Sommelier Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Sommelier Mystery Books

Sommelier Mystery is a series of novels written by American author, Nadine Nettman. The author, Nadine is a certified wine waiter through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She is always on the lookout for tastier wines and the history behind them. She has visited lots of places around the globe from South Africa to Chile and every place in France but chose Napa County as the setting for her debut novel Decanting a Murder published in 2016. Nadine is also a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is a resident of California.

Nadine began the publication of Sommelier Mystery series in 2016 when Decanting a Murder the first book in the series was published.

Decanting a Murder (2016)

Decanting a Murder is the first novel in Sommelier Mystery series by Nadine Nettman. The story introduces Katie Stillwell; a young woman focused on achieving two important things in life. Getting best out of her work and prepare for Wine Certification with her tasting group. Only the exam she awaits was presumed to be the hardest part of her week, but before the exam day, a body is discovered at a restricted Napa Valley winery part.

The evidence available from the crime scene only points to Katie’s best friend, the candid and self-dependent Tessa. Katie drops everything that she held dear and embarks on a new mission of clearing her best friend’s name. However, when several attempts are made on her life, Katie figure out that everyone’s secrets must be unraveled- including her secrets.

In the first title, Katie Stilwell is the lead character. She is level-headed, witty, bright, and charming and has some amateur sleuth. She works as a wine waiter at a famous cafe in San Francisco, while during her off days; she studies for her Sommelier Certification. Driven to succeed and also passionate about wine, she accepts an invitation to accompany her friend Tessa to an exclusive party at a winery in Napa Valley.

It is revealed that Tessa had not been working for the winery for long, but she has already made a mark with the staff and the owners of the winery. So when one of the owners is found dead during the party, all fingers come back pointing to Tessa, who had apparently disappeared in the middle of the event. Katie is desperate to prove that her friend would never harm a fly leave alone killing a man, and she offers to try and hunt down the killer. Katie also finds herself entangled with a man named Dean, the murder case investigator.

Katie’s father is a cop based somewhere down south, probably one of the reasons why she has deductive abilities. She has also practiced wines analysis, and this gives Katie a nose for trouble.

On the other hand, there is Tessa, an outspoken and independent lady. She is fantastic, just like the crazy friend that everyone knew of in school. She is likable, and the bond that she shares with Katie is strong.

The secondary characters are brilliantly woven; they play an essential role in the development of the main character, in this case, Katie. Decanting a Murder is a real page-turner, the mystery is intriguing, are clues are sparsely scattered among the red herrings. The characters are likable, well fleshed out. Each of the novel chapters involves a wine pairing, and within the mystery itself (main plot) the author also provides the readers with information about wines which is fascinating.

Uncorking a Lie (2017)

Uncorking a Lie is the second novel in A Sommelier Mystery by Nadine Nettmann. Once again the story introduces the readers to Katie Stillwell, who made her debut in Decanting a Murder the first title in the series. She gets an invitation, (one that she has always dreamed about) to a dinner party of a famous wine collector Paul Rafferty to celebrate a rare and special bottle of wine.

Everyone at the party enjoys drinking the $19,000 wine, but soon Kate discovers that this is not the older vintage listed on the bottle label. She confides in Paul and informs him about her suspicions. Paul asks her to investigate, and Katie soon discovers that the deception in the wine industry goes beyond money. As Katie dives deeper into the realm of counterfeit wine, she soon discovers that everything she holds dear is at stake including her own life.

Katie Stillwell, the main character in the Sommelier Mystery series is oddly good at solving complex mysteries. She lacks the professional training that detectives undergo, but she still manages to gather all the possible clues and string them all the dots together. Katie has one solved murder case under her belt, but she is still hoping to settle and prepare for her Sommelier Certification. She has successfully passed her first level of her master of wine exam, and now she is focused on the Advanced level. However, she receives an invitation from one of her frequent customers, Paul Rafferty. The man has recently bought a 1975 Chateau Clair Bleu, and the wine opening will be at the dinner. However during the dinner when Katie sips the wine, she immediately recognizes that the wine is a forgery. Katie informs, Paul’s assistant about the fake wine.

Cooper disappears, and when Katie goes looking for him, she finds him at the bottom of the steps in the wine cellar. Unfortunately, he does not survive, the next day, Katie informs Paul about the wine forgery he had bought at an auction by a private seller. He hires Katie to hunt the seller for him.

However, Cooper’s killer is less than happy with Katie’s prying questions. The big question remains, will Katie unmask the killer before he strikes out again?

The second novel in Sommelier Mystery series follows a cozy mystery traditional formula-there is an event, victim, sleuthing, and revelation. The mystery is quite intriguing; the plot features lots of twists, turns, and red herrings. Nadine gives a vivid description of the setting, San Francisco, characters, both primary and secondary cast and a continuous flow that will keep the readers hooked from the first page to the last.