Bitter Roots

by Ellen Crosby

Overview

The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding.

In just over a week vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori will be married in a ceremony overlooking what should be acres of lush flowering grapevines. Instead they are confronted by an ugly swathe of slowly dying vines and a nursery owner who denies responsibility for selling the diseased plants. With neighboring vineyards facing the same problem, accusations fly and the ugly stand-off between supplier and growers looks set to escalate into open warfare.

When Eve Kerr, a stunning blonde who works at the nursery, is found dead a few days later, everyone wonders if someone in the winemaking community went too far. What especially troubles Lucie is why Eve secretly arranged to meet Quinn on the day she was murdered - and whether Lucie's soon-to-be husband knows something he's not telling her.

Then a catastrophic storm blows through, destroying everything in its path. With no power, no phones, and no wedding venue, Lucie needs to find out who killed Eve and what her death had to do with Quinn.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780727891020
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Series:	A Wine Country mystery , #12
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	268,548
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ellen Crosby is a former reporter for the Washington Post and foreign correspondent for ABC News Radio. She has spent many years overseas in Europe, but now lives in Virginia with her husband. She is the author of eleven previous Wine Country mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

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.)

Publishers Weekly

A treat for oenophile mystery fans

Booklist

'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

From the Publisher

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.

Library Journal

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.

Kirkus Reviews

A treat for oenophile mystery fans

Booklist

Entwined with fascinating facts about wine and winemaking, this satisfying addition to the series will please oenophiles

Booklist on The Angels' Share