A DEATHLY DISPLAY and a guest post by Kirsten Weiss

This post is part of a virtual book tour orgnaized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Exploring A Deathly Display: The Cozy Mystery Heart of Central California Wine Country

One of the best parts of writing cozy mysteries is building a world that feels like a place you’d want to visit—or live in. In my Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series, that world is San Benedetto, a fictional small town nestled in Central California wine country. For my latest release, A Deathly Display (book 11), the setting takes center stage: it’s where Maddie Kosloski navigates high-society murder amid art exhibits and old vines. And just like Maddie herself, San Benedetto carries a quiet undercurrent of being overshadowed by flashier neighbors—yet it has its own undeniable charm.

San Benedetto is loosely based on real-life Lodi, California, the self-proclaimed “Zinfandel Capital of the World.” Lodi sits in the San Joaquin Valley, about an hour south of Sacramento and roughly 90 minutes from the Bay Area. It’s surrounded by vast vineyards, historic downtown streets with mom-and-pop shops, and that easy, unpretentious vibe that makes you feel welcome the moment you arrive. The region crushes over 20 percent of California’s wine grapes—more than Napa and Sonoma combined—thanks to fertile soils, a Mediterranean climate with warm days and cool Delta breezes off the San Francisco Bay, and over 100,000 acres of vines. Many of those are old-vine Zinfandels, some dating back more than a century, producing bold, jammy reds with floral notes that have earned Lodi serious respect among wine insiders.

But here’s the parallel that really resonates with Maddie’s story: Central California wine country, like Lodi, often lives in the shadow of Napa and Sonoma. Those famous regions to the west get the headlines, the celebrity visitors, the high-end resorts, and the steep tasting fees. Napa and Sonoma are polished and glamorous—think rolling hills, boutique hotels, and crowds at every winery. Lodi, by contrast, feels more like the approachable cousin: family-run operations where you can chat directly with the winemaker, tastings that won’t break the bank, and a laid-back atmosphere that’s reminiscent of what Napa was like decades ago, before the hype took over.

Maddie Kosloski embodies that same dynamic. She’s the middle child in a family of overachievers—siblings with impressive careers, big wins, and constant spotlights. Maddie returned home after her own career hit a wall, taking over the quirky Paranormal Museum and feeling like she’s playing catch-up. San Benedetto mirrors her journey: it’s productive, talented, and full of heart, yet it’s frequently overlooked next to the glitzier wine regions nearby. In A Deathly Display, this theme deepens as Maddie ventures into a grand museum  inspired by The Getty, rubbing shoulders with the elite while defending her small-town roots. The contrast highlights what makes cozy mysteries so comforting—ordinary people in relatable places rising to extraordinary challenges.

The setting isn’t just backdrop; it’s integral to the cozy mystery vibe. San Benedetto’s wine-country charm means grape stomps, harvest festivals, and fog-shrouded vineyards that provide perfect cover for secrets and clues. The Delta breeze cools the air at night, the Mokelumne River winds through the landscape, and the town’s historic architecture hides oddities like cursed artifacts. Readers get that small-town intimacy cozy mystery fans love: everyone knows your business, which makes gossip a key investigative tool and community a source of strength.

If you’re craving a cozy mystery escape to Central California wine country—complete with amateur sleuthing, subtle paranormal hints, and GD Cat’s judgmental stares—A Deathly Display awaits. It’s a standalone read, but if you start from the beginning, you’ll see how San Benedetto (and Maddie) keep growing in unexpected ways.

What’s your favorite underrated wine region, or a place that feels like it’s living in someone else’s shadow? Share in the comments—I love hearing your stories, and they might inspire the next book!

Happy reading (and sipping),
Kirsten Weiss

 

A killer stalks her sister.
A mysterious painting holds the key.
Can Maddie unravel the mystery before Melanie meets a deadly fate?

When Maddie and Herb attend a curation class at the upscale Domus Vinea museum, the mood turns darker than a gothic portrait after Maddie’s opera-singing sister, Melanie, discovers the museum director’s body. Now, with a cunning killer targeting Melanie next, Maddie must act fast.

Racing against time, Maddie and friends investigate a gallery of suspects, including a dashing vintner with a haunted painting that may hide a deadly secret. If Maddie can’t crack the case, and fast, her sister’s life could end in one fatal stroke.

A Deathly Display, the latest in the Paranormal Museum series, blends quirky sleuthing, small-town chills, and paranormal thrills with a dash of humor. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries!

Grab A Deathly Display and start reading this hilarious whodunit!

For readers who crave a cozy mystery about a woman finding belonging through small-town wine-country sleuthing and the gentle absurdity of everyday hauntings. Perfect if you like breezy pacing, light supernatural quirks, and warm humor over gritty tension—think vintage charm, quirky neighbors, and just-enough chills to keep pages turning without losing sleep. Book 11 in the series.

Read an Excerpt

Stuffing the brochure into the pocket of my navy hoodie, I walked to the window. The gentle blues of twilight streamed through it, making a trapezoid on the museum’s wooden floor.

A narrow, carved piece of wood stuck out beneath the sill. There appeared to be two wooden hinges at its base. It was another door. Curious, I pried the top open.

The slender strip of wood popped off the wall. I caught it before it could hit the floor and froze, squatting, door cradled in both hands. Horrified, I gaped at the piece of carved wood.

“You broke it,” Herb hissed. “You broke the house on our first visit!”

“I didn’t break it. It fell off.” Frantically, I tried to work the door back into the hinge.

“What are you doing?” Bran asked from behind me.

Heart pounding, I spun to face him and hid the slim little door behind my back.

“Are you hiding something behind your back?” Bran cocked an eyebrow. Now, he looked like an angry Roman general, the trimmed stubble on his jaw more threatening. Not even his jeans and blue button-up eased the effect.

I blinked, sweating. He’d caught me like a kid elbow-deep in a cookie jar.

About the Author:

Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries, and now a Tarot guidebook that’s a work of experimental fiction. Her heroes and heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop.

Kirsten is best known for her Wits’ End, Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, and Tea & Tarot cozy mystery books. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…

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