Which Pairs Best With Murder?

Mermaid Bay Wine Mystery #1

by Lynn Joseph

Welcome to Mermaid Bay—where the wine is fine, the gossip flows freely, and murder is always on the menu.

When down-on-her-luck Noelle Knight returns to her quirky coastal hometown to run her late aunt’s beloved wine shop, she’s hoping to reset her life—maybe even uncork a little happiness. But between nosy neighbors, suspicious secrets hiding in the cellar, and a murder mystery that seems to follow her around like a bad hangover, Noelle quickly learns that Mermaid Bay isn’t as sleepy as it looks.

Armed with nothing but her Aunt Clara’s cryptic ledger, a grumpy cat named Cabby, and a handsome bartender who used to be just the boy next door, Noelle sets out to restore The Grape Escape to glory—and catch a killer along the way.

A delightful, cozy mystery featuring a cat and a wine shop owner with a talent for finding trouble. Perfect for fans of light-hearted mysteries with heart, humor, and just enough danger to keep the pages turning.

The Mermaid Bay Wine Mystery series is your next addictive escape.

Which Pairs Best With Murder? is Book 1 in The Mermaid Bay Wine Mystery.

Dive in today and watch as the wine flows and the suspects pile up.

Genres: Amazon

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2025

About the author

Lynn Joseph's adventure travel, island hopping, and lifelong wandering have a purpose. And it's not just to find the best crepes, gelato, and champagne! She swears! Lynn writes about the places she falls in love with. She's discovered in her travels that everyone is looking for a romance and a happy ending! Especially romance authors! Her USA home base is the charming Ferry Village in South Portland, Maine, and her international home base is the Caribbean Island of Tobago, where she’s known as the Mermaid Queen. Lynn believes in protagonists of color traveling and changing the world. And falling in love, of course! She almost always finds a way to work in crepes, gelato, or champagne as part of the story (to support the research!) If you're ready for some sweet romance, join Lynn on her journey of love, food, and romantic destinations (not necessarily in that order).

Reviews

[Melanie L Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was it thinking of me like I was thinking about it?

There are some books I finish simply because I’m not a quitter. And then there are those that just suck you in. You walk away and wonder if it’s thinking about you like you are thinking of it. Admittedly, at this point I am only 8 chapters in and I had to put it down for an appointment. My mind kept wandering back….. I couldn’t wait to get home and dig back in. I can’t wait to dig back in and wait to see not only what this book has in store for me, but the whole entire series. Sadly, I will finish before the latest book is released. I have no doubt that I will be watching the calendar and waiting with great anticipation!!!!!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Which Pairs Best With Murder?. Twenty-nine year old Noelle Knight leaves Pittsburgh after getting fired. She heads to Mermaid Bay in the Florida Keys. Her great aunt Clara has left her The Grape Escape Wine Shop. While getting the wine shop ready to reopen, Noelle encounters a few people from her past and Cabby (short for Cabernet) the cat. I liked the lines: "I've never attended a town meeting. The closest I've come is watching Gilmore Girls and laughing as Lorelai and Luke crack jokes at the townspeople's gripes about parking spots and street names." I liked the small town feel, the interesting characters, the hint of romance, and the hint of more mysteries to solve about the wine shop and Noelle's family.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun cozy mystery from a new to me author. I enjoy that the same characters appear in the books with the story continuing from the prior book. The lead characters are Nicole Knight and Finn McClanahan. Nicole has returned to her hometown after being fired from her job. She had inherited her aunt’s wine shop and returned to run it. Nicole finds dead bodies and is trying to learn about a pirate’s treasure. A great book!

[Amanda L. Ness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean - it was fine. Somewhat amusing but definitely nothing amazing. Im honestly confused about the high rating on here. 🤷🏼‍♀️.
Definitely disappointed that you have to read a second book for the conclusion. Definitely not gonna do that.

[Toriesbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute quirky read!! I loved the twists and the mystery woven around a cute story with a lot of banter. I loved the way the author wove the wine into the story. I can’t wait to read the next one and see what happens next!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a wine lover myself, I enjoyed this story line and it was a easy read. Can't wait to read the next one in the series.

[Martha Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

alliterative names

This book is a fun read; a little vacation to the Florida Keys. I could get used to Wine Down Wednesdays.

[Kaightie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick, light cozy mystery set around a wine shop in the Florida Keys. The amateur sleuthing, cute banter between Noelle and Finn, and the shop cat Cabby made it an easy, entertaining read. The mystery kept me guessing, though the pseudo cliffhanger ending was a bit disappointing for me.