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Victim in the Vineyard
Jessica Fletcher is visiting the Napa Valley wine country while doing research for her next book, and invites her old friend, Scotland Yard detective George Sutherland to join her at a cozy Bed and Breakfast. No sooner do they arrive than they find the valley abuzz over the murder of a waiter at the restaurant owned by infamous ex-Hollywood heavyweight Bill Ladington. Ladington’s blatant womanizing and involvement in a bitter vineyard land dispute have already marked him as a dubious character—and a possible suspect.
But when Ladington turns up dead himself from a supposed “suicide,” Jessica knows that a murderer is on the loose—and with a little help from George, she must try and bottle up a motive for murder from an extensive list of less-than-vintage suspects…
In the hot seat
The temperature of the mud bath continued to rise, and I realized it was reaching a dangerous point. My flesh was on fire, and my head pounded.
“Could you make the mud cooler?” I asked.
“That’s not possible,” she said. Her bitter, angry expression said she had no intention of doing that, and it occurred to me that she was the one who had turned up the temperature.
“I have to get out now,” I said, attempting to sit up, but the mud blanket was too heavy. Mary Jane placed her hands—strong hands—through the mud on my shoulders, holding me down. “Let me up!” I snapped. “I’ve had enough.”
“What do you know about Louis’ death?” she hissed, continuing the pressure on my shoulders.”
“Nothing, just that he was murdered.” I now yelled, “Let me out, damn it!”
If she pushed down any more, I would drown in the boiling mud, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it…
TheyCallMeMolly
Posted September 15, 2012
I love Murder She Wrote (the TV series and books). And, I'll admit it, I love the recurring character of George Sutherland, so I was glad to see another appearance of him in this book.
Jessica is her usual curious self and naturally stumbles upon a murder while on vacation in wine country. The book is an easy, light read, and while I enjoyed it, most of the characters flat out annoyed me. There were some very amusing parts (George and Jessica discussing the family they were staying with comes to mind), and even Jessica swearing (she says hell, so nothing too bad).
If you like the other books, and the TV show, you'll most likely enjoy this. If you're a fan of "polite" mysteries, this definitely fits the bill.
Anonymous
Posted July 18, 2012
Murder She Wrote was a wonderful series and once it ended withdrawls began. That's what started my path with thebooks. There was never a concern with encountering offensive language until this piece. I am very disappointed and hope Angela Landsbury was on vacation forthe final draft of this book. Lu L
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Posted July 6, 2010
This was a fun read. I loved the descriptions of the countryside and wine making. Most of all I really enjoyed being able to settle in for a great read and escape into a well written novel without having to worry that the next page would be blood and gore and other uncomfortable occurances that can muddy a good story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 2, 2002
This book is great! Just like all the Murder, she wrote books. Good book!
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Posted June 25, 2001
I have read all the other books in the series and could not wait to get my hands on this book! Once again it took me no more than a day to finish!! While not my fave out of the series, It was still definatley agood book!!
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Posted August 12, 2011
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Anonymous
Posted September 18, 2009
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Anonymous
Posted January 18, 2010
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Anonymous
Posted January 12, 2012
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Overview
Victim in the Vineyard
Jessica Fletcher is visiting the Napa Valley wine country while doing research for her next book, and invites her old friend, Scotland Yard detective George Sutherland to join her at a cozy Bed and Breakfast. No sooner do they arrive than they find the valley abuzz over the murder of a waiter at the restaurant owned by infamous ex-Hollywood heavyweight Bill Ladington. Ladington’s blatant womanizing and involvement in a ...