The Vintage Vendetta

Ellen Crosby's "beguiling" ("Kirkus Reviews") fifth mystery takes readers into Washington's corridors of power, where Lucie Montgomery uncovers a political and financial scandal while trying to locate her missing friend. WHEN LUCIE MONTGOMERY VISITS Washington, D.C., during cherry blossom season she doesn't expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812. The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca's neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder--or an elaborate scheme to disappear? A clandestine meeting in the U.S. Capitol, a startling revelation on a windy hill, and cryptic messages from Rebecca cloaked in eighteenth-century poetry are all part of the suspenseful tale of whether Rebecca is alive or dead--and the truth about Asher Investments. Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, "The Vintage Vendetta "combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby's trademark.

After discovering the body of a prominent wine merchant near her Virginia vineyard, Lucie Montgomery helps a family friend by traveling to California, where she teams up with Quinn Santori in a deadly game involving a vengeful killer.

Ellen Crosby’s "beguiling" (Kirkus Reviews) fifth mystery takes readers into Washington’s corridors of power, where Lucie Montgomery uncovers a political and financial scandal while trying to locate her missing friend. WHEN LUCIE MONTGOMERY VISITS Washington, D.C., during cherry blossom season she doesn’t expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812. The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca’s neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder—or an elaborate scheme to disappear? A clandestine meeting in the U.S. Capitol, a startling revelation on a windy hill, and cryptic messages from Rebecca cloaked in eighteenth-century poetry are all part of the suspenseful tale of whether Rebecca is alive or dead—and the truth about Asher Investments. Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, The Viognier Vendetta combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby’s trademark.

The collected short stories of the great Victor Canning, originally written and published in the 1950s and 1960s – full of humour, charm, and in true fashion of classic crime writing. Canning’s heart-warming vignettes and clever mysteries take us from a Welsh valley to a far-off island and across the French countryside – introducing unforgettable characters and stories along the way. Praise for Victor Canning: ‘His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.’ Punch ‘Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.’ Evening Standard ‘There is such a gentle humour in the book.’ Daily Sketch ‘What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.’ The Times ‘A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.’ New York Times

Eighteen short stories by Victor Canning. The themes range through love and jealousy, ambition and rivalry, and show an unexpectedly gentle side to a man much better known for writing thrillers and crime stories.

This updated and revised edition is the authoritative guide to foreign words and phrases used in contemporary British and American English. Drawn from over 40 languages, the 6,000 entries detail the history of each word or phrase and provide selected quotations to clearly illustrate their use in the English language.