Cozy Wednesday featuring A Poisonous Pour (A Cece Barton Mystery) by Maddie Day #Review #ARCGiveaway @maddiedayauthor @KensingtonBooks

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

I am delighted to share my thoughts today about
A Poisonous Pour (A Cece Barton Mystery) by Maddie Day!

A Poisonous Pour (A Cece Barton Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – California
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496742362
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496742360
Kindle
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496742384
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FKXDNJVT
Audiobook
ASIN B0FV59BCFS

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 . . .

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley is busy this Memorial Day weekend, including a classic car show with a wine tasting. Vino y Vida is well represented with their booth. Cece is having a great time pouring, visiting with everyone, and showing off her blue ’66 Mustang. She also notices Regan Greene, the director of the Alexander Valley District Association, who has her green ’72 Thunderbird convertible entered in the car show, having animated loud conversations with several people, including the mayor, the new owner of the local hardware store, and one of her own employees.

The next day, Cece is shocked when her sister, Allie, tells her that Regan Greene has been murdered, and her ninety-something neighbor, Richard, is a person of interest in the case because he wrote an exposé about enterprising Regan and her thirst for power that has gone viral. After witnessing Regan’s behavior the day before, Cece has several names to add to the list of suspects.  She and Allie may have to pop a few corks, but they are unwavering in their efforts to prove Richard had nothing to do with Regan’s demise.

Cece Barton has settled into a routine as the new owner of Vino y Vida. She and her friend/employee Mooncat work together like a well-oiled machine. Local artist Dane also works part-time for Cece. Her relationship with Benjamin is becoming comfortable, making their time together count as he travels for his consulting work. I love the relationship Cece has with her neighbor, Richard Flora. He had a long career as a journalist and author. They meet to talk about a variety of things in their back gardens. Her twin sister, Allie, is her partner in crime, or rather her partner in solving crimes. Allie needs to lean on her sister in this story as her family receives unexpected news. Ms. Day has a reputation for creating genuine characters who pull you into their lives, and these characters are easy to get invested in.

I enjoyed the vintage car show and wine tasting pairing event. What a wonderful way to bring people together for the first Saturday of summer. It was fun that Cece teamed up with Jo Jarvin, her friend, and a local mechanic who only works on vehicles made before computers became part of the engine compartment. Jo takes excellent care of Cece’s Blue, a ’66 Mustang, and has her own vintage vehicle, a ’48 Chevy service truck.

This story unfolds at a great pace. I enjoy how Cece’s normal daily life balances out the murder investigation. Her wine bar is a fabulous place to eavesdrop and ask a few questions to obtain key information. There are several suspects, some of whom were easily cast aside, and others were more complicated. Not knowing the victim at all was definitely an issue for amateur sleuth Cece. While she does her best, in the end, the killer reveals themself. I was a little surprised, but the person was still on my personal suspect list. Cece did find herself in a very dangerous situation. Thankfully, she receives an awesome assist and makes a smart decision, or she may have lived her last day on this earth.

A Poisonous Pour is an entertaining and enjoyable addition to this series. Sadly, it is the final installment. I will miss visiting Cece and her family and friends.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her beau and an energetic kitten north of Boston

As Edith Maxwell, she writes the CeCe Barton Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing), and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink), and also writes award-winning short crime fiction.

You can find all of Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every weekday with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.

Also written by Maddie Day

Written as Edith Maxwell

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”“As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”