Murder by the Glass

A Wine Lover's Mystery #2

by Michele Scott

Life is sweet for Nikki Sands. She’s toasting her new job at Malveaux Estate in Napa Valley and balancing a love triangle with a neighboring winemaker and her boss, vineyard owner Derek Malveaux—the catch of the county. And tonight, Nikki will be on the arm of Napa’s golden boy at a Sonoma mansion for the wedding of the decade…
Nikki’s friend Isabel agreed to cater the wedding—before she learned that the groom was her cheating lover. After the ceremony, Isabel asks Nikki to bring the obnoxious bride another glass of wine. But Nikki finds the new wife sprawled on the floor—murdered. Since the dear departed made enemies easily, there’s a bushel of suspects—many of them close to Nikki. Now, it’s up to her to get to the bottom of what may have been a killer bottle of wine.

Wine Pairings and Recipes included.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Wine, Romance, Mystery Thriller

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 6, 2006

About the author

Michele Scott is an American author and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. She has written over forty novels in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? and was number 2 on the Amazon list.

Subsequently, Daddy’s Home hit #4 in the US Amazon store (over all books). She was a featured author in Jeff Bezos letter to the shareholders and one of fifteen authors invited to the reveal of Kindle Fire. Amazon also produced a short documentary about her and her writing story and featured her in a book on bestselling Amazon writers. Daddy’s Home was also a top ten bestseller on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list.

Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company.

Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn!

Reviews

[Deanie Nelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winery employee Nikki Sands has barely recovered from finding her first dead body when she finds her second one -- this one, a bride at her own reception. Worse, Nikki's friend Isabel is arrested for the murder, and Nikki can't help but investigate.

This is a cute mystery. I like the characters, though Nikki's potential romantic relationships are mainly failing because no one in this book talks to each other about their feelings. The mystery is interesting, and there is some character development, though not as much as I would have liked.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Wine Lover's Mysteries. While attending a wedding, our heroine, Nikki, discovers the bride's dead body. And Nikki's best friend is the suspect! Once again, Nikki puts on her detective cap and sets out to solve the mystery and get her friend out of jail.

I enjoyed this book better than the first - not as much background information, so you were able to jump right into the story. Also, the addition of the "Boys of Summer" as her sleuthing sidekicks added a good dose of humor. Marco may be my favorite character! :) And I'm always a sucker for a good romance and this book has hints of that, as well. The tension between Nikki and Andres wasn't clear to me in the first book, but this time, it's sizzling...and then there's the attraction between Nikki and her boss, Derek. Who will she chose to be with?

As a side note: the book comes with recipes and wine pairings. I made the Pork Tenderloin in Port Wine Mushroom Sauce and it is DIVINE. The best dish I've ever made and in under 20 minutes! If you like pork, wine and mushrooms, you MUST give this recipe a try. I couldn't find the recommended wine, but I chose a Zinfandel and it went with the meal wonderfully.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was right. I figured it out before halfway through the book. It is kind of a bummer when that happens. I still enjoyed the book though. I'm really not a fan of the love triangle. One minute she wants one guy, the next, she wants the other. It was maddening.i just think these characters need a bit more depth to them, and a bit more substance in the story.

[Nicole Galbraith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two fast forwards six months from where Murder Uncorked ended. Nikki's now become good friends with Andres sister, Isabel and is focusing on her job at the winery, rather than her sleuthing. That is until Isabel ends up in jail for a murder she didn't commit. Nikki knows that her friend is innocent, but the police think it's a closed case. So, the only thing to do is to take matters into her own hands.
Murder by the Glass was another well written mystery. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series. In addition to the mystery, I'm enjoying the love triangle that's developing between Nikki, Derek and Andres. I really like all three characters and can't decide how I want this to end. Another feature of this series that I like is the way she interweaves recipes with wine pairings throughout the book. Most authors stick the recipes at the end. I like that Scott puts the recipes at the end of the chapter in which they appeared, while it is fresh in your mind.

[Helen Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second is this wonderful cosy mystery series.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bride that nothing suited her, was laying in the bride’s room, with a half filled wine glass. Isabel went ahead and said yes, to catering before knowing the groom was someone she had just dated. The bride was not satisfied with anything, Isabel thinking this job would make a name for her. She was dead wrong, looking as though, it will be tied to murder. Plenty of clues, did Susan open the letter that had come for her earlier, a sister was she blackmailer Susan. Readers will enjoy this plot and the clues to figure out the why. This was the second in this series, and both have been good reading. Looking forward to the next book.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing I enjoy less than the romantic triangle. I don't feel it adds to a good mystery story. The mystery was good but too much mystery solving in this book and not enough of the wines. The wine stories is what made the 1st book a unique series for me and got me excited to read more. 2nd book was more a typical romantic triangle/mystery and that is just not unique or interesting to me. Will give the 3rd book a try and hope to get back to the spirit of the 1st.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki is back to crime solving!

Nikki is back to being an amateur sleuthing to help her friend who is accused of murder. This time Nikki did try her best to be careful and she had some help too. This series is becoming fun and the twist is she is now caught up in a little bit of a love mess too. I have to say I did figure out who was the real killer after a bit but needed to know how it was done and why.

[Lybo Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book though I had the murderer picked out right away. Not because of any give aways by the author, but because it just seemed right. I never like triangles or compromising situations that lead to misunderstandings, though can understand it's use in a story line. These are fun reads with endearing characters, & a good mystery.

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the owner of a local resturant caters the wedding of the man that she has been seeing and did not know that he was engaged to another woman. The bride is murdered after the wedding and everybody wants to know who did it. When the owner of the resturant is arrested for the murder, her best friend has to figure out who was the real murder.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my leaves you hanging

Again Nikki stumbles on a body only this time Isabella is arrested for the murder. Nikki knows Isabella is not the murderer and sets out to clear her name. I can’t wait for the next one!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another easy, fun read with great recipes and wine pairings!

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Love following the characters, I'm definitely wrapped up in the story line, excited to read what happens next. . .

[Robin]

easy read

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, easy read.. 2nd book in this wine cosy mystery series.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing is less interesting to me than the elite of Hollywood or LA. great recipes though.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, but am getting tired of the romance triangle, already, after only reading the 2nd book. Nikki Sands is attracted to her boss, Derek Malveaux, the owner of a winery in Napa Valley. She is also attracted to another winery owner, the brother of her best friend, Isabel. The misunderstandings between Nikki and her boss are really cliche - he misinterprets situations in which he sees Nikki.

In his defense, if you don't understand the background for the situation, they are easily misinterpreted. Nikki is found consoling her friend's brother when she is arrested for murder. The brother is attracted to Nikki and not just her friend, as Nikki tries to delude herself.

In the meantime, her boss is so indecisive about expressing his feelings for Nikki that it confuses her and leads her to believe he has no real interest in her and she has a better future with her friend Isabel's brother, Andres. These two deserve the angst they are causing each other because they won't talk and express their feelings to each other.

I guess I'm getting used to nosy, pushy women who investigate and solve mysteries, because they don't think the police are doing enough or can do their job contemptibly. This is becoming a cliche too me, but until authors move beyond this device, I don't think I can repeatedly comment about this any longer. (It's getting annoying and almost as bad as the cliche's about the woman's movement - women doing men's jobs as well as men, women being as smart as men, etc)

However, I still enjoyed the book.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An obnoxious bride drops dead right after her wedding to the wealthy heir to a California vineyard. She was such a loathsome person that there are suspects in abundance. However, the police focus in on the caterer who once had a relationship with the groom. Nikki Sands decides that she needs to start detecting to protect her friends and find the real murderer. Meanwhile she finds herself with two handsome suitors of her own.

The mystery was fairly well-written and I loved the recipes complete with wine tips. The setting was well-crafted. The motive was clever and unexpected.

I didn't care for the way the author wrote people's accents because I found that it was distracting and lacked authenticity. I didn't like the love triangle aspect because I prefer my mysteries to be more about mystery than about romance.

I probably won't read others in the series, but I can see others liking it.

[Saadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezy mystery featuring Nikki Sands, a 30-something beauty now working as the manager at the Malveaux Winery in Napa Valley.
Lots of opportunities to mention foods and wines in pairings, of course. The story line is on the lightweight side, and stretches belief sometimes. Grasping fortune hunter woman Susan Jennings is found poisoned on her wedding day. Investigation ensues with lots of suspects floating about and difficulty fingering the killer.

Why is Nikki so willing to investigate murky events on her own, nosy little lady that she is? She courts danger.

One theme running through the story setting is the tug of war in love she feels towards the two handsome young men in her life, the smoldering Spaniard winemaker, Andres Fernandez and the too perfect to be real Southern Californian winery owner, her boss Derek Malveaux.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the second installment of the Wine Lover's Mystery series, Nikki Sands returned to this newest mystery that had befallen on her lap. Six months after she solved her first vineyard mystery, she was Derek's date to a wedding. But there's no happily ever after to the happy couple, when she winded up dead on her wedding day and poisoned by her glass. When Nikki's best friend Isabel was framed for her murder, she did everything she could to clear her name and learned more about the deceased bride's past history and no claim to fame. The closer she'd gotten closer to the truth, the more curious she was to know the culprit. While this happened, she couldn't control her feelings for her boss, Derek, while her best friend's brother had feelings for her. Mama mia! She winded up in a love triangle of her own.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mystery story where a woman who held a resturant had to help her boyfriend plan a wedding with his new girlfriend. She didn't even know he was engaged! I thought that was really mean that he didn't tell her, and his soon to be wife is mean to her. She asks her to do things for her, and keep changing the menu. On the day of their wedding, his soon to be wife dies. I liked how the book is really romantic between the detective ,and two guys who are after her. One is her best friend's brother, and the other one is her boss. At first I thought Isabel( the woman who has a resturant) killed her ex lover's wife because she was being mean to her, and making her suffer, but it turns out not to be. The dectective has a very interesting character :)!.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 in A Wine Lover's Mysteries.
Nikki is settling in to her new job a Malveaux vineyard nicely. Things are going smoothly until best friend Isabel is accused of murder! Isabel was hired to cater her ex's wedding and when the bride turns up dead all fingers point the blame on her. Nikki quickly becomes a sleuth, in her extra time, to help prove her friend's innocence. She gets tangled in with some interesting new characters and even takes a trip to San Francisco with the "boys of summer". She even finds herself in a steamy love triangle that definitely leaves you hanging at the end of the book. I enjoyed this quick read and was very entertained. I was also surprised at the end when the murderer was revealed.

[Christa Nardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki plays sleuth when she's the one to find the victim and many of her friends and acquaintances are potential suspects. The problem is that sometimes asking questions and such only adds to the suspicion. Scott keeps the story moving with a few twists and the advances and retreats of her two suitors. Personally, I liked Derek. The story is well-paced if not suspenceful. As an added bonus, there are recipes and wine pairings.

This is the second in the Wine Lover's Mysteries, but is the first one I've read. I had no trouble following along - definitely can be read as a stand alone. This was a good read at the end of stressful day. Of course, now I'll have to go back to MURDER UNCORKED and find out how Nikki ends up at Malveaux Estates.

[Amelia in PDX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nikki is going to a society wedding that her friend Isabel agreed to cater and this Isabel fourn out that the groom is her boyfriend of the last several months. The bride is a bridezilla to the umpppp degree and Isabel can't get out of the contract though Nikki and her brother urge her to do it. After the wedding ceremony the bride goes up to change and orders Isabel to have a glass of champaigne brought to her. Nikki to take the pressure off of Isabel, takes the glass of wine up to the bridezilla to find her dead on the floor. And that's where the fun really starts.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in the series. I am beginning to be interested in the lives of the characters. Thank goodness for Simon and Marco.
The one issue I have with this series is the relationships between Nikki and two men. I am shocked at how many "misunderstandings" happen. I thought these people were grown. It's high school stuff. I just don't know how Nikki can keep two handsome and successful men who don't have any baggage hanging on the vine. Hopefully the third in the series will get someone to grow up and actually get something going.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of it were funny, but this was way too much of a romance novel for me--and an unbelievable one at that. The mystery part is okay, but the romance seems to be between 3 incredibly clueless people with the emotional maturity of 13-year-olds.

There were some funny parts, and I'm excited to try the recipes included, but I won't be reading any of her other books. The dialogue is too stilted, the characters are flat, and the plot is just a bit too strained to make for a pleasant read.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is 2nd in the series about Nikki Sands who works at an estate in Napa Valley. Nikki's friend Isabel agrees to cater a wedding before learning that the groom is her ex boyfriend. Isabel askes Nikki to bring the bride more wine and Nikki finds her dead. the bride had made enemies easily there are a lot of people, close friends of Nikki that could have done it so Nikki has to find out who really killed the bride.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fast, light read. I enjoyed following the main character. It's predictable in some ways, yet not in other ways. Would have rated it higher, but in this book (different from the first one) the author decided in a handful of places to use foul language that did not fit in with her style or the story so it lessened her writing to me. I plan to continue in this series.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wine Lover's Mysteries are not the intense mysteries I am use to reading. I call this my fluff read. They are light and cute. I enjoy the characters and will continue to read in order to give my reading selection some diversity.. also because I need to know what happens with Nikki and all these boys!! :)

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a breezy read after homework assignments, an easy way to wind down atnight. The mystery part was pretty good, though Nikki is pretty snoopy. ("Snoopy" has a way of getting on my nerves.) I enjoyed the Simon/Marco duo in this installment of the series, but the romance triangle is getting old. Make a decision, already.