Cosy Wine

Booklover Sadie Coleman knows that in life, as in fiction, the right setting can make a world of difference. The small town of Shady Creek, Vermont, seems like the perfect place to start over after losing her Boston job to a merger and her relationship to her ex's gambling addiction. She's bought and redecorated the old grist mill pub, transforming the Inkwell into a cozy spot where tourists and regulars alike can enjoy a pint or a literary-themed cocktail, or join one of several book clubs.

In just over a week vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori will be married in a ceremony overlooking what should be acres of lush, flowering grapevines. Instead they are confronted by an ugly swathe of slowly dying vines and a nursery owner who denies responsibility for selling the diseased plants. With neighboring vineyards facing the same problem, accusations fly and the ugly stand-off between supplier and growers looks set to escalate into open warfare.

When Jamison Vaughn - billionaire real estate mogul, Virginia vineyard owner, and unsuccessful US 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.

In 1949, during her junior year abroad in Paris, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought several inexpensive paintings of Marie-Antoinette by a little-known 18th-century female artist. She also had a romantic relationship with Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery’s French grandfather - until recently, a well-kept secret. Seventy years later, Cricket Delacroix, Lucie’s neighbor and Jackie’s schoolfriend, is donating the now priceless paintings to a Washington, DC, museum.

Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori have decided to make champagne, a first for the Montgomery Estate Vineyard in Atoka, Virginia. But then Gino Tomassi, Quinn's uncle, turns up on their doorstep, demanding help in solving the mystery of what happened to Zara Tomassi, the first wife of his grandfather, who died in a San Francisco hotel in 1923 under suspicious circumstances. It seems there's no coincidence that her death came the day after President Warren Harding passed away in that same hotel.

It's harvest season at Montgomery Estate Vineyard - the busiest time of year for winemakers in Atoka, Virginia. A skull is unearthed near Lucie Montgomery's family cemetery, and the discovery of the bones coincides with the arrival of handsome, wealthy aristocrat Jean-Claude de Merignac. He's come to be the head winemaker at neighboring La Vigne Cellars, but he's no stranger to Lucie - he was her first crush 20 years ago when she spent a summer in France. Not long after his arrival, Jean-Claude is found dead.

Lucie Montgomery attends a Thanksgiving weekend party for friends and neighbors at Hawthorne Castle, an honest-to-goodness castle owned by the Avery family, the last great newspaper dynasty in America and owner of the Washington Tribune. During the party, Prescott Avery, the 95-year-old family patriarch offers to pay Lucie any price for a cache of 200-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé discover Prescott’s body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer?

With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible. It's frustrating when Darla, the owner of South Cove Winery, is late to a big meeting, but they manage to get the discussion rolling about the kite flying event and the big Battle of the Bands—which Darla's musician boyfriend is hoping will be his big break. And Jill will be there with her food truck, hoping for a financial boost after a slow spring. But amid the fun in the California sun, someone will soon be planning a funeral instead of a festival.

Trixie Pristine is ready to make all of her dreams come true. Teaming up with her closest friends, Cora Taylor and Sally Greeves, the three women open the quaint bookstore Read Wine. But suddenly, this new endeavor isn't all that Trixie hoped it would be. As strange things begin to happen, the women realize someone is out to sabotage their new business venture. Refusing to put down the coffee or relinquish the wine, the three friends meddle in police affairs to get to the bottom of the mysterious events.

There’s a rockin’ concert of 1960s impersonators coming to Tucson Valley to perform in the snowbird send-off concert at the Tucson Valley Retirement Community Performing Arts Center. And as the one in charge, Rosi Larue is thriving in the chaos. Diva attitudes, outrageous requests, and late flights don’t sideline what is meant to be the greatest concert this community has ever seen. That is, until a dead body shows up below the stage next to the front row of seats.

When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine-and-Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch. Grumpy guest Vince Baker should be in a better mood - he's filthy rich and on his honeymoon with his much younger wife, Sunny, who seems to dote on him almost as much as her high-spirited teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker. But the honeymoon is over when Vince drops dead the next day touring the Laughing Gull Winery.

Nikki Sands was like every other aspiring actress - waiting tables between jobs. But Nikki had taken serving wines to heart. She knew enough to impress Napa Valley’s golden boy, Derek Malveaux, who offered her a job at his vineyard. And though Nikki may have left her dreams of stardom behind, the world of wine is ripe with intrigue - and the seeds of sleuthing are planted...Nikki has just set foot on Napa Valley’s rich soil when she realizes her new job may not be as safe as she thought.

Trixie is thrilled to carry her friend’s wine at the Read Wine bookstore. After all, local businesses should support each other. But when she takes a field trip to Bramble Patch Winery, she uncovers the body of Deanna's husband in a very unlikely place. Trixie's wants to help her friend but, as she digs deeper into the inner workings of the winery, she finds that things aren’t always as they seem. Could her friend be guilty of murder, or is someone else determined to see the winery fail?

The Riley’s own Wando Winery and has always been known to be sleek and classy while their counterparts, the Connelly’s, are much more old school. But you’re never too old or too sleek to step on whoever gets in your way. Enjoy as you become part of the family and learn that money will make you much less than perfect. It may even make you a criminal. And what happens when you dig a little too deep? Oh you’ll find out. Because no one is safe when they don’t mind their own business.

A murder, and a toxic substance in a vineyard, would spell doom for the manager of any winery. And when that manager is a woman, a rarity in the wine industry, people are quick to place the blame on her shoulders. Even though Sheridan's husband, Brett, and his partner are already on the case, the amateur sleuth, is quick to jump in. In her search for clues, Sheridan and her friends explore the offerings at several nearby vineyards, where they discover more than great wine.

A desperate call from a Sonoma County sheriff Kelly and Mike have helped before leads them to a winery guest house in Sonoma and then on to the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado, searching for that connection. Good thing they took their boxer dog, Rebel, with them. He’s a master at preventing murders. 

Beneath the veneer of genteel civility, the world of fine wine has been tainted - at times by fraud and scandals, most of which through the ensuing years have been conveniently forgotten. But, the vinous subterfuge I encountered dwarfed all the previous crimes, and threatened to completely implode the fine wine business.

Moving to Romero is the best thing that has ever happened to attorney Macie Mitchell. She’s even made some amazing new friends: Trixie, Cora, and Sally from the Read Wine Bookstore. But when her boyfriend is arrested for embezzlement, Macie faces the biggest case of her legal career, and she’s going to need her new friends more than ever. Especially when she realizes her boyfriend is not who she thought he was.

After her husband’s violent death, Lemon Sage Benton pursues her dream of rural Kentucky horse country. When a murder victim is discovered, Sage and sexy Sheriff Wyatt Gordon clash at every turn, but their growing attraction is undeniable. Wyatt’s jealous teenage daughter, Hailey, wants Sage out of the picture. Wyatt's political aspirations conflict with the life Sage wants, and she won't try to change him like his ex-wife did. Can Sage give up her dream for Wyatt? Who survives when the killer targets Sage and Hailey?

From USA Today best-selling author Mary Jo Burke comes the next deliciously deadly episode in the best-selling Aloha Lagoon Mystery series. After Simone Ryan is stood up at the alter by her fiancé, Elliott, she decides to enjoy her would-be honeymoon in paradise alone. She checks into the Aloha Lagoon Resort's bridal suite and promptly begins to drown her sorrows in champagne. But when Simone steps out onto the balcony to take in the glorious Hawaiian scenery, she gets an even better view. Hot local baker, Liam Bentley, is out for a stroll on the beach.