A young winery owner won’t let one sour grape ruin the bunch in the first installment of this exciting cozy mystery series.Parker Valentine has always dreamed of opening her own winery in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. But she gets more than she bargained for when a food and wine critic unexpectedly shows up at Vino Valentine on opening day. A negative review could be fatal for her business, … for her business, and not only does he seem to hate her chardonnay, he also collapses and dies shortly after drinking it.
Although Parker hoped that the attendees would put a cork in it, soon her winery is at the center of a social media firestorm. With #killerchardonnay trending online, Parker’s business is in danger of closing, and she has no choice but to investigate the murder herself.
To restore her reputation, catch a killer, and keep her struggling business open, Parker needs only one thing: some good proof.
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I really enjoyed reading this first book in a new cozy series. Vino Valentine’s opening day has arrived and Parker is excited to showcase her wines. When a local food blogger arrives she is nervous about his review. When he dies after tasting her wine she is worried about her new business. Even though the police are investigating she sets out to solve the murder and save her winery. I really enjoyed the wine and food background as well as the Boulder setting. The author does a very good job with capturing the Boulder flavor. The characters are interesting and I am looking for word to finding out more about them. There is a little romance. The mystery was good with lots of suspects and red herrings. I was able to solve it. I liked it that she worked with the police and did not keep her investigation to herself. It was a quick and easy read. Enjoy
Parker Valentine’s dream is coming true today with the opening of Vino Valentine in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. However, her joy turns to worry when renowned local food and wine blogger Gaskel Brown shows up. He is notoriously hard to please, and his blog can make or break local restaurants. After sampling her chardonnay, Gaskel dies, and the police are quick to label it poison. Everyone is blaming Parker for the crime, and no one is coming to her store for fear they will be next. In order to save her dream, she has to find the killer. Can she do it?
Since I don’t drink wine, I almost passed on this debut, but I’m glad I picked it up. The book starts quickly, introducing us to characters while also setting the murder in motion. The pace continues to be strong with plenty of secrets and motives before we reach the climax, where everything fell into place. All the characters were also fantastic, with some good growth thanks to the subplots. The book is written in first person present tense, which is a bit unusual, but I quickly got used to it as I read. There are a handful of four-letter words, but they are worth noting mostly in passing. If the food descriptions make your mouth water, you’ll welcome the three recipes and wine pairings at the end. This book was aged to perfection, and I’m already looking forward to Parker’s next case.
What a delightful new series set in Boulder Colorado centered around a new winery with interesting names for the wines and many food descriptions. It is like the best of all worlds for me.
Parker is quite an independent woman that thinks she does not have the support of her parents when she decides to open a winery. It is her passion and she has put everything into seeing this business succeed. However, she doesn’t expect someone to be murdered on opening day and for this to create bad press for her winery. Despite the police involvement in trying to solve this case, Parker decides they aren’t moving fast enough and decides to do some sleuthing on her own. As with most cozies, this almost lands her in some very hot water and possibly becoming a victim herself.
I was engrossed in this book from start to finish. I tried to figure out who the killer was and while I had my suspicions about this character by the end, I had not figured out the why. There are several red herrings, intriguing characters, and a potential love triangle. This book really starts the series off with a bang and the author has a lot to live up to with the next book.
There were a few quotes that I really liked and I wanted to share them with you:
“Like a good red wine, sometimes you need to let a problem breathe – decant – to better understand its flavors.”
“…two undeniably attractive men waiting on my doorstep like Amazon packages.”
We give this book 5 paws up and we want to try some of the dishes and the wines!
I always enjoy starting a new series. I thought it was an interesting element that Parker’s winery is in the heart of town and not on a vineyard property like we often see in cozies. Parker is a multi-dimensional character and her family and friends provided lots of entertainment. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end.
https://cozyexperience.com/killer-chardonnay-book-review/
My husband and I love going to wineries, drinking wine, having wine tasting parties at our house, and making our own wine from kits. Because of this, I really, really enjoyed all the information that Lansing included in regards to wine, wine making, and pairing wine with food.
Lansing’s characters are very developed for a first book in a series. And the way she writes about family dynamics in regards to parents and siblings feels very true. By the end of the book a new romance has started, and has the potential to turn into a love triangle in future books. I’m not sure how I feel about that since I like the man she’s with, but in cozy mysteries it’s always good to have the help of the police.
The book’s location of Colorado was also very enjoyable to me, since that is usually where we go for vacation, and Lansing incorporates various venues and information about the state seamlessly into the story.
I had the killer pegged pretty early on in the book, but Lansing had a lot of red herrings and misdirection, so if you don’t pay close attention the killer will probably be a surprise for you.
I highly recommend Killer Chardonnay, and I will be reading book two when it comes out!
“Killer Chardonnay” by Kate Lansing the first in her new “Colorado Wine Mystery” series. What a great start to a new series! I’m not a wine drinker but I enjoyed learning about wine, and things to pair with them. Luckily there are some great recipes at the back of the book.
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in two sittings. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises.
I loved the characters which are well developed, especially Parker she made a good protagonist. The secondary characters were likeable as well. It ended with two men vying for Parker’s attention… I can’t wait to see what happens next.
I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
A delightful debut. Complex characters. Unique setting. Intriguing mystery that kept me turning the page. I can’t wait for more from this author.
This was a fun cozy mystery with a surprise ending. I look forward to reading more books by Kate Lansing.
This was a cute cozy mystery debut. Parker Valentine is opening her very own winery in Boulder, Colorado when a food critic is murdered at her grand opening! With her business suffering from the negative publicity of the #KillerChardonnary, she takes matters into her own hands and begins investigating the crime.
This story had some good notes–a nice, modern take on the cozy mystery bakeshop by revamping it into a winery (similar to the Sloan Krause series with beer) and a fun new setting in Boulder–but it was severely predictable when it came to the killer and had the seemingly required love triangle that cozies seem to suffer from. Parker as a main character didn’t have a significant amount of depth or likability, but she was fine enough. I enjoyed learning more about wine, and wish there had been even more Boulder tidbits–I would recommend using the setting to the author’s advantage as best she can by incorporating more of it into future books.
While this wasn’t one of my favorite cozies, it was a strong debut, and I think a strong second book could make this a series I continue to pick up time and time again. I plan on trying the second book to see how the story continues to shape.
4 stars – 6/10
Yay for a new cozy series! And since it involves wine I was definitely in. Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing was both fun and smart, and it was more layered than some cozies I have read. I loved the dash of romance, and even though I didn’t laugh very much I was still very entertained and enjoyed every minute of it. I listened to the audiobook and I while I wasn’t a HUGE fan of Brooke Hoover, I still thought she did a good job. The audio is fairly short coming in at under 9 hours so it was a really quick listen and I’m sure it would be a quick read as well. I loved Parker and her cat and was excited that the book is set in Boulder since I live in Colorado. Plus I’m obviously a wine lover so there’s that too.
The mystery surprised me and kept me interested, and this is the first book that I’ve read set in a winery, so I loved the uniqueness of it. I also really liked the fact that it ends with recipes and wine pairings, although let’s face it, I won’t be making them since I don’t cook! I did think it was a nice touch though and it’s one of my favorite things about cozies that deal with food or beverages. I’m excited to read the next book in this series and I can’t wait to see what mystery Parker will have to solve next!
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Killer Chardonnay is such a delectable mystery. I enjoyed learning about wine-making. Lansing does an excellent job of creating rich characters, particularly in her protagonist and Parker’s close friends. I also loved the sibling relationship and the complicated dynamics of the family.
The mystery itself was delightful. I loved trying to guess who the culprit was among all the suspects who emerged. Also, the #killerchardonnay and the social media mentions made this a very current book.
A winning mystery you want to almost gulp down instead of sipping and savoring.
I’ve only recently started reading cozy mysteries, although my mom—my first influence when it came to what I read—absolutely loved them. I knew she had to be on to something, and Lansing’s debut novel proved her point. Well-developed characters, a fun setting, a strong motive for an amateur sleuth to find the killer, and plenty of entertaining information about wine make this book a great read!
Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing has Parker Valentine opening Vino Valentine in Boulder, Colorado. Parker is surprised when food and wine blogger, Gaskel Brown arrives for a tasting. His review could make or break her new venture. Gaskel tastes her chardonnay and does not seem to enjoy it. He then disappears into the restroom. When the critic fails to return, Parker finds him dead on the bathroom floor. Detective Eli Fuller, an old school chum, is on the case and it does not look good for Parker. Gaskel was poisoned which has #killerchardonnay trending online. Parker’s winery is in danger of closing if she cannot restore her reputation and prove she did not kill the critical critic. Killer Chardonnay is the debut of A Colorado Wine Mystery series. I found Killer Chardonnay to be nicely written with good pacing which made this lighthearted cozy mystery easy to read. Parker Valentine is a friendly and relatable main character with a passion for wine making. I liked her cat, Zin (Zinfandel is full name). There are a variety of secondary characters that include Parker’s parents, her brother, best friend, and a love interest or two. I liked the descriptions of Boulder and Parker’s winery, Vino Valentine. I could imagine the both from the author’s word imagery. It was interesting learning about the different wines and how they are made. I am amazed at the different flavor profiles that can be obtained from grapes (I could envision someone swirling a glass and taking a taste stating they could taste a hint of chocolate or pear with a hint of smokiness—you can tell I do not drink wine). The mystery had a variety of suspects along with misdirection. There was action as the killer attempted to warn off Parker and keep her from finding pertinent clues. The poison was unique, but I wish it had been harder to identify the guilty party. I could see Parker in my mind as she put together the final clue and identified the killer. There was a little too much romance for my taste plus I am never a fan of multiple of love interests. I prefer romantic relationships in cozies to develop slowly instead of instant passion like a romance novel. I would have preferred if the author had not used foul language in this story. There was some luscious food served in Killer Chardonnay. Recipes and wine pairings are included at the end of the book. Killer Chardonnay is a merry cozy mystery with a butchered blogger, wicked wines, a cute chef, social media madness, and a cunning killer.
I enjoyed Killer Chardonnay immensely. Parker Valentine is a protagonist to root for–and I especially appreciated how much character growth she undergoes in just one book. She learns a bit about her judgmental self, and learns to appreciate her family members more. We don’t just learn about Parker, we learn about every three-dimensional character. Looking forward to a very successful series from Ms. Lansing.
From Berkley Publishing Group comes the first book Killer Chardonnay in a new wine shop based cozy series, “A Colorado Wine Mystery.”
Parker is a new business owner; she wants to make it on her own but wants her family’s support. Problem is, her family doesn’t seem interested, or so she thinks, other than her brother. Opening a business is taking everything she has, but she isn’t sure if it’s going to be enough. Having one of the least liked critics in the area die the first day she opens, doesn’t bode well for the future. Social media has a new hashtag, and her business is in the middle of a storm that Parker may not recover from.
The characters in this debut novel are still growing, and that is an excellent way to start. Parker needs confidence in her skills and business know-how, but overall she has the quirks and personality to keep readers interested. I am not a fan of a love triangle, especially in the first book in a series, but hopefully, this will be resolved in book two and not dragged out over multiple books.
I had two issues with Killer Chardonnay. Number one, the police investigation. In real life, there is no way Parker would have been permitted to carry on with business if the police thought her business or products had anything to do with the death of a patron. Everything would have been confiscated, and the place closed down until the coroner makes a determination as to the cause of death: number two, the killer. I knew almost from the moment the murder happened the identity of the killer. When in the end, the motive is brought to light, it is not a surprise.
In general, this was a good first book in a series that holds great promise. The writing is very smooth and pretty much flawless. The setting is intriguing, and most of the characters are fun. The murder, although routine in many ways, is made fresh by the location. The suspects and there are plenty of them, all have good reason to kill the victim, and no one will feel any sympathy for him. I am happy to recommend this book.
This was a fabulous debut from a new-to-me writer. I seriously read this in a few hours, I thought it was that good. Fantastic mystery, great family dynamics, I had a hunch who the killer was and I was right. Just a really overall fun, interesting read. Very excited for the next book in the series!
Killer Chardonnay earns 5/5 Wine Corks…Engaging Fun!
Kate Lansing has bottled up an engaging first-in-a-series tale using the traditional formula that has made me a cozy mystery fan. She’s added an entertaining writing style filled with sensory-laden descriptions to bring her literary world alive, realistic dialogue to illustrate emotion and personalities, wonderful characters to enjoy following with a “fur” friend Zin for fun, a romantic triangle to ponder, a clever murder mystery with plenty of misdirection, lots of suspects, a surprise motive, and a bit of nail-biting end to make a wonderful read. I did have the killer on my radar, but I was fooled with a few others to consider.
Introducing…Parker Valentine is turning her “crazy pipe dream” into reality with the grand opening of her own winery, Vino Valentine. She’s worried no one would attend, but fortunate her BFF Sage, her boyfriend, her brother Liam, his friend, and few more wine enthusiasts pop by for support. But, things don’t go smoothly. First an argument breaks out punctuated by one man wearing some Ski Lodge Cherry wine. Second, the arrival of Gaskel Brown, food and wine critic, was very unexpected, but he may save the day with a positive review. Unfortunately, third, the critic collapses and dies after drinking some of Parker’s Chardonnay ensuring the wrong kind of publicity. Parker can’t let this ruin her dream, so channeling her inner detective just might be necessary. Well paced, entertaining, and well worth joining in as a fan!
Bonus, yes, please! Throughout the book readers will enjoy talk about the winery business and wine, but at the back of the book there are three easy to-follow recipes and suggestions for the perfect wine pairing. Enjoy Mango Chutney Grilled Shrimp with a nice Sauvignon Blanc, Italian Ratatouille with Balsamic Glaze with a Pinot Noir, and Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffles with your favorite Cabernet.