A Poisonous Pour

Since moving from L.A. to California's verdant wine country, widowed single mom Cece Barton has gone from Colinas wine bar manager to wine bar owner--with a chaser of sleuthing . . .

It's Memorial Day weekend and Sonoma County's Alexander Valley is buzzing with activity. For Cece, business at Vino y Vida is going great, as is her romance with new beau, Benjamin. Meanwhile, Cece's neighbor, Richard Flora, is stirring up controversy with his newest article, an exposé of Regan Greene, power-hungry director of a valley district organization. Also in the mix is the town's big classic car show, paired with wine tastings . . .

At the show, Cece spots Regan, who is displaying her restored green '72 Thunderbird convertible. As Cece pours tastes, she witnesses several heated discussions with Regan--including an argument with wine afficionado and new Colinas hardware store owner Greg Jardis. Otherwise, all goes smoothly--until Sunday brings shocking news. Regan has been murdered . . .

Rumors fly that Richard may have orchestrated the homicide--or even committed it. But Cece knows that's absurd. And others in Cece's orbit seem to have discomfiting connections to Regan, from Cece's employee, Dane, to her winemaking teacher's sister, Yolanda, to Colinas Mayor Guittierez. And after Yolanda visits the wine bar, Benjamin says he recognizes her from a road race.

Determined to clear Richard's name, and failing to extract any clues from detectives, Cece once again enlists her twin, Allie, as her partner-in-sleuthing. But they'll have to act quickly, before the trail goes
sour . . .

Author: Maddie Day
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Published: 04/28/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 8.44h x 5.76w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9781496742360


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 01/09/2026 pg. 1
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2026

About the Author
Maddie Day is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries, the CeCe Barton Mysteries, and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as other series and short crime fiction written under the name Edith Maxwell. A member of Mystery Writers of America and a proud lifetime member of Sisters in Crime, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen and belongs to the Wicked Authors, a group of bestselling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. Day lives with her beau and their cat Martin north of Boston, although she knows Indiana, California, and Cape Cod intimately. She is a wine enthusiast, talented amateur chef, and former farmer and can be found online at MaddieDayAuthor.com.