Murder In The Wine Country

Curl up with a glass of merlot and travel to California wine country, where a sweet, unsuspecting town becomes the site of mischief and murder… This is a cozy mystery that will check all your boxes: a charming bed and breakfast, a clever heroine and a lovable cattle dog named Rex…you are sure to fall for this series! Weeding out killers wasn’t part of the job description . . . Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is excited to participate in an event to raise awareness for the plight of struggling veterans in their Northern California coastal community. Local wineries are sponsoring tastings, and to prepare for a culinary competition, professional chefs will forage for wild edible greens. Kelly plans to come along, despite a warning to beware of poachers, who have been stealing the highly valued succulent Dudleya farinosa. The senior sleuths who call themselves the Silver Sentinels join forces with environmental activists known as the Succulent Saviors to thwart the poaching operation. When a consultant for the sale of a local winery is murdered, the poachers are suspected—but so is a wine merchant, Kelly's friend Phil. As Kelly and the Silver Sentinels attempt to root out the real killer, what she digs up might just put her permanently underground . . .

Chronicles the brutal killings of two young women, roommates Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna, who were stabbed by an intruder, and the investigation that led to a surprising culprit.

Lucie Montgomery is the only member of her family opposed to the sale of the family's vineyard, and therefore the next possible victim of a greedy murderer.

The death of a former presidential candidate in a fiery car crash at her Virginia vineyard has ties to a thirty year-old murder, as well as to Lucie Montgomery’s own near fatal accident ten years ago, as she searches for a killer who now may be stalking her. When Jamison Vaughn—billionaire real estate mogul, Virginia vineyard owner, and unsuccessful U.S. presidential candidate—drives his gold SUV into a stone pillar at the entrance to Montgomery Estate Vineyard, Lucie Montgomery is certain the crash was deliberate. But everyone else in Atoka, Virginia is equally sure that Jamie must have lost control of his car on a rain-slicked country road. In spite of being saddled with massive campaign debts from the recent election, Jamie is seemingly the man with the perfect life. What possible reason could he have for committing suicide . . . or was it murder? Before long Lucie uncovers a connection between Jamie and some of his old friends—an elite group of academics—and the brutal murder thirty years ago of a brilliant PhD student. Although a handyman is on death row for the crime, Lucie soon suspects someone else is guilty. But the investigation into the two deaths throws Lucie a curve ball when someone from her own past becomes involved, forcing her to confront old demons. Now the race to solve the mystery behind the two deaths becomes intensely personal as Lucie realizes someone wants her silenced . . . for good. The Vineyard Victims is a nominee for the 2018 Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Winery tour guide Taylor O’Brian must weed out a killer in this intoxicating series debut perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Ellen Crosby. Prospects are looking rosy for Taylor O’Brian, founder of “Off the Beaten Path” Wine Country Tours, who lives on a small winery with her Aunt Jemma and leads tours around romantic Sonoma County. At first blush, things are running smoothly, until a tour member is found dead—with Taylor’s corkscrew buried in her neck. Taylor has no nose for detective work, but as she begins to follow a trail of bottled-up secrets, events take a sour new turn. Only two weeks after the murder, her assistant Amy marries Dan, the dead woman’s husband, whose short-lived bereavement seems like a sham. And just as her investigation begins to take shape, Dan’s sister turns up dead. Could Taylor be next on the list? Now it’s up to Taylor to uncork this open-bottle mystery before more blood is spilled. A dry, witty, complex bouquet of a whodunit, A Case of Syrah, Syrah, the charming first in Nancy J. Parra’s Sonoma Wine Country mysteries, will delight cozy and wine lovers alike.

"Finely ladled suspense," says the Sun-Sentinel about the complex flavor of Ellen Crosby's debut mystery set in the wealthy Blue Ridge wine country of northern Virginia, where vineyard heiress Lucie Montgomery must find a killer or lose her cherished family heritage. A phone call at two thirty in the morning is never good news. Lucie Montgomery's semiestranged brother, Eli, calls her in France to tell her their father, Leland, has been killed in a hunting accident on the family's five-hundred-acre Virginia vineyard just as the fall harvest is about to begin. By the time he calls, Eli has already made funeral arrangements with what Lucie argues is indecent haste. It is an emotional trip home -- the first since an automobile accident two years ago, which left Lucie disabled and dependent on a cane. Her family's once elegant home and winery are now shabby and run-down, thanks to her father's penchant for fringy business deals. Eli, also cash-strapped and desperate to support his new wife's extravagant lifestyle, has already convinced their rebellious younger sister, Mia, to sell the debt-ridden estate and reap the profits from the valuable land it sits on, overruling Lucie's protests. On the eve of the funeral Lucie's godfather, Fitz, a partner in the family business, tells her Leland's death was no accident. Whoever killed him was motivated by the potential sale of the vineyard. It is the last conversation she will have with Fitz. Now the lone holdout preventing the vineyard sale, Lucie realizes she's next in line for another "accident." With her greedy brother, hell-raising sister, and a seemingly cut-rate vintner hired by Leland just before he died, all the suspects are disturbingly close to home. Unsure whom she can trust, Lucie must uncover the truth about the deaths of her father and godfather -- and oversee a successful harvest to save the vineyard she loves.

From #1 Amazon & New York Times bestselling author Gemma Halliday comes murder, mirth, and mouth-watering delicacies in the next novel in the USA Today bestselling Wine & Dine Mysteries! While Emmy Oak started her culinary career as a personal chef to the stars, she's perfectly content to now be back home at her family's Oak Valley Vineyards, running the small but plucky winery. However, when one of her past clients—soap opera star Carrie Cross—purchases a vacation home in Wine Country, Emmy is happy to cater her housewarming party. Only, what starts as a Hollywood- worthy affair ends in tragedy, as one of Carrie's costar guests is killed, and everyone is a suspect. Detective Christopher Grant immediately sets his sights on Carrie's husband, and this time Emmy isn't so sure the tall, dark, and too-handsome-for-her-own-good detective is wrong. She has her own suspicions about the former child actor and his wife's costar. But when a blackmail scheme, a wealthy estranged family, and a shifty cowboy from the wrong side of the tracks enter the scene, Emmy realizes Carrie's husband isn't the only person with reason to want the victim dead. As the danger mounts, the suspects multiply, and things heat up between Emmy and Grant, the killer homes in on a new target...and this is one party Emmy may not be leaving alive! **Simple and delicious recipes and affordable wine pairings included!** "Ms. Halliday is the undisputed queen of the genre." ~ Fresh Fiction "I rank 'A Sip Before Dying' as one of my favorite fun reads. I say to Gemma Halliday, well done!" ~ The Book Breeze "The Wine & Dine Mystery series is a definite to read and keep an eye out for more to follow." ~ Cozy Mystery Book Review Wine & Dine Mysteries: A Sip Before Dying – book #1 Chocolate Covered Death – book #2 Victim in the Vineyard – book #3 Marriage, Merlot & Murder – book #4 Death in Wine Country – book #5 Fashion, Rosé & Foul Play – book #6 Rating: This story does not contain any graphic violence, language, or sexual encounters. Its rating would be similar to PG-13 or what you would find on a Hallmark Channel movie or TV series.

The second in Nancy J. Parra’s Sonoma Wine Country mysteries is sure to make fans of Ellen Crosby heady with delight. Which suspect drowned an inspector in the Zinfandel? Sonoma tour guide Taylor O’Brian uncorks another intoxicating Sonoma Wine Country mystery. Taylor O’Brian, founder of “Off the Beaten Path”, takes small groups on wine country tours of romantic Sonoma County. Friends are everything in the tour business, so Taylor is happy to guide investors to the winery owned by her friend Tim Slade. But vintage turns to vinegar when an FDA inspector is found floating face down in one of Tim’s vats of squished grapes. Tim is arrested on suspicion of murder, and Taylor and her friends rally to prove his innocence. But it’s not an easy task, especially since the winery proprietor’s acidic sense of humor tends to reap a harvest of sour grapes. Taylor’s investigation is withering on the vine until she discovers that Tim’s girlfriend, Mandy, is having an affair with a self-help guru. But before she has a chance to confront Mandy, Taylor finds Tim standing over the body of the dead guru. This tart turn of events sends a bottle shock through Sonoma. Might Taylor’s friend really be a Zin-ful killer? If so, could Taylor be the next victim? The tour guide and her friends come to realize that the true murderer’s scent is obscured by an unsavory bouquet of red herrings. A complex mystery designed to delight the palate of wine and cozy mystery enthusiasts alike, Seven Deadly Zins is the second quirky installment in Nancy J. Parra’s Sonoma Wine Country mysteries.