What do you think?
Rate this book
Zero Proof: Murder in a Glass
Not yet published
Expected 29 Nov 26Too much of a good thing...can be murder.
Moments after sampling an experimental vintage that could ruin her livelihood, wine expert Sarah McKee is overcome by vivid hallucinations—and the scientist who created it later dies. Security footage shows Sarah pushing him before fleeing the room. Within hours, she’s arrested for murder.
As hidden motives surface and a missing will threatens to expose a devastating secret, Sarah races to uncover who weaponized the wine—and why.
Because someone planned the perfect crime.
And Sarah is meant to take the fall.
Moments after sampling an experimental vintage that could ruin her livelihood, wine expert Sarah McKee is overcome by vivid hallucinations—and the scientist who created it later dies. Security footage shows Sarah pushing him before fleeing the room. Within hours, she’s arrested for murder.
As hidden motives surface and a missing will threatens to expose a devastating secret, Sarah races to uncover who weaponized the wine—and why.
Because someone planned the perfect crime.
And Sarah is meant to take the fall.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 29, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I enjoyed this book, it had a nice pace to it, kept my interest the whole story, was a good mystery, had interesting characters, and a good subject. The story is set in Sonoma Valley where a wine consultant, Sarah, is invited to a tasting of non alcoholic wines. Things go wrong when she reacts badly to the wine and the person creating it ends up dead. She is accused of the murder and sets out to clear her name. Sarah is a very strong will, independent character and she takes risks, disregarding some laws in her quest to find the evidence to clear herself and find the killer. She is dealing with some things in her personal life at the same time, a visit from her aunt that holds a surprise, a potential romantic involvement with a friend, trying to keep her business running and dealing with the after effects of losing her home. She has trust issues after a bad marriage and this causes some of her problems.
She has some good friends who want to help her and she allows that up to a point.
The author did a good job creating well fleshed out characters and making the technical parts of the mystery easy to understand (the poisons used). The main character is Scottish and there are Scottish words interspersed throughout the story. Her cop friend and her lawyer explain all her options and the laws and procedures to her but she is a bit stubborn and frequently goes against their advice. The murder victim was not the nicest person and it was easy to see why someone might want him dead. There are several others who can be considered suspects and their roles are very believable.
Have not read other books by this author but will do so in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
She has some good friends who want to help her and she allows that up to a point.
The author did a good job creating well fleshed out characters and making the technical parts of the mystery easy to understand (the poisons used). The main character is Scottish and there are Scottish words interspersed throughout the story. Her cop friend and her lawyer explain all her options and the laws and procedures to her but she is a bit stubborn and frequently goes against their advice. The murder victim was not the nicest person and it was easy to see why someone might want him dead. There are several others who can be considered suspects and their roles are very believable.
Have not read other books by this author but will do so in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Parker French’s Zero Proof is a cozy mystery blending wine country glamour, psychological suspense, and just enough dark humor to keep the pages turning. From the opening courtroom scene, where Scottish wine consultant Sarah McKee is accused of murder, I was hooked and eager to uncover how everything unraveled.
Sarah is sharp, witty, vulnerable, and wonderfully human. Her struggles with loss, betrayal, and rebuilding her life add emotional depth to the mystery, while her Scottish voice and dry humor make her incredibly memorable.
The setting in Sonoma wine country is richly atmospheric with its vineyards, winding mountain roads, and upscale yet slightly dangerous world of wine innovation.
What begins as a simple tasting appointment quickly spirals into a surreal and unsettling experience filled with hallucinations, blackouts, missing memories, and mounting dread. The scenes in Chris Moreno’s eerie mountaintop lab were vividly written and genuinely creepy, creating balanced classic cozy mystery elements with a more psychological edge.
Aunt Hamilton steals every scene she’s in with her sharp tongue and larger-than-life personality. The chemistry between Sarah and the people around her feels natural, and the dialogue sparkles throughout the novel.
Every clue raises more questions, and just when I thought I understood what was happening, another twist appeared. The pacing stayed strong throughout, and the ending was both satisfying and surprising.
Sarah is sharp, witty, vulnerable, and wonderfully human. Her struggles with loss, betrayal, and rebuilding her life add emotional depth to the mystery, while her Scottish voice and dry humor make her incredibly memorable.
The setting in Sonoma wine country is richly atmospheric with its vineyards, winding mountain roads, and upscale yet slightly dangerous world of wine innovation.
What begins as a simple tasting appointment quickly spirals into a surreal and unsettling experience filled with hallucinations, blackouts, missing memories, and mounting dread. The scenes in Chris Moreno’s eerie mountaintop lab were vividly written and genuinely creepy, creating balanced classic cozy mystery elements with a more psychological edge.
Aunt Hamilton steals every scene she’s in with her sharp tongue and larger-than-life personality. The chemistry between Sarah and the people around her feels natural, and the dialogue sparkles throughout the novel.
Every clue raises more questions, and just when I thought I understood what was happening, another twist appeared. The pacing stayed strong throughout, and the ending was both satisfying and surprising.
Review of advance copy
It's December, and Sarah McKee has one last task to complete in her work as a wine consultant: a visit to her neighbour, who has created a non-alcoholic wine that he promises her will make most people desert traditional wines. But the tasting goes poorly, and Sarah is left completely disoriented - so much so that she's still passed out on the grounds when her friend, a police officer, comes looking for her the next morning. This is the start of her many problems when the man is found deceased, and Sarah is arrested for his murder. With Christmas around the corner, the arrival of Sarah's aunt from Scotland, and relationship woes, Sarah's calendar suddenly becomes unbearably full.
There are so many layers to this mystery, it's hard to know where to begin. And each one is complex and rich, demanding attention. I loved how intricate the storytelling was, which kept me completely involved from the first page. I couldn't put the book down; my need to know what happened next drew me from page to page.
Although almost completely clean (except for a Scottish profanity or two), this leans more towards a thriller than a cosy. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Parker French and BookSirens for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. As always, my opinions are my own, honest and true.
There are so many layers to this mystery, it's hard to know where to begin. And each one is complex and rich, demanding attention. I loved how intricate the storytelling was, which kept me completely involved from the first page. I couldn't put the book down; my need to know what happened next drew me from page to page.
Although almost completely clean (except for a Scottish profanity or two), this leans more towards a thriller than a cosy. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Parker French and BookSirens for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. As always, my opinions are my own, honest and true.
Review of advance copy
Firstly, I received this as a free arc from booksirens and this is a voluntary review.
Secondly to no fault of the author I hate rating books, so I've sat firmly in the middle with this one, and I'm sure you may find it rated higher elsewhere.
This was not the first in the series, but the author writes well enough that I didn't feel too out of the loop with the history. Without summarising the plot, I mostly liked the characters and I thought the premise was really interesting. Although, job or not, I probably would not have stayed and drunk more wine!
I did dislike the random Scottish phrases it felt a bit jarring to their natural speech. With Scottish family, that isn't my experience of how they'd speak but the author may have different experiences (side note, do they have to be put in italic?)
I did like how smart the lead character was, but it fell into the problem of 'what on earth are the police paid to do?' I did enjoy her relationships with her friends (and hated the knee jerk reaction to her aunt, but then I kind of felt like she did when her aunt explained everything.)
Overall it was well paced and well plotted, and I'd probably give another in the series a try after reading this one.
Secondly to no fault of the author I hate rating books, so I've sat firmly in the middle with this one, and I'm sure you may find it rated higher elsewhere.
This was not the first in the series, but the author writes well enough that I didn't feel too out of the loop with the history. Without summarising the plot, I mostly liked the characters and I thought the premise was really interesting. Although, job or not, I probably would not have stayed and drunk more wine!
I did dislike the random Scottish phrases it felt a bit jarring to their natural speech. With Scottish family, that isn't my experience of how they'd speak but the author may have different experiences (side note, do they have to be put in italic?)
I did like how smart the lead character was, but it fell into the problem of 'what on earth are the police paid to do?' I did enjoy her relationships with her friends (and hated the knee jerk reaction to her aunt, but then I kind of felt like she did when her aunt explained everything.)
Overall it was well paced and well plotted, and I'd probably give another in the series a try after reading this one.
Review of advance copy
Enjoying it more with each book!
This is a wonderful series, and I recommend starting at the beginning and reading through it in order, to get the best feel for the characters and the overall story-line.
In this book, Sarah goes to a sampling of a new client's non-alcoholic wine. She ends up hallucenating, and the client ends up dead. As Sarah is pinned with the murder, she has to find the real culprit to keep herself free.
There are a number of suspects, and a few added threads of story-lines added on, including her relationships with Zach and her Aunt Hamilton, who's in town for a visit.
The book is really well written, a page turner, and exciting, with lots of surprises, great characters, and lovely settings.
I highly recommend it and the entire series!!! Can't wait for book 5!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a wonderful series, and I recommend starting at the beginning and reading through it in order, to get the best feel for the characters and the overall story-line.
In this book, Sarah goes to a sampling of a new client's non-alcoholic wine. She ends up hallucenating, and the client ends up dead. As Sarah is pinned with the murder, she has to find the real culprit to keep herself free.
There are a number of suspects, and a few added threads of story-lines added on, including her relationships with Zach and her Aunt Hamilton, who's in town for a visit.
The book is really well written, a page turner, and exciting, with lots of surprises, great characters, and lovely settings.
I highly recommend it and the entire series!!! Can't wait for book 5!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 17, 2026
“Zero Proof” begins with Sarah McKee, a Scottish wine consultant who lives in the Northern California wine country, being accused of murder. What Sarah goes through to prove that she didn’t do it is just part of this well-layered story. She takes a lot of chances that may not be smart, but definitely align with her character. Parker French shows Sarah’s vulnerabilities as well as her tenacity.
The story occurs during the Christmas season, and Sarah’s Aunt Hamilton flies from Scotland to visit her. Aunt Hamilton fills the role of a treasured relative, and adds to the enjoyment of the story.
This can be read as a standalone, although it is the fourth book in the series. I enjoy Sarah, Zach and Kelly, and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story occurs during the Christmas season, and Sarah’s Aunt Hamilton flies from Scotland to visit her. Aunt Hamilton fills the role of a treasured relative, and adds to the enjoyment of the story.
This can be read as a standalone, although it is the fourth book in the series. I enjoy Sarah, Zach and Kelly, and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
Sarah is a wine buyer on a trip and gets set up for a murder (by whom is still unknown)-
cliffhanger- Sarah was pretty smart in many decisions she made. There were some very perilous scenes that had me on the edge of my seat flipping pages. There are still a lot of
questions. A relationship with a neighbor/landlord, Zach. He seems pretty helpful and supportive. Will she look for her biological dad?? Will relations within her family improve?? I need answers.
I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest review.
cliffhanger- Sarah was pretty smart in many decisions she made. There were some very perilous scenes that had me on the edge of my seat flipping pages. There are still a lot of
questions. A relationship with a neighbor/landlord, Zach. He seems pretty helpful and supportive. Will she look for her biological dad?? Will relations within her family improve?? I need answers.
I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest review.
Review of advance copy
This book was one wild ride. Sarah, the FMC, is arrested for murder of the scientist who created the wine that gave her vivid hallucinations. Now she is in a pinch as she tries to find out who is the real murderer. This book will have you on the edge of your seat with its fast pace and twists. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Zero Proof: A Sarah McKee Mystery: Book 4" is a well-crafted murder mystery. Parker French delivers a satisfying plot with plenty of intriguing suspects, making it a captivating read from start to finish.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
ARC review
3.5 but rounding up.
I took this ARC because it was listed as a mystery. This, however, is a cozy mystery and I've never read one and enjoyed it. But I didn't hate this one at all - while there were parts that made me roll my eyes, overuse of some terms, and I wanted to shake some sense into the FMC, it held my attention and had a decent enough storyline.
3.5 but rounding up.
I took this ARC because it was listed as a mystery. This, however, is a cozy mystery and I've never read one and enjoyed it. But I didn't hate this one at all - while there were parts that made me roll my eyes, overuse of some terms, and I wanted to shake some sense into the FMC, it held my attention and had a decent enough storyline.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews