Below is the complete list of Maddie Day’s Cece Barton Mystery books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Cece Barton Mystery Books
About Cece Barton Mystery
Maddie Day’s Cece Barton Mystery series brings the cozy mystery into Northern California wine country, following widowed mother Cece Barton as she builds a new life in fictional Colinas in the Alexander Valley. Cece works at Vino y Vida, initially managing the wine bar before eventually becoming its owner, and her position places her naturally among vintners, merchants, tourists, local organizations, and the personalities who shape the valley. Her twin sister, Allie Halstead, owns a nearby Victorian bed-and-breakfast and becomes Cece’s most dependable partner when local disagreements turn into murder investigations.
Cece actually makes her first appearance before the opening full-length novel. The novella “Murderous Mittens,” included in Christmas Mittens Murder, finds her still living in Pasadena and visiting Allie in Colinas for Christmas. When the owner of a local wine bar is murdered and Allie becomes a suspect, Cece begins investigating with help from Cam Flaherty, the protagonist of Edith Maxwell’s Local Foods Mysteries. The story functions as a genuine introduction to Cece rather than an unrelated holiday extra, establishing her family connection to Colinas before she relocates there permanently.
Murder Uncorked begins Cece’s life as a resident of the Alexander Valley. Now managing Vino y Vida during the busy harvest season, she finds herself navigating wine-industry politics just as murder disrupts the community and suspicion turns toward her. A threatening wildfire adds another layer of pressure, linking the mystery to the realities of living and working in California wine country. Clearing her own name gives Cece an immediate reason to investigate, but it also establishes the curiosity and persistence that continue drawing her toward later crimes.
Wine is more than a decorative theme. The series uses tasting rooms, vineyards, harvest activities, wine associations, tourism, and the businesses surrounding the industry to create a community whose members are professionally and socially intertwined. Cece knows people because of her work, and those connections give her access to conversations and rivalries that an outsider would miss. The fictional Colinas setting allows Day to create a recurring small-town cast while placing it within the recognizable landscape and culture of Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley.
Family provides the stronger emotional continuity. Allie is not merely a convenient sidekick who appears when Cece needs information; the sisters investigate together, and Cece’s decision to settle near her twin makes their relationship part of her wider effort to rebuild after widowhood. As the books progress, friendships, business responsibilities, and Cece’s romantic life also develop rather than resetting with each new murder.
That progression is visible by A Poisonous Pour. Cece has moved from employee to owner of Vino y Vida, her relationship with Benjamin is developing, and she is increasingly established within Colinas. When controversy surrounding a classic-car event and local politics ends in murder, the person Cece feels compelled to defend is an elderly neighbor rather than herself. Her reasons for investigating have consequently shifted along with her place in the community.
The Cece Barton mysteries are therefore best understood as a developing wine-country cozy series rather than isolated culinary puzzles. The novella provides Cece’s introduction, while the novels trace her transition from newcomer to business owner and increasingly connected Colinas resident. The murders change, but the evolving relationship between Cece, Allie, Vino y Vida, and the surrounding Alexander Valley community gives the series its continuing character.