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Book Review of Murder Uncorked (Wine Lover's Mystery, Bk 1)

Murder Uncorked (Wine Lover's Mystery, Bk 1)
Linda avatar reviewed on + 770 more book reviews


Anyone who knows me, knows I do not like cozies. After reading my preferred genre of hard core police procedurals, murderers, serial killers, etc,. asking me to read a cozy is like offering me ONE vanilla wafer for dessert.

Nikki Sands is an actress, ok, she wants to be an actress. Right now she's working as a waitress, contemplating her life's choices. A run in with "The Bimbo" more or less causes the loss of that job. When "The Bimbo's" date, Derek Malveaux, winds up offering her a job at his winery, she agrees to go with him to check it out.

Note: The interaction between Nikki and the Bimbo had me in stitches!

On her first day at the winery, she discovers the murdered body of the little old winemaker.

Nikki is smart, she's sassy, and no one's fool. She, however, does need to learn that playing a detective on a TV show or that having an aunt who actually is a real-life detective or the fact that she has read Nancy Drew books do not make her a good detective. She tends to just jump right in and go for the gold!

There are plenty of suspects with all kinds of motives who might have wanted the winemaker dead. And Nikki is determined to ferret the killer out. Of course, the more she sticks her nose into things, the more danger she's in.

It's a very nice little mystery with twists and turns that actually surprised me. I really liked Nikki and was rooting for her all the way. Derek is a nice foil to her humorous way of looking at things. I like the attraction between them.

There is the evil step-mother, a vicious ex-wife, a younger step-brother and his life partner, and the assorted other winery owners who may or may not have a reason to kill. And let's not forget the news reporter who wants Derek for herself.

If someone had told me a week ago I would actually read a cozy that I enjoyed, I'd have thought they were drunk. The only negative I have is all those recipes interwoven every chapter or two. I don't cook with wine, I don't even drink wine, so I skipped through those.

My thanks to the author and Wordsmith Publicity who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.