. I’d say save it for Valentine’s Day but why delay? ⁠
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I recently read and really enjoyed Wine Country Mysteries #1 - The Merlot Murders by Ellen Crosby, a more traditional mystery that gives more insight into the winemaking business. I think it would pair nicely with the Colorado Wine Mystery series.

Another great book in the series!! This was (and is) the perfect book for winter. The heavenly scenery of the cozy ski lodge, all the winter vibes & the romantic setting over Valentine’s Day weekend. I mean, I’d go skiing with Parker & Reid any day! The mystery was great, kept me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen all throughout. It was nice seeing Parker help solve the case with the local law enforcement. Even though I really enjoyed the mystery aspect, I did love the romance that was happening as well. Reid + Parker FOREVER.

I knew I would love this one! From the adorable cover to the fact that I'm a huge mulled wine fan I was hooked before I began.

The characters are charming, the setting is gorgeous and the plot is good. There are lots of suspects and motives keeping you guessing and interested in a classic who dunnit fashion. Great cozy mystery to curl up with.

This is book #3 in the "A Colorado Wine Mystery" series and it was fantastic! There were so many twists and turns in this novel, just when you think you have it figured out Kate Lansing throws another curve-ball. I love Parker and Reid together and I also love learning all of the cool facts about wine making. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.