Mostly Murders

Book 1 in the Francine Witt Mystery series.

A fun, cozy, wine and Egyptology themed mystery with a surprisingly deep message of feminism and representation.

Francine Witt is a wine blogger dreaming of a career in “real” journalism while posting budget wine recommendations and blogging about the shenanigans of two wine thieves who time and time again get away with stealing expensive bottles of wine from restaurants and bars.

When her agent secures an invitation to an auction for a very rare bottle of wine, Francine has no idea that her once so straightlaced life is about to go off the rails. Before long, Francine is embroiled in a mystery involving murder, theft, long-buried secrets and potential treasure.

Easy to read and easy to like, this is a cozy mystery with a very current feel and a heroine who should appeal to readers who like independent yet vulnerable female main characters looking to carve out a place in the world for themselves.

It isn’t easy for a cozy mystery to stand out among its peers in today’s market, but Full Bodied manages to do just that with its strong adherence to its themes of wine, Egyptology and feminism. In some cozy mysteries the theme is just a thin coat of paint that quickly peels off, but in this novel, the themes are crucial to both the story and the mystery. Wine and Egyptology are the backbones of the story and the mystery, while the messages of feminism and representation are deep and poignant once you take a peek beneath the seemingly simple cozy mystery surface.

This isn’t a novel that briefly mentions wine, Egyptology and feminism, this is a book that is absolutely steeped in these themes, reflected not only in the story, but also in the characters, illustrations and overall messages left to the reader.

Thank you so much to Steve Exeter for the review copy of this book.

Cozy mystery – Contemporary