Madison Warner Fairbanks's Reviews > A Case for the Winemaker

A Case for the Winemaker by Candace Havens
1st in the Ainsley McGregor cozy mystery series.
Ainsley returned home to the small town of Sweet River, TX and opened a community art shop that houses multiple neighbors and independent vendors. The day before the store opens Ainsley and her Great Dane discover the body of a murdered man in the park. Opening day has the whole town visiting the store with questions and gossip with a conviction that the man arrested could not be the murderer. Ainsley and her bookclub create a murder board to gather clues and help free their friend from the sheriff’s most likely list of suspects. But someone doesn’t like their snooping around and Ainsley gets several warnings to cease.

An appealing cozy mystery that has a bit of suspense plus a fun cast of friends that “just want to help”. A hint of potential romance in future books as Ainsley scolds herself for admiring the handsome fireman best friend of her brother. The murder board that was a secret to no one was humorous and smart.
Great writing flow and tension have me looking forward to reading more of this series.