Publishers Weekly
02/28/2022
Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist Crosby’s winning 12th Wine Country mystery (after 2021’s The French Paradox) finds Virginia vintner Lucie Montgomery and fellow winemaker Quinn Santori preparing for their wedding. Days that should be filled with joy and frizzy nerves, however, are overshadowed by dying vines in a field of new Cabernet Franc grapes. Lucie and Quinn bring in Josie Wilde, “the premier vineyard consultant on the East Coast,” to determine why they’re failing to thrive. Josie blames the grafted vines themselves, bought from local supplier Landau Trees & Vines. Landau’s partners, who include Eve Kerr, a former Californian like Quinn, deny culpability, blaming the growers and climate change. As the blame game heats up, Quinn comes to believe Eve isn’t involved and plans to meet her secretly. When Eve turns up dead, Quinn becomes a suspect, and Lucie once again turns sleuth. Astute readers may figure out whodunit before the end, but the fully developed characters and the vividly depicted vineyards and Virginia countryside make this one hard to put down. Crosby scores another compulsively readable vino-themed mystery. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary. (Apr.)
Booklist
A treat for oenophile mystery fans
Booklist on The Angels' Share
Entwined with fascinating facts about wine and winemaking, this satisfying addition to the series will please oenophiles
Booklist
A treat for oenophile mystery fans
From the Publisher
'Crosby scores another compulsively readable vino-themed mystery' – Publishers Weekly
'A treat for oenophile mystery fans' – Booklist
'Crosby’s reliable character-driven series once more offers a good mystery and relevant social commentary' – Kirkus Reviews
'Intriguing ... Well-researched historical details bolster the complex plot’ – Publishers Weekly on The French Paradox
Library Journal
11/01/2021
Ailing grapevines and a thunderous storm threaten to upend not just Lucy Montgomery's vineyard but her impending marriage to winemaker Quinn Santori, but the real problem in the dead body among the vines. What's worse, the victim had secretly planned to meet with Quinn, which leaves Lucy understandably unsettled about her husband-to-be. Next in the Mary Higgins Clark Award-nominated "Wine Country" series.
Kirkus Reviews
2022-01-12
A much-anticipated wedding is threatened by weather and murder.
The marriage of Lucie Montgomery, owner of the Montgomery Estate vineyard in Virginia, to winemaker Quinn Santori has been planned to the last detail by Francesca Merchant, who runs the retail side of the business. Their attention is diverted from the nuptials by a plot of Cabernet Franc grapes that are dying of unknown causes. Lucie and several other vineyard owners are furious with Jackson Landau, Eve Kerr, and Dr. Richard Brightman, who developed, heavily promoted, and sold the failing vines but deny any responsibility. Lucie calls in her own expert, Josie Wilde, who’s sure the vines are suffering from black goo. Only a few very wealthy owners, like Lucie's new neighbor, former NBA star Sloane Everett, can shrug off the threat of bankruptcy. The beautiful Eve tries to charm the distraught owners, but Landau digs in, blaming the problem on climate change. Seeking peace, Quinn tries to meet with Eve, a fellow Californian, arousing Lucie’s suspicions and launching him onto the suspect list when Lucie and her bestie, Kit, find Eve dead in a creek. The list, which includes plenty of people who were angry with Eve, is extended even further by the news of her pregnancy. Meanwhile, a vicious storm hits the area, ruining the wedding and leaving the place with no power. But the ill wind does blow some good, uncovering a crucial clue.
Crosby’s reliable character-driven series once more offers a good mystery and relevant social commentary.
