Wine Country Mysteries

Lucie Montgomery's semi-estranged brother, Eli, calls her in France to tell her their father, Leland, has been killed in a hunting accident on the family's five hundred acre Virginia vineyard. But the vineyard is now shabby and run-down and her siblings want to sell it. Then Lucie's godfather tells her Leland's death was no accident. With her greedy brother, hell-raising sister, and a seemingly cut-rate vintner hired by Leland just before he died, all the suspects are disturbingly close to home. Unsure whom she can trust, Lucie must uncover the truth-and oversee a successful harvest-to save the vineyard she loves. "Crosby has constructed a neat whodunit, supported by enough wine-making lore to give it some extra body." "Like a fine wine, full-bodied, complex and satisfying." "A fast-paced, intriguing debut that holds interest from cover to cover." "This is a terrific kickoff to what promises to be a highly satisfying new series." "An absorbing plot, rich with details on the wine industry, and an evocative sense of the lush Virginia countryside are the main sources of appeal here."

Facing a freakish May freeze that threatens her vineyard, Lucie Montgomery is forced to hire a helicopter to fly over the vines warming the arctic air next to the grapes. But her luck in salvaging the harvest runs out when she discovers the body of Georgia Greenwood, a controversial local political candidate, lying near the fields. Georgia's husband Ross-Lucie's friend and doctor-immediately comes under suspicion. As the search for Georgia's killer escalates and grows more puzzling, Lucie crosses swords with her attractive but bull-headed winemaker Quinn Santori and confronts her own unwelcome feelings of jealousy over his new romance and job prospects. Then the suicide of a young vineyard worker appears to wrap up the murder investigation-or does it? "Superb. Crosby delivers a fine mystery full of twists, realistic characters, and finely ladled suspense." "Crosby illustrates the tension between Virginia old money tradition and the less prosperous newcomers to one of the nation's fastest growing areas. Some plot twists and romantic tension add body, developing into a smooth finish." "This second entry in Crosby's series is nicely plotted and paced…A particular treat for oenophiles."

When Valerie Beauvais, author of a book on Thomas Jefferson's travels through the wine regions of France and Italy, turns up dead near Lucie Montgomery's Virginia vineyard, Lucie is certain Valerie's murder has something to do with the authenticity of a 200-year-old bottle of Bordeaux Jefferson may once have purchased for his good friend George Washington. Though Lucie plans to auction off the valuable bottle at a charity fundraiser, it soon becomes apparent others want to get their hands on what's quickly becoming a wine to die for. As Lucie and her eccentric winemaker, Quinn Santori, bring in the last grapes of the season, Quinn's controversial past becomes intertwined with Valerie's death and the rare Bordeaux. What begins as Lucie's quiet investigation into the provenance of the Washington wine ends in revealing a web of deceit and betrayal affecting not only the international wine world, but her own world as well. "Red wine and murder pair up nicely." "During an oenophilic supper at Mount Vernon, glamorous guest lecturer Valerie Beauvais hints there's something suspect about the prize bottle-a Bordeaux Thomas Jefferson supposedly bought for George Washington in 1790-to be auctioned at the upcoming charity fund-raiser Lucie will be hosting. But before the wine scholar can make it to Montgomery Estate Vineyard for a personal inspection, she's the victim of a fatal accident. Or is it murder? Turning detective, Lucie quickly finds plenty of bad blood…action canters along briskly, infused with plenty of local color and wine lore." "Vintner Lucie Montgomery is getting ready for the harvest at her vineyard near Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. When she attends a lecture at Mount Vernon, she learns about the wines that Thomas Jefferson discovered in France and brought to George Washington. The lecturer later turns up dead, and Lucie suspects that the murder is related to the authenticity of a bottle of Chateau Margaux supposedly purchased for Washington that will be auctioned at a charity fundraiser…This will have broad appeal for its wine lore and historical detail and has enough action to keep the pages turning fast."

When Lucie Montgomery visits Washington, DC, she doesn't expect that her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812. The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca's neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder, or an elaborate scheme to disappear? "The book works well as an amateur-sleuth novel but also explores the value of friendship, independence and wine lore…The Viognier Vendetta proves to be a fine vintage." "Ellen Crosby is a writer with flair, and her compelling plot, likeable heroine, wealth of wine lore and sure sense of Virginia's horse country combine in a crisp read that goes down smoothly with a pleasant finish." "Full of Washington historical lore, this addictive whodunit also updates Lucie's relationship with brooding Quinn Santori, her Montgomery Estate Vineyard winemaker lover." "Marshall's smooth, honeyed voice makes for pleasant listening…she keeps the story moving at an appropriate pace. Listeners will look forward to Lucie's return." "The meticulously researched historical background-always a hallmark in Crosby's novels-is nicely balanced by an intriguing mystery." "Another pleasing combination of mystery, history and romance in a series that never disappoints." "A fascinating mystery with a great plot, vivid characters and the art of wine making. The historical information is like frosting on a cake, making this a thoroughly delicious read."

When Lucie Montgomery finds the body of prominent wine merchant Paul Noble hanging from a beam in his art studio not far from her Virginia vineyard, she is unwittingly dragged into Noble's murky past. Once a member of the secretive "Mandrake Society," Noble might have aided in a cover-up of the deaths forty-years ago of a disabled man and a beautiful young biochemist involved in classified government research. A seemingly innocent favor for an old friend of her French grandfather's sends Lucie to California where she teams up with Quinn Santori, who walked out of Lucie's life months earlier. Soon Lucie and Quinn are embroiled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game that takes them from glittering San Francisco to the legendary vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, then back home to Virginia as they try to discover whether a killer may be seeking vengeance for the long-ago deaths. As Lucie and Quinn struggle to uncover the mystery, they must also decide whether they have a future together. Blending an intriguing mystery with an absorbing plot, vivid characters, and a richly evoked setting, The Sauvignon Secret should be savored like a glass of fine wine.

Lucie Montgomery, vintner at a Virginia winery, must solve a mystery that connects a presidential scandal with a murder in Prohibition-era DC that echoes all the way to the present.Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori have decided to make champagne, a first for the 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. Gino needs answers before his blackmailer takes him for all he's worth-or exposes an explosive family secret.Lucie searches for what happened almost a hundred years ago as she delves into Prohibition-era Washington, DC-a town of bootlegging and duplicity, jazz clubs and speakeasies. But then the investigation turns deadly, threatening Lucie, her relationship with Quinn, and the vineyard. Someone is still out there nearly a century later who will go to any lengths to keep the truth about Zara's death a buried secret.

When Jamison Vaughn-Virginia real estate mogul, vineyard owner, and failed 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 town is equally sure that Jamie must have lost control of the SUV on the rain-slicked country road. Despite being saddled with massive campaign debts from the election, Jamie had a seemingly perfect life. What possible reason could he have for committing suicide? Lucie soon uncovers a connection between Vaughn, his old friends (an elite group of academics), and the twenty-five year old murder of a brilliant PhD student. It turns out that this group all had motives for wanting the scientist dead, but that they were freed from suspicion when a handyman was arrested and convicted of the crime. The more Lucie digs, the more she is convinced that this could be a case of wrongful conviction-possibly even a set-up. Realizing that her investigations have now put her in danger, Lucie must work to solve two murders-one decades-old, one that proves intensely personal-before someone silences her … for good.

The search for the killer of an aristocratic French winemaker who was Lucie Montgomery's first crush and the discovery of dark family secrets put Lucie on a collision course with a murderer.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 Marignac. 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 twenty years ago when she spent a summer in France.Not long after his arrival, Jean-Claude is found dead, and while there is no shortage of suspects who are angry or jealous of his ego and overbearing ways, suspicion falls on Miguel Otero, an immigrant worker at La Vigne, who recently quarreled with Jean-Claude. When Miguel disappears, Lucie receives an ultimatum from her own employees: prove Miguel's innocence or none of the immigrant community will work for her during the harvest. As Lucie hunts for Jean-Claude's killer and continues to search for the identity of the skeleton abandoned in the cemetery, she is blindsided by a decades-old secret that shatters everything she thought she knew about her family. Now facing a wrenching emotional choice, Lucie must decide whether it's finally time to tell the truth and hurt those she loves the most, or keep silent and let past secrets remain dead and buried.

Ellen Crosby pours up another corking mystery with The Angels' Share, an intriguing blend of secret societies, Prohibition bootleg wine, and potentially scandalous documents hidden by the Founding Fathers, all of which yield a vintage murder. When 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, she doesn't expect the festive occasion to end in death. During the party, Prescott Avery, the ninety-five-year-old family patriarch, invites Lucie to his fabulous wine cellar where he offers to pay any price for a cache of two hundred-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle, a Prohibition bootlegger, discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. Lucie knows nothing about the valuable wine, believing her late father, a notorious gambler and spendthrift, probably sold or drank it. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé, winemaker Quinn Santori, discover Prescott's body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer? As Lucie searches for the lost Madeira, which she believes links Prescott's death to a cryptic letter her father owned, she learns about Prescott's affiliation with the Freemasons. More investigating hints at a mysterious vault supposedly containing documents hidden by the Founding Fathers and a possible tie to William Shakespeare. If Lucie finds the long-lost documents, the explosive revelations could change history. But will she uncover a three hundred-year-old secret before a determined killer finds her?

Lucie Montgomery's discovery of her grandfather's Parisian romance unlocks a series of shocking secrets in the gripping new Wine Country mystery. 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. And Lucie's grandfather is flying to Virginia for Cricket's ninetieth birthday party, hosted by her daughter Harriet. A washed-up journalist, Harriet is rewriting a manuscript Jackie left behind about Marie-Antoinette and her portraitist. She's also adding tell-all details about Jackie, sure to make the book a bestseller. Then, on the eve of the party, a world-famous landscape designer who also knew Jackie is found dead in Lucie's vineyard. Did someone make good on the death threats he'd received because of his controversial book on climate change? Or was his murder tied to Jackie, the paintings, and Lucie's beloved grandfather?

When a vineyard accident during harvest season leaves Lucie Montgomery without a valuable employee, it's her worst nightmare. But before she can search for a replacement, there's more bad news: Paul Merchant, her winery manager's husband, is found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool. Police rule Paul's death an accident, but his wife insists he was murdered because of his leadership of Don't Pave Paradise, a conservationist group lobbying to keep the region's beautiful country roads unpaved. And six weeks ago, Paul's predecessor also died under mysterious circumstances. As Lucie is drawn into investigating Paul's death, she discovers more than one motive for the crime-and more than one person in their close-knit community who wanted Paul dead. And when she finds an old photo of a beautiful local heiress who died tragically in a fire eighty years ago among Paul's papers, she starts to wonder if the modern-day crime might have roots in the past. Either way, someone is determined to make sure Lucie, who's agreed to continue the work of Don't Pave Paradise, hits a dead end before she even gets started. Even if it means committing murder. Again.

The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding. 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 Eve Kerr, a stunning blonde who works at the nursery, is found dead a few days later, everyone wonders if someone in the winemaking community went too far. What especially troubles Lucie is why Eve secretly arranged to meet Quinn on the day she was murdered-and whether Lucie's soon-to-be husband knows something he's not telling her. Then a catastrophic storm blows through, destroying everything in its path. With no power, no phones, and no wedding venue, Lucie needs to find out who killed Eve and what her death had to do with Quinn. "Crosby's reliable character-driven series once more offers a good mystery and relevant social commentary." "The fully developed characters and the vividly depicted vineyards and Virginia countryside make this one hard to put down."