Wined and Died in New Orleans (A Vintage Cookbook) by Ellen Byron #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @BerkleyMystery @ellenbyronla

Wined and Died in New Orleans (A Vintage Cookbook)
by Ellen Byron

About Wined and Died in New Orleans

Wined and Died in New Orleans (A Vintage Cookbook)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Louisiana
Berkley (February 7, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593437632
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593437636
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TZPW81C

The second in a fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.

In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

We are back in New Orleans and at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum where Ricki James-Diaz has her Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, and it is hurricane season. Ricki gets nervous whenever the clouds get dark and rain moves in. These days she tries to keep busy with her shop hoping to be distracted by what is happening outside.

A fabulous distraction takes hold when several cases of old, valuable French wine are found on the premises.  Trying to use social media to attract more visitors to the museum Ricki reveals the discovery in a viral post. It does bring in more visitors but it also brings in long-lost relatives of the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet, all wanting to reap the rewards the wine will provide. It also attracts a murderer  . . . or was the murderer already there?

The police place the head of the Charbonnet family, Eugenia Charbonnet Felice at the top of the suspect list. She definitely is hiding something but Ricki knows she is no killer. Ricki pours herself into proving just that as storms rage and family secrets are revealed. Hold on tight, this could be a doozy.

The incredible quirky cast of characters from Bayou Book Thief is back with gusto. They continue to develop so well. They feel true to real life and at times they are delightfully funny. Ricki is a strong protagonist and a worthy amateur sleuth. In this story, she is given an intern who is fantastic. Olivia is Eugenia’s granddaughter and a sophomore at Tulane. She is totally addicted to her phone and social media but she teaches Ricki a thing or two. She is only supposed to be there for a semester but I hope we see a lot more of her. The other new characters are the Charbonnet “cousins” that seem to have fallen out of the woodwork wearing their greed on their sleeves.  They are cleverly created to invoke the mood and emotions the author intended which was no surprise. Ms. Byron excels at character development.

The author takes her readers right to New Orleans, the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, and more. From the weather to the grounds, to the street out front, and to each room we visit, her descriptive style is amazing. Vivid pictures formed in my mind. It was almost like watching a movie complete with sound. I have never been to New Orleans but after reading everything this author has written it is on the top of my bucket list of places I want to visit.

I know hurricanes make Ricki nervous but the author has plotted a great tornado twister of a story. The pace is fast and filled with twists and surprises that kept me guessing the entire way. She entwined the main plot with several subplots, and they all come together to what I only can deem as a perfect ending.

I loved every minute of Wined and Died in New Orleans. Surprises and excitement abound within these pages. I totally escaped right into this book.

I highly recommend both books in this series and for maximum enjoyment, they need to be read in order. I have given Wined and Died in New Orleans my highest rating, “A Trip to Paradise”, the first of the year, and a spot on my Best Reads of 2023.

I am really looking forward to the next book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series and my next virtual New Orleans vacation.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About Ellen Byron

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Bayou Book Thief will be the first book in her new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. She also writes the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico.

Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. An alum of New Orleans’ Tulane University, she blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster.

Author Links – Webpage – Facebook – Twitter – GoodReads – Instagram – BookBub – Newsletter

Purchase Links –

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – 
Also by Ellen Byron

Great Escapes Praise for Wined and Died in New Orleans (A Vintage Cookbook)
by Ellen Byron

I’m delighted to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours introducing WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS, the second book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series by Ellen Byron. Charming characters, a delightful vintage cookbook and kitchenware shop, the threat of a hurricane, and a murder that might be related to a long-lost treasure trove of rare wine, kept me glued to the pages.
~Cinnamon Sugar and a little bit of Murder

It’s got the best characters, a setting that’s to die for (literally in this case…), and a mystery that will keep you guessing. And it’s written by an author who makes her books come alive!
~CHRISTY’S COZY CORNERS

This is becoming one of my most anticipated cozy mystery series, and I already am looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend Wined and Died in New Orleans (along with the first book, Bayou Book Thief) to fans of cozy mysteries.
~View from the Birdhouse

Bottom Line: Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron is a fun way to spend a few hours, wrapped up in the stormy Louisiana setting and a house museum full of endearing characters.
~Reading is my Superpower

Everything is not as it seems; there are multiple surprise reveals that will keep you glued to the pages. I will not reveal any spoilers, but this is becoming a new favorite from this author. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment. We give this book 5 paws up!
~Storeybook Reviews

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron is the next installment in this Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, and I loved every minute of being in New Orleans during the fall season, Five stars to anyone that loves a great southern cozy culinary mystery set in New Orleans.
~Baroness’ Book Trove

TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. 
February 8 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW (RECIPE)
February 8 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
February 8 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
February 9 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 10 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
February 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
February 11 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
February 12 – I’m Into Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 12 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW
February 13 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
February 13 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 14 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
February 15 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
February 15 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
February 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 16 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 17 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 17 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
February 18 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
February 18 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW*
February 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 20 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW
February 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 21 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST  

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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.”