Murder Uncorked 

Maddie Day

Cece Barton Mystery Series, Book 1

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 24, 2023

Raise a glass to Cece Barton, a widowed single mom and recent L.A. transplant to California wine country, who suddenly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation in this sparkling new mystery series from Agatha Award–winning and national bestselling author Maddie Day.

As the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, Cecelia “Cece” Barton’s first Alexander Valley harvest is a whirlwind of activity. Her twin sister, Allie Halstead, who owns a nearby Victorian bed & breakfast, is accustomed to the hustle and bustle of peak tourist season. But Cece barely has a moment to enjoy her new home in between worrying about her estranged college-age daughter, juggling her responsibilities at the bar, and navigating the sticky politics of the local wine association. Just when it seems things can’t grow any more intense, Colinas is rocked by a murder within the wine community . . . and Cece is identified as a possible suspect!

With her reputation and her livelihood on the line—and the Sonoma County deputy sheriff breathing down her neck—Cece has no choice but to open up her own murder investigation. Tensions are already high in the valley, as a massive wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital tourist trade. And now, with a murderer on the loose, and Cece’s sleuthing exposing the valley’s bitterest old rivalries and secret new alliances, Colinas feels ready to pop! But with Allie’s help, Cece is determined to catch the killer and clear her name before everything she’s worked so hard for goes up in flames.

3.5 Stars

Maddie Day takes her readers to beautiful wine country California in Murder Uncorked. The debut novel in the Cece Barton mystery Series.

Cece is a widowed single mom who is trying to start a new chapter of her life. She is the manager of Vino y Vida. She’s trying to settle into a new town learning to deal with the hustle and bustle of tourist season and trying to understand the politics of the local wine Association. Just as she begins to navigate the waters of all this newness, she finds herself being a prime suspect of a murder within the wine community.

Murder Uncorked is a wonderful introduction to the series. I very much enjoyed this week. Not only did we get a good mystery that was well written and kept you guessing. We also get the story of a woman trying to restart her life. The wine bar she manages is in the same little town as her twin sister, who runs a bed-and-breakfast. Her sister is a suspect as well. I love how they stick together and take on the job of amateur sluice to clear their own names. Cece does not have the best relationship with her daughter, and we get to see how that truly affects her and how much she wants that change. As I said, this is a great introduction to what I think it’s going to be not just a good mystery series, but the story of a woman who had changes later in life and is trying to make a new life with them.