Description
She wasn’t swimming in the wine vat, she was dead!
When Angela, the beloved, award-winning winemaker at the Moretti Winery, is found floating facedown in a wine vat, law-enforcement authorities are suspicious about the cause of her death. Was it murder or a tragic accident?
If it’s murder, who did it? Was it her husband, Matteo, the winemaker at a nearby winery, jealous because his wife’s wines always received the top awards and best ratings? Was it his employer, Carlos Romano, the owner of the nearby winery, because his wines always placed second to those made by Angela? Or could it have been Carlos’ niece, Alessandra, who had romantic fantasies about Matteo even though he was married to Angela? Or even Signora Moretti, suspicious there was more to her husband and Angela’s relationship than business. And then there was Caitlin, the ambitious master’s degree student who was an intern at the Moretti Winery and wanted Angela’s job.
Mike Reynolds, an Oregon county sheriff, and his wife, Kelly, decide to take a short vacation to Sonoma, California, where they were meeting their daughter and her husband for some wine tasting. Because of a sick child, they have to return home to Calico Gold, so Kelly and Mike have some extra time on their hands and offer to help the local sheriff determine if Angela’s death was murder or an accident.
As always, plenty of food and mouthwatering recipes!
Julie Howard –
Another great cozy mystery by USA today best selling author Dianne Harman. The thing I like best about her books are the great characters and with Kelly and Mike you have another winning pair. The story starts with the murder and then you have the lead up to the death, before Kelly starts to do her thing. I didn’t really like the motive behind the murder for this book and think the character was to well liked to have been killed but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the mystery. The wine experience was a nice setting and I was glad I didn’t need to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy it. Kelly’s daughter wants to show how much she has learnt on her wine tasting course by taking Kelly and Mike away for a wine experience. Mike’s time on the golf course is cut short when Kelly arrives at the winery to find the place full of police cars. The wine maker they met the day before has been found in a vat of boiling wine. Was it an accident? Her friends knowing how safety conscious she was don’t think so. Kelly and Mike offer there assistants to the police chief and are soon questioning the staff. Does one of them have a motive to kill the award winning wine maker? I like the narrator, she is one of my favourites out of all the narrators this author uses over her different series. She has a clear gentle way of speaking. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Suzanne Nelson –
I really, really enjoyed listening to this murder mystery! I rate it at five stars. It is well-written. I loved the Sonoma, California setting. I could imagine being in the picturesque area, touring wineries, shopping in the town, and dining at foodie restaurants. The plot revolved around wine making operations at a couple of vineyards. Returning characters Kelly and Mike Reynolds aid the local sheriff with solving the murder.
Author Dianne Harman details a handful of people that could have had a motive for committing the murder. Some weren’t very likeable and made great villains. Narrator Kasey Logan gave an excellent performance.
Recipes were included at the end of the audiobook.