Sauvigone for Good (The Wine Trail Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Lyrical Press (December 10, 2019)
Print Length: 221 pages
ASIN: B07PG9Y55M
Can Norrie stop a murderer’s reign of terroir?
The descent of winter on the Finger Lakes means it’s time for the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. Unfortunately, for screenwriter-turned-reluctant vintner, Norrie Ellington, her Two Witches Winery is co-hosting the festivities. Norrie’s duties include wrangling the three international chocolatiers featured at the event—bitter rivals and industry influencers who can make or break Two Witches.
But the heated competition among the celebrity confectioners soon spills out of the professional arena, and before the Extravaganza is over, one of the cocoa pros is dead, last seen sipping a Two Witches’ Cabernet Sauvignon. With spirits souring at the Extravaganza and her winery on the line, Norrie must hustle to find the uncorked killer before Two Witches’ reputation is crushed once and for all.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Winter weather has hit the Finger Lakes and so has the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. Norrie Ellington is on the planning committee and the Two Witches Winery is hosting one of the chocolatiers for some chocolate demos and wine pairings before the big competition which will bring in tons of people. She is also dealing with a moved-up deadline for her latest screenplay. So to say the woman has her hands full is an understatement. The last thing she needs is another murder. But that is just what she gets and it is pivotal she puts on her sleuthing hat because the deceased was last seen with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from her winery!
J.C. Eaton has bottled a wonderful mystery within these pages. Norrie teams up again with Theo and Don to try to make sense of what is happening at the participating wineries and the international chocolatiers. The event starts with dinner at Geneva on the Lake and all the wineries have provided wines for the event. The meet and greet went well but no one was truly surprised when the chocolatier ends up dead. There are plenty of rumors flying and secrets being held. Norrie has plenty of theories, some pretty far-fetched. Don and Theo do their best to try to reel her in but with threats found carved into the chocolate blocks and other crazy happenings everyone is interested in catching the killer as quickly as possible. While Norrie’s adventures aren’t always rooted in reality, she is so much fun to follow. The ending was unexpected and I loved it!!
All the characters continue to evolve. Norrie has made herself at home and she is getting a little more involved in the winery. Her sister and brother-in-law have hired a crew of knowledgeable people so she is able to keep up with her screenwriting commitments. The employees are an eclectic group but they know their jobs and have no problem with Norrie’s hit and run management style. There is the start of a romantic triangle that I hope resolves soon although I don’t know for sure which man I want Norrie to pick 😉
I love the setting of this series. The author has described Two Witches Winery so well, it is easy to picture everything from the wine tasting room, the goat outside, the family home, the dog mostly inside, and the roads to all the wineries in the area. I could also imagine the cold and snow. The chocolate demos had me drooling, I almost broke out the Christmas candy (meant for others) here.
Sauvigone for Good
Read my review of A Riesling to Die
Read my review of Chardonnayed to Rest
Read my review of Pinot Red or Dead?
About the Authors
Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington) set for release in June 2017. In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit the websites at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com
James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. His first novel, Booked 4 Murder
Visit their website at www.jceatonauthor.com and Like and follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
Just Released
Also by J.C. Eaton
Coming February 25, 2020
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
