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Book
The Chardonnay Charade: A Wine Country Mystery written by Ellen Crosby
About the book
Facing a freak late-May frost that threatens to kill the grapes in her vineyard, Lucie Montgomery hires a helicopter to fly over the vines -- in total darkness -- stirring up the Arctic air on the ground so the fruit will not freeze. But her luck in salvaging the harvest runs out when she discovers the body of Georgia Greenwood, a controversial political candidate, lying near the fields. Georgia’s husband Ross – Lucie’s friend and doctor -– immediately falls under suspicion. To make matters worse, Ross, a renowned collector of Civil War documents, has just discovered a letter that seems to prove Confederate President Jefferson Davis had prior knowledge of the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. In the small town of Atoka, Virginia – proud home to Mosby’s Rangers, a legendary Confederate guerrilla company led by Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the “Gray Ghost” -– the news is a bombshell.
Three years ago Ross saved Lucie’s life after she was involved in a near-fatal car crash. Now she intends to return the favor and prove Ross’s innocence. As the search for Georgia’s killer escalates, Lucie crosses swords with her attractive but cantankerous winemaker, Quinn Santori, and confronts her own unwelcome feelings of jealousy over his new romance and job prospects. Her worries about her kid sister’s out-of-control drinking and a second vineyard-related death further ratchet up the tension. Even though Lucie believes in vino veritas – in wine there is truth – the path to uncovering a murderer involves making a heartbreaking decision that will alter the lives of those she loves.
- Paperback
- 330 pages
- Published July 2008
Reviews
"A fine balance between a plot as curvy as a back road and an educational trip into winemaking . . . Crosby bottles a fine yarn." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Crosby's twisting plot is engaging, but even more so are her characters . . .a wine lover who delighted in history class and kicks back with mysteries couldn't ask for much more." -- Washingtonian.com
Other books by Ellen Crosby
About the author
Ellen Crosby is a former freelance reporter for The Washington Post and was the Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News. She lives in Virginia with her family.
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