I was excited to see that this series was on Net Galley! I had read the short that introduced us to our newest protagonist and really enjoyed it; this was no exception. It was nice to get an extended peek into characters we’d met quickly in the short and the mystery was very well done.

I have enjoyed many of Maddie Day's books in the past, but this one didn't work that well for me. The main character felt very one-dimensional.

Cece is the manager at Vino y Vida located in wine country in California. She recently moved here to be near her twin sister. She’s widowed, mother of a college student, and at loose ends. She enjoys her job and playing with her 10-year-old twin nephews. But somehow murders happen near her. This is the first in the series although I read the prequel in #Christmas Mittens Murder. I love the small town setting and I enjoy the twin interactions. I look forward to reading more. #MurderUncorked #Netgalley

Title: Murder Uncorked
Author: Maddie Day
Pub Date: October 24, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder Uncorked is a cozy mystery about a wine bar owner named Cece who finds herself wrapped up in a murder investigation. When one of her customers who she just met, is found dead the next day, she is questioned by the police. To avoid being accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she decides to conduct her own investigation. After she begins questioning others in town, she starts to fear that her snooping around might make her the next target.

I typically don’t read many cozy mysteries. However, I have read a few that I really enjoyed. This was definitely a quick easy read but I thought it lacked the suspense that I love in a mystery and there was too much dialogue that I felt didn’t really add to the story. I did enjoy the small town feel and following Cece as she tried to solve the murder. If you like small town whodunnits and prefer a mystery without the violence and gore of a thriller book, then this one might be a good choice for you!

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for this ARC.

An exciting new cozy mystery set in a small California tourist town and centered around a wine bar serving locally grown wines. Cece finds herself in the midst of a police investigation when a very unlikable man that she only tangentially knew dies and the police start asking her for an alibi. There are so many potential suspects that Cece who is definitely not an investigator by any means, must turn into an investigator to clear her name. However, it seems the killer may not be satisfied with just one killing! The town is well described so that you feel as if you are standing in the streets next to Cece as she travels about. The characters are extremely realistic with lots of realistic issues that they are unraveling and which Cece gets to know about as she talks to people. I will definitely be adding this one to my must-read list and will be waiting rather impatiently for the next book to drop!

This one is supposed to be the first in the series but apparently there was a prior novella. Which would be fine except the story keeps referring to previous happenings in that book and this became a little irritating.

However if I disregard that minor problem Murder Uncorked is actually an excellent read. We meet Cece Barton who manages the Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Sonoma County, California. Her twin sister runs a nearby guest house and, when a guest is murdered after he has had words with Cece at the wine bar, both sisters may be suspects. Of course they have to start their own investigation in order to clear their names.

A good mystery, well written and with nice characters. I might just have to seek out that novella.

Cece Barton manages a wine Bar in Colinas, California. She recently moved from L.A. Her twin sister lives close by. Cece is estranged from her daughter since the death of Cece’s husband. So, Cece has her hands full, but she had no idea just how full they would be when murder strikes the small town. Cece takes it upon herself to find the killer, especially since she argued with the victim just the day before.

Murder Uncorked is the first in a brand-new cozy mystery series, the Cece Barton Mysteries. I’ve been wanting to read this author for a long time, and I was delighted to see a new series. I could get in on the ground floor.

I love the wine bar setting, although I was craving for a glass of wine as I read through this book.

It took me some time to warm up to Cece and the rest of the supporting cast. It got off to a slow start for me, which sometimes happens when the author is introducing a new cast of characters. There were quite a number of them in this story. I had a bit of difficulty keeping them all straight, but then it all came together.

Some parts of the book were slow-moving for me, while other parts kept me at the edge of my seat. I wasn’t overly surprised at who the culprit turned out to be, but it made perfect sense. The ending was quite intense. I’m looking forward to continuing this series and seeing where it leads.




FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Good start to a new series. I met Cece Barton originally in a novella and was curious to see how she would be integrated into life in Colinas; she seems to fit in perfectly with the wine community and small town she has recently moved to. I enjoyed getting to visit with her, her sister, and her nephews again, as well as getting to know her new friends, particularly her elderly neighbor, Richard. I did have some issues with the way Cece handled some things, most notably, her need to withhold information from the police. There was also a lot of preaching about various topics: Indigenous people’s day, alternative fuel vehicles, etc., that gets a little tiresome, but I powered through it as I do with Maddie Day’s other views. I will read the next one and if this trend continues, I may have to give up on them. I read to escape. I don’t need lectures.

Murder Uncorked is the first cozy mystery in the Cece Barton Mystery series. Cece Barton has recently relocated to Colinas, California to be near her twin sister and her family. As the manager of Vino y Vida wine bar, Cece is quickly getting acclimated to her new life, but when a murder takes place Cece finds herself in the middle of it. Taking it upon herself to get to the bottom of it, she puts her sleuthing skills to use to search out the killer.

I am always excited to start a new cozy series in the hopes that it will become a series I follow for awhile and this book has all the makings of this. I enjoyed the setting that the author created and am a fan of Cece and the support system that surrounds her. I see a lot of potential for this series and look forward to following along with Cece on any cases that come her way. I have read the prequel to this book and loved how that set the tone for this new series and gave some background info on Cece and her first ever sleuthing adventures. I think this is a start to a series that is worth reading and I look forward to seeing what else comes Cece’s way!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Murder Uncorked begins a cozy mystery series set in wine country in California. Cece Barton moves to Colinas to be near her twin Allie and her family. She takes a job managing a wine bar in the historic complex.
The descriptions of the setting are good. The relationship between Cece and her sister and her sister’s twin boys is a nice part of the storyline.
The man who was murdered was abrasive and had alienated many of those around him. This supplied a number of suspects.
Cece feels a bit more comfortable investigating since she had success the previous Christmas solving a murder. The story is told in a novella in Christmas Mittens Murder.
I had access to an ebook and the audiobook. I liked the narrator, but I had a hard time distinguishing between Allie and Cece in some of their conversations.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Cozies and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to experience this book.

A cute start to the series.

This was an interesting cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect, but I never really warmed up to the characters. As this is the first book in the series, I was expecting to be introduced to the main cast of characters, but it felt like I was dropped into the middle of the series instead of the beginning - this threw me off as I felt like I had to play catch up.

The setting and the mystery was engaging. The author managed to put a lot of red herrings into the plot that had me guessing. And the town description was so cute, it made me wish this little town really existed.

Pub Date: 10/24

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is first in a new series so it's very much a set up, focusing on the large cast of characters while leaving key pieces of info about each of them out. Cece moved to wine country to be close to her twin Allie and, despite some stress in her life, her new job managing a wine bar is going well. And then there's a murder and she's the main suspect. Classic cozy territory, especially once she starts looking for the real villain. Problem is, she does a lot of stupid stuff (and I'm surprised because Day is a veteran author of cozies). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm optimistic that the next installment will give us more insight into Cece, what happened to her husband, why she's estranged from her daughter, and so on.

I liked the idea of a mystery set around a California wine bar, but this wasn’t my favorite of Maddie Day’s books. Cece’s reason for getting involved in the case was very slim and there were too many characters to keep straight. Reading the book on a kindle made it very difficult to go back and figure out who was who.

This first book in a new cozy series has lots of potential. Cece is widowed and her only daughter is at college. Cece moves to Colinas, California, to be near her twin and is now the manager of a wine bar. When a patron is found murdered after a drink and an argument with another patron in her bar, Cece is suddenly thrust into a murder investigation. The stage is set to meet the interesting characters in the town, including potential future romance relationships. Well-crafted and enjoyable.

Murder Uncorked is the first in a new series by Maddie Day (Although the characters were introduced in a previous novella). The series follows Cece Barton as she moves to wine country, California to live near her twin Allie. She runs a local wine bar and has a delightful neighbour and a strained relationship with her university aged daughter.
The book's mystery centers around the death of a local man with a ton of enemies. Lots of red herrings and suspects to keep you guessing. I didn't fall in love with Cece, but i'm open to reading more from the series. I think this cast of characters has potential.

A cozy mystery series that I could continue to read! I really enjoyed all of the suspects, a little bit of romance and the pacing of the mystery! Definitely keeping an eye out for book two!

Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day is the 1st book in her new Cece Barton Mystery series. We meet Cece Barton, who is widowed, with a daughter away at school; Cece moved to Colinas, California, to be close to her twin sister, Allie. Cece is the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar working long hours, but she has a couple of part time people, who help cover her during late hours, giving her time to go home or dinner. Her sister, Allie owns a Victorian Bed and Breakfast, and is always there for Cece.

Having heard two men arguing, Cece fills their glass of wine to break it up. But the next day one of the men is found murdered, which causes a detective to visit her to find out what was the argument about, as well as her own emails from the victim. Cece decides to start her own investigation, to ensure that the detective is not looking at her. She constantly talks to those she knows asking questions, which does begin to annoy some possible suspects. At times, Allie will also help Cece look for evidence, but when Cece nearly is hit by a truck while on her bike, she realizes that she is putting herself in danger, getting too close to the culprit.

What was really nice about this cozy mystery, was getting to meet her friends, not to mention other neighbors and colleagues. I got a kick out of her eating at some friend’s restaurants, such as Ko, Eddie and Henry. I also loved her friendship with, Mooncast, who though part time, she was always willing to cover for Cece. Her relationship with Allie was fantastic. Allie tries to get one of her customers, Benjamin, a hunk, to get together with Cece. I really enjoyed this book, especially all these wonderful friends, sister and her wine bar; which made this such a fun, delightful story. I also enjoyed all the different dishes she ate at the restaurants, which was more vegetarian style.

Cece does spend a lot of time checking into the victim’s past, trying to look into their relationships. She really was an excellent sleuth, smart, always asking questions, which also put her in direct danger. The last third of the book was exciting, with Cece in a life-threatening situation. I liked when the detective expressed appreciation for Cece findings on who killed the victim. To say too much more would ruin the story.
Murder Uncorked was a very good story, with great friends, family, suspects and a possible future romance. Murder Uncorked was very well written by Maddie Day.

I was not familiar with the author before Murder Uncorked. I'm not a big connoisseur of wine, but I enjoy cozies. There was a lot of typical small town drama regarding businesses, family, and relationships. Wasn't impressed with the author adding political opinions, i.e., doing away with Columbus Day. Not a serious I would be interested in following, but probably enjoyable enough to draw readers from the author's previous series.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I've read one other Maddie Day cozy mystery and liked it enough to request Murder Uncorked and try this new mystery series. But it was not for me.

First, the positives: a middle-aged woman as the main character. That's always a treat to see; sometimes the older you get, the less you can relate to the characters. And the relationships with her daughter and sister seemed real. I loved the setting, too, as I've always wanted to visit wine country, even though I'm a teetotaler.

The negatives: CeCe keeps referencing a mystery she solved previously, yet this is the first volume in the mystery series. Kind of weird. And sometimes she just goes off on these tangents about current events that seemed out of place, even if I agree with them or not. Sometimes her actions seem unbelievable, like going back to bed after someone tries breaking into her house instead of calling the police.

I'm not giving up on this series because I think it has potential, but the first go at it was a little bumpy for me. Two and half stars rounded up.

One of my favorite authors has a new series! Maddy Day writes the Cece Barton mystery series set in the California wine country. Featuring a widow/single mom whose daughter is in college, Cece manages a wine bar. There is a prequel to this series, a novella in the Christmas Mittens Murder which is helpful to read before starting this one.
The mystery is good and so are the characters---I had a bit of trouble enjoying the opinions on such topics as Columbus day as a holiday, and the foods issue. I won't let that stop me from reading the next one in the series.
The characters are good, the setting is scenic, and the mystery portion is good.
#MurderUncorked #NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #KensingtonBooks
Thanks so much for sending the ARC that I requested #NetGalley
#KensingtonBooks