The Merlot Murders

Lucie Montgomery returns to the family vineyard in Virginia after spending two years recuperating from an accident, which has left her with a mangled leg, and cane-dependent. Her father has died, leaving an impossible debt, and no one to run the vineyard. Narrating the first-person account, P.J. Davis-Oran smoothly weaves details about wine-making without interfering with the unfolding events of two murders. She creates unique voices for numerous quirky characters and maintains them even when the characters are in heated arguments. With subtle inflection, she evokes Lucie's anger and grief over her injury, as well as family deaths, disgruntled siblings, and the burden of a ready harvest--all while Lucie tries to unmask the killer. K.A.T. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine