Cozy Mystery Review: Mulled to Death | Kate Lansing | Colorado Wine Mystery #3

I enjoyed the first two books in the Colorado Wine Mystery series, Killer Chardonnay and A Pairing to Die For, so I went ahead to continue to the third book in the series. In Kate Lansing’s Mulled to Death, our favorite winemaker is on a Valentine’s couple getaway when the romantic weekend is interrupted by murder.

About the Book | Mulled to Death

Setting

The series centers around Parker Valentine, a new business owner who has started a winery named Vino Valentine in Boulder, CO. Parker is in a relationship with Reid Wallace, her brother Liam’s best friend and a local chef. In the current book, Parker, Reid, Liam (Parker’s brother and Reid’s best friend), and Sage (Liam’s girlfriend and Parker’s best friend), all take a romantic getaway to a resort in Silver Creek, CO to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Plot

When Parker Valentine decides to take a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Reid, a ski trip seems like the perfect choice. Between hitting the slopes and persuading the resort’s wine director to sell her mulled wine, Parker is eager to mix business with pleasure. But her plans are muddled when she finds the resort owner’s body on a treacherous portion of ski trail near the resort.

As a result, not only is Parker’s romantic weekend thrown into chaos, but now that the owner has died, her business deal is due for a frosty reception, and her life might be in danger as well. After a series of unfortunate mishaps befall Parker, she realizes that whoever killed the resort owner might want to tie up loose ends. Parker’s going to need all of the investigative skills at her disposal to catch a killer before they put her on ice. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Review | Mulled to Death

This series is a lot of fun. I’m sure there are others that exist, but this is the only wine themed mystery series I’ve come across and as a wine-lover myself, I enjoy the theme. Kate Lansing always makes sure to include a few moments or scenes where our leading lady and winemaker Parker is tasting wine, reflecting on different varietals, or comparing things to wine.

I like how Parker seems to find wine tasting and wine making somewhat meditative. In fact her boyfriend Reid even comments on that characteristic in this recent book. As someone who loves wine tasting, there is a silence and reflection to the tasting process that feels very pure and meditative. Whenever I’m at a vineyard, I always really think about all of the soil, grapes, sun, rain, and people involved to put together just a single glass of wine.

This particular book highlights Parker’s mulled wine. If any of you watched Zach’s season of the Bachelor, you might remember his confessional where he thought the producers were saying “mold wine” instead of “mulled wine” and it is honestly one of the funniest parts of the season. His face to production when he wondered why anyone would want to drink mold wine lives in my head rent free!

In Mulled to Death, Parker and Reid’s relationship is becoming more serious, so much that they are taking a couples weekend with Parker’s brother Liam and his girlfriend Sage to a ski resort in Silver Creek, CO. Though her last name is Valentine, Parker has a lot of sadness and anxiety around the holiday ever since her beloved Aunt Laura passed away. Her aunt always made Valentine’s Day a big deal and Parker—who hasn’t always felt the most supported by her parents—has so many feelings wrapped up around her aunt, the holiday, and her grief.

Before we even get to the mystery, I’ll pause to say that this theme continues throughout the book. Though Liam warns her that Reid is planning something for Valentine’s Day, Parker really beats herself up for not getting him something in return. Perhaps I’m just not a big Valentine’s Day person, but I’ve never felt that grand gestures are needed there. If you’re already spending the day with your partner, should you expect gifts to be involved? Parker and Reid do, and Reid even seems disappointed at first that Parker hasn’t done anything for him. This got a bit shmoopy for me, and was too much of a focus of the book. However, I did understand the complications Parker felt due to her late Aunt Laura’s special connection to the day.

Back to the mystery… Parker uses the opportunity to set up a pitch meeting with the wine director at Silver Creek Lodge to taste her mulled wine, and consider carrying it at the resort. Parker is even more excited when former Olympic skier and owner of the resort, Annemarie Bauer joins for the tasting and wants to put in an order. However, the next day when the two couples hit the ski slopes, Annemarie’s body is discovered partway down one of the runs. The police soon make it clear they are investigating the death as a murder.

Not only does Annemarie’s death put Parker’s deal with the resort in jeopardy, but she also can’t shake the fact that she was one of the closest witnesses who may be able to offer clues to help solve the case. Someone else must know it too, as deadly mishaps begin to occur, threatening to ruin not just the weekend, but potentially Parker’s life!

 I’m continuing to really enjoy this series, though I did feel that this book went a little too heavy on the story surrounding Parker’s anxiety around Valentine’s Day and whether she got Reid the perfect gift. This felt a bit superfluous to me, particularly the part around the gift exchange. That said, having read the prior two books, I did really feel for Parker. We saw how her parent’s aren’t very supportive of her, and there is always a distance between them. Parker has her brother Liam, and from this book we learn how special her relationship with her late Aunt Laura was.

The mystery was interesting and engaging. I loved the setting at the ski resort. It felt like my own little getaway, and it was nice to see them out of town for a mystery since the last two have surrounded Parker’s and Reid’s businesses. Lansing does a great job offering plenty of viable suspects. There was a scene towards the end to help unmask the murderer that reminded me of classic mysteries like Nero Wolfe, where the suspects are all invited to dinner or an event and the detective walks through a show of revealing whodunnit.

A fun mystery! I definitely plan to continue to book 4 in the series. As always, I’ll mention that these can be read alone, but I think the character development across the series makes some of the subplots more meaningful, so I recommend reading in order if you are able to. Grab a glass of wine and cozy up with Mulled to Death this winter!

About the Series | Colorado Wine Mysteries

The Colorado Wine Series is a cozy mystery series written by author Kate Lansing. The first book in the series, Killer Chardonnay, published in 2020 and centers around winemaker Parker Valentine and her brand new winery, Vino Valentine in Boulder, Colorado. At opening day, a food critic dies after drinking a glass of Chardonnay, leading to a social media firestorm and the potential end of Vino Valentine.

The second book in the series is called A Pairing to Die For and was published in 2021. The second book shows the progression of the relationship between Parker and her new boyfriend Reid as he becomes the central suspect in a murder investigation at his restaurant.

The third book in the series is called Mulled to Death and is set at a couples retreat over Valentine’s Day weekend. Parker and Reid’s relationship can progress, now that he has been cleared of murder. However, at the resort, the owner is found murdered on the ski slopes and Parker is the prime witness.

Kate lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two-year-old daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple. Her love for mysteries began when she devoured From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a young girl, and has grown from there.

An award-winning short story author, her work has appeared in the Brave New Girls Anthology and the Crossing Colfax Anthology. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, and is represented by Pamela Harty of The Knight Agency.