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Product Details
Pocket Books, July 2007
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1416536043
ISBN-13: 9781416536048
Description
"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.
Leland Montgomery's death was deemed accidental, but when his daughter Lucie returns home from France, she finds the once-thriving family vineyard run down, collapsing under huge debt. Lucie's godfather warns her that Leland's demise may have been the result of an attempt to force the sale of the vineyard. Her extravagant brother and rebellious sister are determined to sell the estate, and there's something suspicious about the vintner her father hired right before he died. When another oenophile turns up dead, asphyxiated in a tank of Merlot, Lucie -- the lone holdout preventing the vineyard's sale -- realizes she's next in line for an "accident." Can she trust in the proverb in vino veritas -- in wine there is truth -- as she attempts to survive a very bad year for Merlot?
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"Like a fine wine, full-bodied, complex and satisfying." -- Sun-Sentinel (South Florida)
-- Sun-Sentinel (South Florida)
"A neat whodunit." -- The New York Times
-- The New York Times
"A terrific kickoff to what promises to be a highly satisfying new series." -- Publishers Weekly
-- Publishers Weekly
"A great Merlot like a Château Pétrus is a feast for your senses. A great mystery is a feast for your mind. Ellen Crosby skillfully combines both feasts in The Merlot Murders. It's a story well told and shows an impressive knowledge of the wine world."
-- George Taber, author of Judgment of Paris
"In this suspenseful, mesmerizing novel, Ellen Crosby reveals both the fascinating world of a small Virginia vineyard and the complex and troubled lives of the family who owns it. Highly recommended!"
-- Donna Andrews, author of Owls Well That Ends Well
"Like a favorite bottle of wine, The Merlot Murders has an elegant structure and complexity -- and a wonderful finish that will leave you wanting more."
-- Daniel Stashower, author of Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle
"A perfect choice for readers who love mystery with a touch of history."
-- Nancy Pickard, author of The Virgin of Small Plains
"An intricately plotted novel about tangled relationships and intrigue in Virginia's wine country. The beautifully written descriptions of the area make it come alive to those of us who have never visited there, and its appealing heroine is someone with whom you'd like to share a bottle of wine."
-- Marcia Muller, author of Vanishing Point
Ellen Crosby's Books
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The Sauvignon SecretLucie Montgomery investigates a secret society and mysterious deaths in Napa, California, and renews her relationship with winemaker Quinn Santori.Read More
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The Vintage VendettaIn this fifth book in the Wine Country Mystery series, Lucie Montgomery journeys to Washington D.C., as she searches for a missing friend.Read More
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The Viognier VendettaIn this fifth book in the Wine Country Mystery series, Lucie Montgomery journeys to Washington D.C., as she searches for a missing friend.Read More
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The Riesling RetributionEllen Crosby's fourth Wine Country mystery involves a mysterious skeleton, Civil War reenactors, and vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery's family secrets.Read More -
The Bordeaux BetrayalThe third Wine Country Mystery, in which a vineyard owner investigates murders tied to a 1787 bottle of Bordeaux purchased by Thomas Jefferson.Read More
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The Chardonnay CharadeMixing fine wine and murder produces "another hit" (Kirkus Reviews) in Ellen Crosby's second mystery as Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery...Read More
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