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The Cold Case: a Vintage Murder: A sassy, smart, and snotty cozy mystery
Who killed the Woman in the Wine?
It’s a question that has haunted the village for over thirty years, but the woman’s daughter is convinced I, Julie Belmain, can come up with an answer.
No one cares that I have the worst cold ever. And no one cares – because no one knows – that the daughter’s boyfriend is also my old crush. All I want to do is run into his arms... but all he wants is for me to crack an unsolved murder case that’s older than I am.
Do I really want to poke my snotty nose into my neighbours’ and friends’ affairs? When the cold trail heats up in the old hotel I’ve invested in, I don’t have much choice.
Diving into the past brings up shameful secrets and private grudges that send shock waves through the village. No one – including my own mother – can escape the consequences.
If I keep digging into the past, we may end up with another death...
It’s a question that has haunted the village for over thirty years, but the woman’s daughter is convinced I, Julie Belmain, can come up with an answer.
No one cares that I have the worst cold ever. And no one cares – because no one knows – that the daughter’s boyfriend is also my old crush. All I want to do is run into his arms... but all he wants is for me to crack an unsolved murder case that’s older than I am.
Do I really want to poke my snotty nose into my neighbours’ and friends’ affairs? When the cold trail heats up in the old hotel I’ve invested in, I don’t have much choice.
Diving into the past brings up shameful secrets and private grudges that send shock waves through the village. No one – including my own mother – can escape the consequences.
If I keep digging into the past, we may end up with another death...
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2023
About the author
Christa Bakker
8 books85 followersFREE story! https://christabakker.com/newsletter
Of Dutch origins, formerly in France and presently based in southern Britain, Christa Bakker spends her days gazing at romantic countryside, wondering how to describe it to do it justice. She loves good food, good puzzles and good villains.
Christa writes happy little bloody murders, but if she stares at you, don’t worry. She’s not planning to kill you, she’s just borrowing body parts for her next character.
Her daily accomplishments include keeping her two children alive, leaving her husband in peace, and not eating too much chocolate. Although that last one depends on your definition.
Don't forget that FREE STORY: https://christabakker.com/newsletter
And follow me on social media: @ChristaBakkerAuthor
Of Dutch origins, formerly in France and presently based in southern Britain, Christa Bakker spends her days gazing at romantic countryside, wondering how to describe it to do it justice. She loves good food, good puzzles and good villains.
Christa writes happy little bloody murders, but if she stares at you, don’t worry. She’s not planning to kill you, she’s just borrowing body parts for her next character.
Her daily accomplishments include keeping her two children alive, leaving her husband in peace, and not eating too much chocolate. Although that last one depends on your definition.
Don't forget that FREE STORY: https://christabakker.com/newsletter
And follow me on social media: @ChristaBakkerAuthor
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 5, 2023
Well, I surprised myself that being too sleepy to read more, I was able to make myself stop reading this book before the why & by whom had been reached. Julie gets a message on her phone from someone she called Cactus, as a warning to herself not to get too close to him, her only friend in her loveless marriage. Julie & Beau get to meet Leon & his fiancée Veronique the next day. Veronique wants Julie to find out who killed her mother 30 years ago! Julie has a very bad cold & is feeling quite ill for most of the time covered in this book, but with the help of her mother (including very interesting chapters by her of the time the murder happened) finally get it all sorted out.
June 28, 2023
Someone named Catus gets in touch with Julie and his real name was Leon’ Levotre. Thibault Fouquet Bean her assistant is concerned but Julie tells him that he was a friend. Veronique de Vigan wants Julie to solve her mother’s murder case. Lausanne de Vigan had been murdered 30 year ago in Auguter’s wine vats. There is a lot of suspense and mayhem to make this a very exciting and enjoyable read. I received this book free and leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.
June 13, 2023
I love the humour and the lively personalities in this book. The story is much fun and cleverly plotted with a dash of romance. But where did the ring come from?
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
June 14, 2023
Unique and exciting characters will keep you turning pages well into the night because you won't want to miss a word of this fascinating and entertaining story. A gifted author at her creative best.
Highly Recommended.
Highly Recommended.
June 13, 2023
Never in my wildest imaginings would I have put the pieces together and come up with the truths as Julie did. I frantically turned pages for clues and resolution. Gobsmacked with the truths!! So some sparks still remain with Julie and Leon!!
An entertaining mystery.
An entertaining mystery.
June 28, 2023
Another great murder mystery from the very talented Christa Bakker. This is exactly what the title says: A Cold Case. The 30 year old village mystery of the lady’s death is set to be solved by Julie, our super sleuth. Village secrets & family affairs are uncovered in this wonderful story, in our favourite French village. I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the author & I am writing a voluntary honest review
July 3, 2023
I read this cozy in one evening. It was a good mystery. solving a cold case that no-one ever cared if it was solved or not. A few twists and turns had be figured to the book until the end.
June 30, 2023
A murder 30 years in the solving. Julie is contacted by the man who helped her overcome her disaster of a first marriage. He wants her help in solving the death of his girlfriend's mother 30 years ago. Battling a terrible head cold and searching for clue from decades earlier means that it is going to be very difficult to decipher this puzzle. Add to that the distraction that Leon causes her and Julie is not at her best. However having given her word she does her best to find out what happened all those yers ago. Many old memories and a bit of Julie's family history mke this a strong entry in the Saint-Maurice series.
July 1, 2023
The Cold Case: a Vintage Murder is the third installment of the Saint-Maurice Mysteries series written by Christa Bakker. I love the humor and the entertaining personalities in this book. The story was so much fun and was cleverly plotted with a small dash of romance. There is a lot of suspense and bit of mayhem to help make this a very exciting and enjoyable read. I received an advanced reader copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 17, 2025
This Series Just Keeps Getting Better.
An intriguing 30-year-old mystery to solve. Julie may be feeling under the weather, but she keeps up her detective work in this third book in the series. I am amazed that she is such a good detective but does not realize Beau is in love with her. Ahh, but an old friend shows up who she just might be in love/hate with. Mysteries of the heart and of the dead. Good luck figuring out who the killer was.
An intriguing 30-year-old mystery to solve. Julie may be feeling under the weather, but she keeps up her detective work in this third book in the series. I am amazed that she is such a good detective but does not realize Beau is in love with her. Ahh, but an old friend shows up who she just might be in love/hate with. Mysteries of the heart and of the dead. Good luck figuring out who the killer was.
June 5, 2023
I received this book as a freebie in return for an honest review.
The story follows a photographer who dabbles in a bit of mystery solving in her spare time. I found it a bit hard to get into the story at first, maybe if I had read the previous books I would have picked it up a bit more quickly. Once I got into it I quite enjoyed it. I would like to read other books by this author.
The story follows a photographer who dabbles in a bit of mystery solving in her spare time. I found it a bit hard to get into the story at first, maybe if I had read the previous books I would have picked it up a bit more quickly. Once I got into it I quite enjoyed it. I would like to read other books by this author.
July 15, 2024
I very much enjoyed the story, but was occasionally perplexed by the French words and phrases. Would be helpful if more of them were translated to English so I wouldn’t have to spend time trying to look them up to better understand context. The mystery kept me guessing and I couldn’t put it down!
February 10, 2025
How does one solve a 30 year old murder when the authorities had no leads? By being Julie Belmain, of course! I love the person she is, very caring. This was a fantastic book and I enjoyed it very much. I love this series!
August 24, 2025
This is a really fun cozy mystery series full of interesting characters that will make you smile throughout. A wonderful storyline will keep you guessing to the end. An amazing cozy mystery.
I received a copy of this book from the author. I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the author. I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.
June 27, 2023
I love cold case mysteries and this one didn't disappoint. Terrific characters and a 30 year old murder to solve. A great read. I was given this book free for an honest review.
June 28, 2023
A fun romp tho poor Julie has a cold and needs some help.
December 11, 2024
How old must a case be for Juju to be unable to solve it? And it's not like she is actually ever given a chance to say NO! So cold or not (physically ill) and the case is cold (like the police gave up on it 30 years ago), here we go again.
Can Julie solve this one once again? And who might get hurt in the process?
I just love the humour and the suspense thrown together. It makes for an awesome read!
Can Julie solve this one once again? And who might get hurt in the process?
I just love the humour and the suspense thrown together. It makes for an awesome read!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews