Book Review: Till Death Do Us Port by Kate Lansing (Colorado Wine Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and plenty of plot

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Wedding planner dead

Wedding party of suspects

Wedding story, fun

This Wasn’t in the Wedding Plan

It’s been a while since the third book in the Colorado Wine Mysteries came out.  In that time, I’d forgotten just how much I love this series.  But it wasn’t long into Till Death Do Us Port before I remembered just why it is so good.

If you haven’t yet met Parker Valentine, you really should.  She’s taken a chance and pursued her dream of opening her own winery.  She doesn’t grow the grapes herself, but she buys them from vineyards close to her home in Boulder, Colorado, and uses them to create great wine.

It’s June, and that means wedding season.  Parker is thrilled to be attending her cousin Emma’s wedding, and she hopes that her gift, the wine for the reception, will get her noticed for other weddings.  However, tensions seem to be running high.  No, these aren’t normal wedding day jitters.  One of the bridesmaids and groomsmen can’t stand each other.  Emma’s parents are divorced, and her new step-mother is running things more than she should.  And the wedding planner Parker is hoping to impress is a demanding perfectionist.

However, the wedding planner is nowhere to be found when it is time for the procession to start.  The ceremony starts without her only to end abruptly when someone screams.  They’ve found the wedding planner dead.  With the wedding on ice, Parker starts investigating, with the most unlikely partner.  Together, they are hoping to spare the family the pain of gossip and false accusations.  But who at the wedding would want to kill the wedding planner?

There is one quirk to the series – it is written in first person present tense.  It takes a little bit for my brain to adjust when I pick up a book, but that time is completely worth it.  I love so much about these books.

First, there are the characters.  We’ve watched them grow over the course of the series, and I love watching the next evolutions in their relationships in this book.  If you’d told me while I was reading book one that we’d be here in book four, I’m not sure I would have believed it, but the progression makes perfect sense.

The book is filled with new characters, too, and they bring lots of drama.  Even without the murder, there’s plenty to keep us engaged.  I liked some of their arcs in this book as well.

With all that drama and the murder, there’s plenty to keep the pages turning.  There are several good suspects and motives for Parker to pick through as she tries to uncover the truth.  And that other drama?  It’s what leads to the character growth.  All this leads to a wonderful climax.

I’m not a wine drinker, and what I don’t know about growing grapes in general fills volumes.  I love how author Kate Lansing works in things about wine and grapes that help shed light on the current events in the story.  It provides a nice touch and helps pull in the theme in a unique way.

There are bits of humor to add to the fun as well.  Most of them come from the way the characters are interacting, especially Parker and one particular character.  I wouldn’t say this is a laugh a page mystery, but the humor that is there adds charm.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a culinary cozy without some recipes at the end.  We get three, and they sound delicious.  In keeping with the theme, there are suggested wine pairings for each recipe as well.

It was so wonderful to check in with Parker and the rest of the regulars again.  If you are a fan, you’ll love Till Death Do Us Port.  If you haven’t gotten to this series yet, fix that today.

Be sure to savor the rest of the Colorado Wine Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.