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The Chardonnay Charade Introduction of the ebook: The Chardonnay Charade
Đánh giá : 3.61 /5 (sao)
In Ellen Crosby’s second mystery as Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery discovers that uncovering a killer can bring a harvest of dilemma and danger.
Lucie Montgomery thinks she has troubles enough with a freak spring frost that is threatening to kill her tender young Chardonnay grapes, but when the body of Georgia Greenwood, a controversial political candidate, is f In Ellen Crosby’s second mystery as Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery discovers that uncovering a killer can bring a harvest of dilemma and danger.
Lucie Montgomery thinks she has troubles enough with a freak spring frost that is threatening to kill her tender young Chardonnay grapes, but when the body of Georgia Greenwood, a controversial political candidate, is found lying in her vineyard, the situation becomes complex indeed. Suspicion immediately falls on Georgia’s husband, Ross Greenwood, who is not just Lucie’s doctor but also a close friend. Determined to prove Ross’s innocence, Lucie crosses swords with her attractive but cantankerous winemaker, Quinn Santori. Then a second vineyard-related death drives the tension even higher. Lucie still believes that in vino veritas — in wine there is truth — but she’s starting to wonder if her own risk level is moving into the danger zone along with this year’s Chardonnay. …more
Review ebook The Chardonnay Charade
3 out of 5 stars to Ellen Crosby’s The Chardonnay Charade, her second book in the “Wine Country Mysteries” series. I enjoy wine and I enjoy this series, but I found myself putting the book down a few times without any sense of urgency to get back to it. In the end, I am glad I read it and I will continue a few more in the series, but there were a few times I wasn’t very engaged due to the way the story has been told.
Story
Lucie Montgomery is still healing from the death of her father and a f 3 out of 5 stars to Ellen Crosby’s The Chardonnay Charade, her second book in the “Wine Country Mysteries” series. I enjoy wine and I enjoy this series, but I found myself putting the book down a few times without any sense of urgency to get back to it. In the end, I am glad I read it and I will continue a few more in the series, but there were a few times I wasn’t very engaged due to the way the story has been told.
Story
Lucie Montgomery is still healing from the death of her father and a few other family friends in the last book when the wife of her doctor is found dead in Lucie’s vineyard, possibly due to her staff’s negligent activities. Lucie soon learns the victim was bashed on the head prior to having some of the chemicals on her property attack the victim’s body, but the suspects all point to friends of hers which makes it even harder to accept. Lucie supports her doctor who is accused of the murders and helps him prove his alibi, but when another death adds the intrigue of political scandal, Lucie’s confused. Her vineyard becomes a spot for lovers’ trysts upping the game of who is actually having an affair on his/her spouse. Add in a charming British transplant, some sisterly bonding time with Mia and the potential for Quinn, her new winemaker, to abandon her (or kiss her!), and you’ve got tons of stories beginning to burgeon. In the end, the killer is caught but it’s not something Lucie is happy to hear given all that she’s been through lately.
Strengths
If you love wine, you will feel right at home. The author adds in many different background stories about the grapes, processes and EPA oversight regulations. It helps you feel connected with a bit of the past when Thomas Jefferson built wineries from European grapes, something important to these Virginia vintners.
Lucy is a great character who you sometimes dislike and sometimes root for. I like the balanced approach because she seems very real. She is well-written with flaws and strengths, but each time, I find myself wanting to keep learning more.
Suggestions
I really don’t like Lucie’s family, but I’m hoping her relationship with them will change in the next book given what happened to Mia at the end of this one (no spoilers here!). It feels like Lucie is too alone and I want her to have someone on her side for a change.
The plot was a bit predictable. I had 3 potential outcomes (and there were quite a number of suspects) and this was at the top of my list. I didn’t want it to come true, but it did… I think it bothers me because I took it as another blow to Lucie that the killer is someone she knows (not really a spoiler as she knows almost all of the suspects). I was hoping it would go differently.
Final Thoughts
I waffled between a 3 and a 4 on this review, having a few good highlights but also a few “blah” parts… in the end, I think it gets pushed down to a 3 because it took me a week to read and I’m usually done in 3 days with a book of this size. It rolls along without any major cliffhangers or major dramatic moments which can be good but sometimes you need a few surprise nudges. If you’ve read the first one and are on the fence about the second one… if you need suspense and action, this isn’t for you; however, if you enjoy the relaxing story-telling type approach, then you should keep reading this series.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I’ve visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. …more
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