Book Review - Wine and Punishment

Wine and Punishment
By:  Sarah Fox
Publisher:  Kensington Books
Published:  December 18, 2018
3.5 Stars


Sadie Coleman packed up her old life in Boston and moved to the small town of Shady Creek, Vermont.  There she bought an old mill and turned it into a pub with a literary theme which she called Inkwell.  Sadie was adjusting well to life as a pub owner and resident of Shady Creek.  Things changed, however, the night that her lying, gambling ex-boyfriend, Eric showed up at her pub.  Sadie was on her way out of the apartment above the pub when one of her employees let her know that Eric was asking for her.  Sadie didn’t want to deal with him that night and continued on to the birthday party she was headed to.  On the way home from the party, Sadie noticed smoke and ran to find two stores ablaze.  By the time that Sadie finally made it back to her pub, her employees had closed up for the night, and Eric was gone.  The next day, Sadie went to head into town but found all four of her tires slashed.  She instantly thought that Grayson Blake could be responsible because she felt he seemed to have taken an immediate dislike to her.  She went to confront Grayson, and then they both ended up stumbling upon Eric’s body.  Sadie wants to find out what happened to Eric and if the other odd events are at all related.

Wine and Punishment is the first book in the Literary Pub Mystery Series.  It was a good read, and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

At the beginning of the police investigation, the police consider Sadie a possible suspect.  I believe that is what fuels her desire to investigate the case on her own.  She knows she didn’t do it, and she wants to make sure that Eric’s family gets some closure.  Like many other amateur sleuths, Sadie’s investigations lead to more trouble for herself.  Sadie then is not only trying to solve Eric’s murder, but also to protect her own life and property.  I think Sadie is a likable character except I found her a little too quick to fly off the handle with regards to Grayson Blake.  Yes, he doesn’t appear to like her, but she is downright rude to him. There are a number of other memorable characters that help bring depth to this story.

I think the author developed a great storyline that was easy to get invested in.  I was intrigued and wanted to keep reading to see what happened to Sadie, and to see if she could solve her ex’s murder.  The New England fall provides a beautiful backdrop for this story, and the literary inspired pub makes it a unique setting.

For those that are interested, the author includes the recipes for the literary inspired mixed drinks that Sadie created for her pub.  Sadie also hopes to add literary inspired menu items, and I’m looking forward to seeing those recipes in the future books.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book.  #NetGalley #WineAndPunishment