The Riesling Retribution

From my study window I can see the Bull Run Mountains which lie east of the Montgomery Estate Vineyards, and on every trip to Middleburg or Leesburg I except to encounter Lucie and the other colorful characters who surround her. Ellen Crosby has done a superb job of capturing the beauty and quirkiness of the Virginia wine country and its people. I look forward to each new addition to her Wine Country Mystery series and am never disappointed.

There are historical facts and tons of information about wine all woven into terrific mysteries. Start at the beginning and don't miss a single one.

I must be enjoying this series because I've been looking forward to the Riesling Retribution but this one was tougher going than the others. The books are all pretty grim, there's little positive to lighten things up. There's more damage to Lucie than her foot and as far as interpersonal relationships goes she personifies a car wreck. She's not particularly warm, she doesn't have a sense of humor. But the fellas like her a lot, so maybe in person she comes across better. Since each fella seems to last 1 book, the new guy better be watching his back. Ellen Crosby is a very skillful writer and it's obvious she has a vast palette of experience to paint with.

Ellen Crosby's Wine Country books keep getting better and better. In this book, a considerable period of time has passed since we last saw Lucy. Some changes have been made at the vineyard, both in the personnel and the wines being produced. Lucy is having some major problems with her new crew, which highlights what a tough job Lucy has running the family vineyard and being a young, female boss. A tornado hits Lucy's vineyard and the effects go beyond destroying some of the vines and threaten to destroy the reputation of Lucy's deceased father. The mystery reveals more information about Lucy's family's background and their place in the community. A big part of the reason I like these books so much is that the author does such a great job of showing the reader new layers to the characters in each book, such as Lucy's brother in this book. I loved getting to know more about some of the side characters. Lucy's character is growing realistically and positively and her and Quinn have made great strides in their relationship. The new potential love interests for both Lucy and for Quinn cause each of them to react in interesting ways. I also really enjoyed the Civil War reenactors; the author always adds a wonderful historical element to these books. I read this book in one sitting and was sorry to see it end. I can't wait for the next book!

In Virginia, Montgomery Estate Vineyard Lucie Montgomery visits her parents' graves when a tornado strikes. The twister destroyed some vines, but also uncovered relatively recently buried human bones where none should be. The timing is exacerbated by reenactors arriving for the 1861 Battle of Ball's Bluff. At the same time her winemaker Quinn Santori and her field manager Chance Miller are dueling over the vines and her. The remains belong to Beauregard Kinkaid, who had a fight with Lucie's scoundrel father. When the murder weapon is found and belonged to the late Leland, the police declare the case is solved and Lucie's late father is the killer. Lucie knew her dad was a rogue but not a murderer. She tries to investigate but the second spouse of Beauregard's wife, powerful Summer Chastain, will not allow anything to interfere with the official verdict. The latest wine mystery (see THE BORDEAUX BETRAYAL, THE MERLOT MURDERS and THE CHARDONNAY CHARADE) is a charming amateur sleuth in which readers will toast elegant entertaining Ellen Cosby for this fun entry. The heroine is harassed on all fronts as she struggles with the internal war between two key employees in which she is attracted to both of them, the arrival of the horde of reenactors, and the belief her late rogue of a dad killed a rival. Although the whodunit is entertaining unlike the previous three tales, Lucie's inquiry shares top billing with the feud and the Civil War buffs; still fans will enjoy future wine tasting awesome alliterations. Harriet Klausner