Killer Chardonnay

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.