A Riesling to Die: The Wine Trail Mysteries

Welcome!  A Charming Corpse by Tonya Kappes and What to Expect When Your Demon Slayer is Expecting by Angie Fox (not available for pre-order at this time) will be released on April 20.  Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd  will be published on April 24.  It is the first book in the Cape Charade series.

A Riesling to Die is the first novel in The Wine Trail Mysteries.  Norrie Ellington, a screenwriter, has reluctantly agreed to oversee the Two Witches Vineyard, in which she is a co-owner, for a year while her sister and her husband go off to Costa Rica on a research trip.  Norrie believes that with the experienced winery staff, her role will be minimal which will leave her plenty of quiet time to write.  The day after Francine and Jason leave the local crank is found dead in the new Riesling vines.  Norrie decides to investigate the matter because the winery cannot afford to lose money or have bad publicity.  She starts asking questions and believes she has discovered the guilty party.  Norrie hatches with a plan to get the individual to confess.  Unfortunately, things do not go quite as expected.  Join Norrie at the Two Witches Vineyard in her search for a killer in A Riesling to Die.

A Riesling to Die is a light cozy mystery.  Norrie is one of those main characters that babbles when nervous and turns into a blithering idiot in front of a handsome man.  There was a lack of development in Norrie’s character.  The author fails to provide her background which would establish the character (any of the characters).  There are some unique people working in the tasting room of the winery.  Glenda, Roger, Lizzie and Cammy provide comic relief along with Cammy’s cousin, Marc and Enzo (they cracked me up).  There is also a dog that manages to get into smelly messes every day (it makes me wonder if these people have not heard of a leash or a fenced in area for dogs) and Alvin, the spitting dwarf goat that is an attraction for children (just what every vineyard needs when you have guests wandering about). The mystery was straightforward, and the identity of the guilty party came as no surprise.  Norrie’s investigation was proceeding nicely until she came up a harebrained scheme to reel in who she believes is the killer (she jumped to conclusions instead of following the evidence and thinking things through).  The grand plan jeopardizes the winery and reminds me of Lucy Ricardo’s schemes.  Norrie’s spends a significant amount of time speculating on who could have committed the crime.  You can really see her overactive imagination at work.  All the loose ends are wrapped up at the end of the story.  A Riesling to Die had a good start, but then it stalled out for a while and then it became foolish.  There is some interesting information about growing grapes, taking care of the vines, running a vineyard and producing wines.  I am curious how many dead people will turn up in the area during Norrie’s year at Two Witches Winery (maybe the author will throw in a burglary).  A Riesling to Die is a quick read that will appeal to readers who prefer lighter cozy mysteries filled with quirky characters.  The next book in The Wine Trail Mysteries is Chardonnayed to Rest.

Thank you for visiting today.  I will be featuring A Charming Corpse by Tonya Kappes tomorrow.  It is eleventh book in A Magical Cures Mystery series.  I hope that you have a delightful day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Booked 4 Murder: A Sophie Kimball Mystery

Welcome!  J.C. Eaton is the husband and wife writing team of Ann. I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. Ann has written a series of young adult time travel novels. You can find more details on the authors at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com.  You can also follow J.C. Eaton on Amazon, Goodreads, and Facebook.  Amazon will send you an email when a new book by J.C. Eaton is listed for sale.

Booked 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton is the first book in A Sophie Kimball Mystery series.  Sophie “Phee” Kimball is at work (Accounts Receivable Department at the Mankato Police Department) when she receives a call from her mother, Harriet Plunkett.  Phee’s mother claims that the book, The Twelfth Arrondissement is cursed.  It is the current selection being read by her book club, Booked 4 Murder.  Three members of the book group have already died. She wants Phee to fly to Arizona and figure out what is happening (and she will not take no for an answer) before the curse kills off more of the group. Before Phee can decide, Harriet calls about a fourth woman succumbing to the “curse”.  After consulting with her friend, Detective Nate Williams, Phee heads to Sun City West, Arizona.  Phee arrives and hears about a fifth member of the book club who almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning.  What is going on?  Phee hits the ground running with her investigation.  She digs into the various members deaths, queries the local librarian on how the books are chosen for the book club, and searches for information on the author of The Twelfth Arrondissement.  Phee only has one week before she needs to return to work (if she can survive the heat).  Can Phee discover what is happening to the members of Booked 4 Death before someone else is hurt and curse fever takes over the town?

Booked 4 Murder sounded entertaining, but I had a hard time wading through it. I found the pace slow (glacial) and the writing flat.  The characters were not fleshed out and given life.   Phee’s characters do not go with her profession (that are mentioned early in the book about her).  Normally, an accountant is organized and detail oriented (good at taking notes).  Phee’s character seemed contradictory.  The only character I cared about was Detective Nate Williams (shame he was not featured more prominently).  The mother was over-the-top and annoying (her dog, Streetman was obnoxious).  I found items to be repeated several times throughout the story.  Mentioned most frequently is that Phee is not a detective and how she cannot stand the heat (it was exasperating).  There are also a couple of outdated references in the book.  I did enjoy the Agatha Christie references throughout the story.  My rating for Booked 4 Murder is 2.5 out of 5 stars (I am being a little generous since this is a first book by these writers).  The mystery had several moving parts.  I would say more but that would spoil it for readers.  I believe the author was trying to make a complicated mystery that would bewilder readers.  The whodunit can be solved effortlessly (I kept hoping for a surprise twist).  The ending is expected and disappointing.  Personally, I would have preferred that Phee work mysteries with Nate in Mankato.  An accountant and a detective teaming up to solve crimes (a unique combo).  There is a preview of Ditched 4 Murder at the end of the book (the next book in A Sophie Kimball Mystery series).  I will not be continuing with the series as it is not the right type of cozy mystery series for me. 

Thank you for your visit.  I will be reviewing If the Haunting Fits, Wear It by Rose Pressey next time. May each of you have a delightful Fourth of July.  Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader