“Uncorking a Lie” By Nadine Nettmann: Review/Giveaway

by Sandra Murphy


Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review & links to purchase it.

The test for a sommelier is an exacting one, requiring a lot of time and study. Katie Stillwell has passed the first hurdle but wants to go for the ultimate title. She’s got her notes and a study group so all she has to do is focus.

She works at an upscale restaurant, and naturally, is friendly to the clientele. When she’s invited to wine collector Paul Rafferty’s home as a guest, not the sommelier, she’s ecstatic. They’ll be tasting a bottle of wine that cost Rafferty $19,000 in an auction. He’s asked her not to reveal her job to the other diners, just enjoy the evening as a guest.

The problem starts with the first sip. The wine doesn’t behave as an old wine should, and it doesn’t taste that way either. Should she speak up or keep quiet? She does confide in Rafferty’s assistant but warns him to keep his mouth shut until the dinner is over. There’s no need to embarrass anyone by announcing the costly wine is a fake.


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Cooper asks a few leading questions but doesn’t give the secret away. He goes to the wine cellar to get a second bottle from the same dealer and auction but doesn’t come back. Katie looks for him and finds his body at the bottom of the stairs. It’s assumed he went for another bottle, and in the dark, fell. It does seem suspicious that the light wasn’t working.

Once Katie confesses that the wine was not authentic, Rafferty asks her to investigate which dealer put the bottle up for auction. He gets cold feet about it and asks her to stop, but it’s too late. The puzzle has to be solved. If Cooper’s death was murder, then the only suspects are the dinner guests.



Image source: Midnight Ink

In addition to Katie’s upcoming test, there’s a little complication in her love life. She’s attracted to Dean, a police detective, and he to her, but their jobs get in the way. She’s torn between wanting a relationship and giving total focus to her job.

This is the second book in the Sommelier Mystery series. Decanting a Murder was the debut. Katie is a likable character, always with more to do than there’s time for—everyone can surely relate. Her love life shows promise if she’ll let it; Dean is a good man so readers will root for him. There is a lot of information about wine in the book, but it’s spread out and delivered so smoothly, it’s part of the story.

To enter to win a copy of Uncorking a Lie, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “uncork,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 8, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please included your mailing address.

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:






Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. She writes articles for Animal Wellness and Natural Awakenings magazines and online, for Sniff and Barkens. For the last ten years, she's written/edited the SPAWNews, a monthly newsletter for small publishers, artists, writers network. She has written short stories for three anthologies (Flash and Bang, The Killer Wore Cranberry #4 and Dogs and Dragons). There's even a tale of the pitfalls of gardening when you're six years old, titled Death of a Red Leather Mary Jane.
At last, she's achieved her dream of a book of her own on Kindle--and all the other e-readers--with the publication of From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception, a collection of short stories published by Untreed Reads. Her Westie-ish dog, Ozzie, begs you to buy a copy. It's only 99c and he needs more toys.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.


Comments

  1. I love wine but don't know very much about it. The story sounds really intriguing and I would love to win a copy.
    scarletbegonia5858(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like an interesting read! doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the chance. Maceoindo (at) yahoo (dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like an awesome read. I can't imagine paying $19,000 bottle of wine and then finding it wasn't what I expected.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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