The Chardonnay Charade

Christine Marshall's Southern accent and clear diction set the tone for this enological mystery set in northern Virginia. Bad weather is the least of vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery's problems--she must also deal with a murder, a suicide, an alcoholic sister who may have caused a fatal car accident, her feelings for a local winemaker, and a new romance with a tycoon who wants to buy adjoining property. It's a good mystery, and Marshall brings out each character's strengths, flaws, motivations, and, in some cases, foreign accents. Lucie's determination to clear her sister ultimately solves the murders as well. A brief and informative comparison of California and Virginia winemaking follows. This is an audio worth a toast! J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

June 4, 2007
A
bizarre May frost threatens Lucie Montgomery's Virginia winery operation in this highly enjoyable sequel to Crosby's
The Merlot Murders
(2006). After spending the night keeping her vines from freezing, the easily peeved Lucie is less than thrilled to find the pesticide-contaminated body of Georgia Greenwood, a local politician, at the edge of her fields. Lucie leaves the investigating to the police, but is dismayed when her close friend Ross, Georgia's husband, becomes a suspect. What's more, the EPA disapproves of her cavalier handling of pesticides, and her younger sister is on the brink of alcoholism. 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. The unusual setting and Crosby's able prose more than make up for a whiny heroine.