Pairing A Deception by Nadine Nettmann is the third book in the “Sommelier” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, May 2018
Katie is on Cloud Wine at a Santa Barbara Festival. . .until a new mystery is uncorked.
With only a few days left until her Advanced Sommelier exam, Katie Stillwell hopes to balance studying with attending a wine and food festival in Santa Barbara.
The weekend with Detective Dean is off to a great start–until an attendee is murdered and suspicion falls on the festival emcee, Master Sommelier Hudson Wiley. Katie tries to keep her focus on the festival and her last-minute studying, but when she discovers people aren’t who they say they are, she finds herself in the middle of a tangled web where nothing, except the wine, is what it seems.
This is another great tale in the Sommelier series. Kate becomes, yet again, involved in another murder case and it’s her way of looking at things that makes this an entertaining drama that I could not put down until all was said and done. The author did a great job in staging this well-written mystery with a solid plot, plenty of suspects with strategically placed clues that kept me immersed in all that was happening. I thought I had a handle on who the killer was but then the author changed direction which enhanced my enjoyment of the narrative being told. The story moved at a good pace and I especially liked the wine pairings at the beginning of each chapter, which is a bonus for those who enjoy their wines. With a great cast of characters and engaging dialogue, this was one of the best book in this delightfully endearing series.