Member Reviews
I just couldn't get into this book. There wasn't anything in particular that I didn't like, but there also wasn't anything in particular that I did. I tried but moved on to something that would hold my interest.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #TantorAudio for a free copy of #MurderUncorked by Maddie Day. All opinions are my own.
An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.
Murder Uncorked is the first book in a new series by Maddie. In the Cece Barton Mysteries, we meet Cece, a widowed single mom who moved to Colinas, California to be close to her twin sister. Her daughter is away at college, and Cece is running the local wine bar, Vino y Vida. Cece is trying to fit in, but juggling her job and all the politics of the local wine association, as well as worrying about her relationship with her daughters, she is constantly on her toes. When a local man, one that Cece had argued with, is found murdered, Cece is the prime suspect. With her livelihood and freedom on the line, she begins her own investigation into the death, and with Allie's help, there is no doubt the real killer will be found.
As this is the first book in a series, we get to know Cece, her friends, and family. I enjoy books set in small communities, especially where there is an eclectic and diverse cast of characters. The mystery was an easy one for me to figure, but I was still interested in the story. The book sets up the series with good character development, descriptions of the town, area, and local police, and even a possible love interest for Cece. There were a lot of suspects, and some red herrings to add interest to the story. The showdown was great, with Cece coming out on top, with some minor injuries. I enjoyed this one enough to look forward to the next book to see what Cece gets up to. Linda Jones does a wonderful job with the narration, giving voice to the various characters. She used expression, tone and pace to add to the storytelling.
I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.
I really enjoyed this little cozy murder mystery. I loved the characters and I enjoyed the story plot. I would read from this author again.
I really like Maddy Day’s work but I found this book really slow. I like cozy mysteries with more mature heroines but I found this one almost sedate. It wasn’t really making sense to me why she would want to investigate this case. I wish she had more, closer friends or something. I was left feeling a little glum.
This book was awesome! I love a cozy small town mystery and loved all the characters. The only thing I wish I knew before hand was that there was a novella before this book. It gets referenced several times throughout the book and I was confused for a bit because this is the first official book in this series. Other than that the book was fantastic and the narrator was great!
This is the first book in a new series by Maddie Day. I've never read any books by the author but I will be reading more from her.
The story is set in a small town in wine country in California. Cece Barton is a manager at a local wine bar, and her twin sister runs a bed and breakfast down the road. Cece finds herself investigating a murder in town and I enjoyed how the mystery progressed.
I did find the story a little slow in the beginning but once the characters were established, I found the story captivating. I love a good cozy mystery and I'm excited to read the next installment of the story.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6296691670
I love Maddie Day but this first of the new series left me a little flat. I just don’t find a connection with the cast or story; however, being the first in series, I will be willing to continue to see if it picks up because I do enjoy the author’s other series.
This was a fun start to a new series and I really enjoyed the setting. I will pick up the next book, but I’m also not in any rush to do so.
I feel that the narrator fit the characters and did a great job.
In the first Cece Barton mystery by Maddie Day, the protagonist is the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, California. When the community is rocked by a murder, Cece finds herself being forced to investigate the case after she is identified as a possible suspect due to her past interactions with the victim. In addition to the tensions that the murder as brought forward, a massive wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital tourist trade. Along with her twin sister Allie, Cece manages to navigate the myriad of suspects and motives that are uncovered as a result of this murder.
This protagonist was originally introduced in a different series by this author which created a built in history for the characters and location which is effortlessly brought forward into this series. Throughout this book, the author builds on the various relationships in the community which ultimately demonstrates that even though a victim has been somewhat of a villain in his past, justice still needs to be served when his life is cut short. The multitude of individuals who are brought forward as having had past negative interactions with the victim create a built in cast of suspects with both motives and opportunities for Cece, and the police, to sift through in the effort to bring closure and healing to the community. The twists and turns that the author brings to this story keeps the reader guessing until the very end with a surprising reveal of the culprit even though the motive is one as old as time.
The narrator for this audiobook has done an excellent job of creating voices for the varying customers as well as utilizing proper pacing and inflection to reflect the varying moods and scenes established within the story.
I received an ARC of this audiobook from NetGalley and Tantor Audio and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Quick cozy mystery that kept me engaged from beginning to end. Narrator was wonderful
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
CeCe Barton manages a wine bar in California wine country. In the early part of the book, she becomes a suspect in the murder of a wine association executive with whom she'd had some unpleasant email exchanges. She decides to do some sleuthing to determine the real killer. The book is a typical cozy mystery, but I liked the addition of a little romance and also the character of CeCe's elderly neighbor. They made the book stand out from your "average cozy mystery." I'd recommend this as a worthwhile listen!
Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own, however.
Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.
This was a cute, quick read. Easy to follow with well written characters. There are some references to a short story that precedes this but I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having read it. The narrator was good.
Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC.
Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟
Murder Uncorked is the first installment of a brand new cozy mystery series from Maddie Day. When CiCi, a widowed single mom, moves to California wine country, she finds herself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. Will she be able to solve it in time?
This was a cute start to a new series. I enjoyed the double mystery aspect where we don’t know for sure what happened with CiCi’s late husband. With good character development and a hint of romance, I looked forward to reading more from this series!
ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story reads as if it might be the second book in a series, with frequent references to a murder the main character solved "last year," but there's nothing on the cover or description that tells us it is. So I wasn't certain what to make of that. However, either way, there's enough detail that it works as a standalone, even if it is part of a series.
The main character is Cece, a widowed twin who has moved to Colinas to be near her twin sister, who owns a B&B. Cece manages a wine bar and enjoys her new life in Colinas, although some of the people she meets aren't the most pleasant.
There's more than one womanizing male character; then there's her sister's mysterious B&B guest, Ben, who's taken a liking to Cece, but who arrived in town just shortly before a murder takes place. Since Ben's reluctant to tell Cece much about himself, she has no idea what to make of him. Could he potentially be the murderer? She did see him arguing with the victim the day before their death. But could that just be a coincidence? Cece herself had had words with the victim too in recent weeks. So, who knows?
As much as Cece tries to stay out of the investigation, having learned her lesson last time, when her sister comes under suspicion and the murderer takes aim at Cece, there's not much choice but to try to figure out what's going on.
But the more Cece digs, the more danger she's in. And in a game of cat and mouse, there can only be one winner.
This was an enjoyable cozy mystery with vivid characters.
Thank you to Maddie Day, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.
I really enjoyed this story by Maddie Day. This is the first book in the series. CeCe Barton is a 40-something widow with a college age daughter whom with she has a strained relationship. CeCe has recently relocated to a town called Colinas in the Sonoma area of California. Her twin sister Allie and her family live there and run a B & B.
I enjoyed the story and thought this was a good start to the series, however there was allusion to a previous case that CeCe helped to solve, but as previously mentioned, this is the first book in the series. I wish that this was her first case with novellas to follow, as it was a little confusing to me. That didn't prevent my enjoyment of the book.
I listened to the audio book and the narration was good and I really liked to listen to the story. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery. CeCe is an aspiring author and I wouldn't be surprised if she tries her hand at writing a cozy mystery herself.
First in a new series by cozy author Maddie Day, Murder Uncorked follows wine bar manager Cece, who has just moved to town where her twin sister already lives, in order to be closer to her estranged daughter, who's in school nearby. But when one of her customers is discovered dead the day after she first meets him, she fears she's a top suspect, along with a man who's been staying at her sister's B&B. So, obviously, she's got to get to the bottom of this. Full of a large cast of fun townspeople, Murder Uncorked is a good start to a new series.
The characters were quirky and fun, adorable setting. Yes its about murder but its not gross and blood so it was a more cozy read. Smart and entertaining for the first book in the series. I will be looking for the next book.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook
It took me some time getting used to audio book format. I really enjoyed the book. Very interesting plot and characters. I would love to read this in print also. Really great!
This was an easy to follow mystery that was well-written. It kept my attention, and the theme flowed well.
Maddie Day had written a beautifully mysterious second murder mystery featuring Cecilia 'Cece' Burton. This novel is incredibly well written, has a well developed and interesting story line with fun plot twists and turns. The characters are quirky, relatable and realistic. Each character has their own storyline and brings an element of importance and charisma to this story and hopefully the next.
Cece manages the Vida Y Vino Wine Bar in Salinas, CA a smaller wine country tourist town. Her twin sister, Allie owns a Bed and Breakfast and has been hosting a handsome but very quiet and Introverted gentleman Ben. A local man has been murdered and a sheriff has put Cece on her short list of suspects as Cece has had a public argument with this gentleman. Since Cece knows she is innocent she starts asking questions around town. And because people trust her they start sharing information with her, and in some cases instead of the sheriff's department and not just in addition to. Cece is also holding her information close until she can prove herself innocent.
I won't give away any spoilers but Cece is a brilliantly written amateur private investigator and someone who knows and relates to people well. She solves the crime with the assistance of some local folks and the sheriff's department. And while there was a decent list of suspects Cece did an exceptional job solving this murder. A true must read for those who enjoy murder mysteries!
I listened to this on audio and the narrator was absolutely phenomenal.