Cece Barton has packed up and left southern CA after the death of her husband and moves to a small town in the wine country, Colinas, CA. It makes sense, her twin sister is there, and her daughter (and fraught relationships) attends college nearby. The small business community seems to be thriving and Cece manages a wine bar. When an unpleasant member of the Vineyard association, Vincent Sardo is killed, Cece winds up on the police's radar after evidence of argumentative emails were exchanged between the two. All in all, it was a good start to a new series. There were a lot of characters, and I look forward to seeing which of them float to the top as mainstay secondary characters. I really liked Cece's elderly neighbor. ( )

“Hey, you rescued yourself.”

And it’s a good thing because I really wanted to strangle CeCe through half of this book for being a stereotypical dumb girl in a horror movie that answered the phone or went into the empty house or basement....when you know very well the bad guy is waiting. While that made it tough to get through the pay off in the end was worth the effort it took to keep picking the book back up. ( )

3.5 Stars
A nice beginning to a new contemporary cozy mystery series, this novel is for wine aficionados and includes a Northern Californian atmosphere. I enjoyed the wine bar scenes, both as informative tidbits and the fun social setting for the neighborhood (as well as the diner). Loved the Japanese restaurant descriptions too. The MC took longer to warm to than her family, friends, and new love interest, but she grows on you. There's a short story that introduces some characters that may be beneficial to read first as it is mentioned a few times, but you can read this book as a stand-alone. I'd like to see the relationship between the MC and her daughter improve in the next one and some additional development of the detectives as well. For cozy mystery fans

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Murder Uncorked is the first book in the A Cece Barton Mystery series by Maddie Day.

Cece Barton is a widowed empty-nester who has moved from Pasadena to Colinas in the Alexander Valley. Cece wanted to be closer to her twin sister, Allie, and her nephews. Also, to be closer to her daughter, Zoe, a student at UC Davis. Cece manages a wine bar, Vino y Vida. One day, Cece’s customers, Benjamin and Vincent, are having an argument that is starting to get heated, and Cece is about ready to ask them to leave, but they stop, so Cece lets it go. The following day, Allie calls her sister to tell her that Vincent has been found dead in his apartment. A couple of hours later, there is a knock on Cece’s door, and she opens the door to see Detective Sgt. Kelly Daniell. Daniell is there to question Cece about heated emails Cece had recently exchanged with Vincent. Cece feels that she is a prime suspect in the murder of Vincent and decides to take it upon herself to make sure she isn’t arrested for murder. Cece starts asking questions around town, but she soon learns that maybe she has been asking the wrong people as a hit-and-run driver nearly injures her.

The story is well-written plotted, and moves at a nice pace. The characters are all interesting and believable. I hope to learn more about the differences that Zoe and her mother are experiencing in future books.

This story is an excellent start to a new series, and I look forward to the next book. ( )

Murder Uncorked (Cece Barton Mystery, #1) byMaddie Day

Cece Barton moved from Pasadena to operate Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, California. Happy to be closer to her twin Sister Allie and her family and hoping to reconnect with her College student Daughter (Zoe).

Things are going good until a man she had a disagreement with ends up dead. Cece is a prime suspect, she is determined to find the killer and clear her name. Secrets will be revealed and lives in danger as she goes on her quest for truth and justice.

A fast paced cozy murder mystery set in beautiful California wine country. Likable characters, true to life dialog , detail oriented, with a classic who-done-it feel. Many suspect, plenty of wine sipping, new friends and family made this a perfect mystery. ( )