First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

  It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.

 

Today I'm featuring a recent read, Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing. It's the first book in the Colorado Wine mystery series. The excerpt shared is from an eBook version borrowed from the library.

First Chapter:  I arrange open bottles of wine behind the hard maple countertop from lightest to heaviest. A crisp white blend on the left, a jammy cabernet sauvignon on the right, and me a cluster of nerves, right smack in the middle.

Today is the grand opening of my winery--I still can't believe I'm saying that--my winery, Vino Valentine. The world will finally get to taste the fruits of my labor, which is equal parts exciting and panic-inducing.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

Launching Vino Valentine is Parker Valentine's hard-earned dream come true. But when influential Boulder food critic Gaskel Brown dies at the opening after tasting Parker's prized Chardonnay, her dream quickly becomes a nightmare. Someone poisoned the wine, which immediately sours Parker's business plans and chance at success. Afraid that the winery won't survive the #KillerChardonnay hashtag trending on social media, Parker has to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Gaskel's death if she is to restore her winery's reputation and salvage her dream.

Who killed Gaskel? As a brutally honest food critic, his reviews have ruined many restaurants over the years. Is it possible a disgruntled chef has exacted the ultimate revenge? Or is someone else responsible? Parker's investigation uncovers more details than the local police do, which puts her in the killer's crosshairs. Will Parker live to reclaim her reputation and winery, or die trying?

Filled with a cast of quirky characters, relationships old and new, and effective red herrings, Killer Chardonnay is a welcome entry to the cozy mystery genre and a solid start to the Colorado Wine Mystery Series.  

 

This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post has been stolen and was used without permission.