How to Dine on Killer Wine: A Party-Planning Mystery
Read How to Dine on Killer Wine: A Party-Planning Mystery Online
Authors: Penny Warner
Praise for Penny Warner’s
Party-Planning Mysteries
How to Party with a Killer Vampire
“Penny Warner’s
How to Party with a Killer Vampire
is a fun, entertaining, and amusing read. The characters are engaging and quirky, and the mystery is suspenseful and gripping. There’s plenty of humor infused into the whodunit and the charismatic cast of secondary characters adds comedic relief. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, the Party-Planning Mystery series is a series you won’t want to miss.”
—TwoLips Reviews
“A fun read starring amateur sleuth Presley Parker. Presley is an event planner who throws a ‘wrap party’ for a movie producer to celebrate his latest horror film,
Revenge of the Killer Vampires
. The perfect venue to hold this event? A cemetery, of course! And it wouldn’t be the perfect party without a fresh corpse. The writing is well-done and the story reaches a satisfying ending. Presley is a smart, self-reliant amateur sleuth.”
—Dead Herring
How to Survive a Killer Séance
“Event planner Presley Parker is throwing a party at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, and you just know all those corridors and secret rooms will be the perfect setting for a murder. Downright fun.”
—
Contra Costa Times
“Presley Parker is a delightful event host, and this entertaining mystery captures the ins and outs of planning a séance. Delightfully entertaining.”
—Mysterious Reviews
“Unforgettable characters, information, and humor all in one divine package. Treat yourself to this one as soon as possible.”
—Fresh Fiction
“[A]n entertaining read, full of unique characters and breezy prose. The setting is unique, the structure is smart, and the pacing is quick. Presley otherwise makes for a strong, smart, funny protagonist for whom readers will want to root.”
—The Season for Romance
“Presley is a creative, energetic young woman with a wry sense of humor.”
—The Mystery Reader
How to Crash a Killer Bash
“If you’re looking for a lighthearted, fast-moving story with enough polish and pizzazz to keep your interest popping to the very last page, look no further than this party-hearty book.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Exactly what a modern cozy should be: light and playful, a little romance mixed with a little mystery, and thoroughly enjoyable start to finish.”
—Mysterious Reviews
“The mystery is well plotted [and] there are plenty of clues and plenty of suspects, letting readers guess along with Presley.”
—The Mystery Reader
“I highly recommend this book to all mystery readers, cozy or not. This is a party that you don’t want to miss.”
—Once Upon a Romance Reviews
“With plenty of action on her investigation and several poignant moments, readers will enjoy the perils of Presley Parker.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“The second Party-Planner mystery is a delightful whodunit due to a strong lead and the eccentric cast who bring a flavor of San Francisco to life.”
—The Best Reviews
“Plenty of motives and suspects a cast of lively characters.”
—Gumshoe
How to Host a Killer Party
“Penny Warner’s scintillating
How to Host a Killer Party
introduces an appealing heroine whose event skills include utilizing party favors in self-defense in a fun, fast-paced new series guaranteed to please.”
—Carolyn Hart, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity
award–winning author of
Death Comes Silently
“A party you don’t want to miss.”
—Denise Swanson, national bestselling author of
Little Shop of Homicide
“Penny Warner dishes up a rare treat, sparkling with wicked and witty San Francisco characters, plus some real tips on hosting a killer party.”
—Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of the Royal Spyness
and Molly Murphy mysteries
“There’s a cozy little party going on between these covers.”
—Elaine Viets, author of the Dead End Job mysteries
“Fast, fun, and fizzy as a champagne cocktail! The winning and witty Presley Parker can plan a perfect party—but after her A-list event becomes an invitation to murder, her next plan must be to save her own life.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha Award–winning
author of
Drive Time
“The book dishes up a banquet of mayhem.”
—
Oakland Tribune
(CA)
“With a promising progression of peculiar plots, and a plethora of party-planning pointers,
How to Host a Killer Party
looks to be a pleasant prospect for cozy mystery lovers.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Warner keeps the reader guessing.”
—Gumshoe
“Delightful, filled with suspense, mystery, and romance.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“Grab this book.…It will leave you in stitches.”
—The Romance Readers Connection
“Frantic pace, interesting characters.”
—
Publishers Weekly
The Party-Planning Mystery Series
How to Host a Killer Party
How to Crash a Killer Bash
How to Survive a Killer Séance
How to Party with a Killer Vampire
H
OW TO
D
INE ON
Killer Wine
A Party-Planning Mystery
P
ENNY
W
ARNER
AN OBSIDIAN MYSTERY
OBSIDIAN
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, July 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN: 978-1-101-58716-4
Copyright © Penny Warner, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
To my mother, who taught me how to write. To my kids, who taught me how to party. To my husband, who taught me everything else.
Thanks to everyone who helped with this fun series—Colleen Casey, Janet Finsilver, Staci McLaughlin, Mike Melvin, Rebecca Melvin, Ann Parker, Connie Pike, Carole Price, Vicki Stadelhofer, Matt Warner, Susan Warner, Tom Warner. And to my wonderful agents, Andrea Hurst and Amberly Finarelli, and my astute editor, Sandy Harding. Thanks so much!
Here’s to the corkscrew—a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly.
—W. E. P. French
Wine- and Cheese-Tasting Party
PARTY-PLANNING TIP #1
When hosting a wine-tasting party, remind guests to use all five senses—eyes for clarity and color, nose for intensity of bouquet, palate for taste, tongue for texture, and ears for the sound of “Mmmmm…”
“I’ll drink to that!” my office mate on Treasure Island, Delicia Jackson, said after my work-for-hire chef Rocco Ghirenghelli set down a freshly decanted bottle of the Purple Grape Winery’s two-year-old merlot.
“You’ll drink to what?” I asked her as I watched Rocco pour the maroon liquid into a glass etched with the words “California Culinary College.” The wine licked the inside of the glass as it spiraled like a whirlpool to the bottom.