Nadine Nettmann Boeken

With only a few days left until her Advanced Sommelier exam, Katie Stillwell hopes to balance studying with attending a wine and food festival in Santa Barbara. The weekend with Detective Dean is off to a great start--until an attendee is murdered and suspicion falls on the festival emcee, Master Sommelier Hudson Wiley. Katie tries to keep her focus on the festival and her last-minute studying, but when she discovers people aren't who they say they are, she finds herself in the middle of a tangled web where nothing, except the wine, is what it seems.

In Prohibition-era Los Angeles, two women on opposite sides of the law must take control of their lives, make their marks, and try to survive. Even if it means crossing the line. It's 1927. Letty Hart's father is long gone, but his old winery provides a meager wage and a legal livelihood for selling sacramental wine. But when that contract goes bust, Letty stumbles upon a desperate option: her father's hidden cellar--and enough liquor to tempt Letty to bootleg the secret stash. In an underworld dominated by merciless men, Letty is building an empire. Officer Annabel Forman deserves to be the first female detective in the LAPD. But after two years on the force, she's still consigned to clerical work and policing dance halls. When Annabel connects a series of unsolved murders to bootlegging, it's a chance at a real investigation. Under the thumb of dismissive male superiors, Annabel is building her case. As their formerly uncompromised morals erode, Letty and Annabel are on a collision course--and determined to prove they're every bit as ruthless and strong-willed as the powers that be who want to take them down.

It was the kind of invitation Katie Stillwell had only dreamed about: a dinner party at the Sonoma mansion of famed wine collector Paul Rafferty to celebrate a rare bottle of wine. Everyone enjoys drinking the $19,000 wine, but Katie realizes it's not the older vintage listed on the label. When she confides in Mr. Rafferty, he asks her to investigate, and she soon discovers the deception goes beyond money. As Katie falls deeper into the world of counterfeit wine, she learns everything is at stake--even her life. Praise: "A good mystery with a limited group of suspects and unlimited wine lore."--Kirkus Reviews.