Delphine, Texas and River Bend, the family vineyard, have
always been home for Elise Beckett. She is the
horticulturist here and works with her mother, grandmother,
brother and sister in the business. The entire vineyard was
left to her mother, Laura, when her father passed away.
Uncle Edmond has been causing problems lately, wanting a
share of the land for himself. And he wants the prime land
where Elise is growing her new organic strain of grape
vines. Laura will not deal. When Uncle Edmond is found dead
down by the river, the entire family is under suspicion,
knowing the recent heated discussions they have all had with
Uncle Edmond.
Deputy Jackson Landry is at the vineyard when the body is
discovered and takes over the investigation. He's an old
family friend who grew up with Elise and her siblings.
Jackson is determined to keep an open mind and act on
whatever the evidence provides. When a second body is found
on their property, things get pretty dicey. Jackson's
investigation leads to some shady dealings and possible
corporate espionage. If he can only keep Elise out of this
investigation, he would be a lot better off. She is
determined to do her own sleuthing and find the murderer
herself.
GRAPES OF DEATH is a tangled tale of conspiracy, betrayal,
blackmail, theft, greed, pursuit of power and murder all
rolled into one. The story line is quite intriguing and
moves at a rapid pace. Elise and Landry are both very
strong-willed characters who battle wits with each other,
but who are also having a hard time keeping their hands off
of each other. Is a romance brewing? The use of sarcasm in
the dialogue gives a nice lift to the story and makes the
characters seem quite true-to-life. Many supporting
characters lead the story line in several different
directions keeping the reader in suspense as to who the
culprit really is. This Tangled Vines Mystery by Joni
Folger
will keep you turning pages to the end.
GRAPES OF DEATH is a quick read
and a real delight. Add it to your list.
A vineyard inheritance mystery has Elise tangled up in
murder
Elise Beckett has a wonderful family, a good job on the
family-owned River Bend vineyard, and a smart, stable
boyfriend—even if he does live five hours away. But when her
long-distance beau offers her a dream job, she's torn
between her family responsibility and exciting new
horticulture research.
Before Elise has time to think about her decision, Uncle
Edmond, the family's money-loving and temper-toting black
sheep—shows up to bully her mother into giving him ownership
of the vineyard, which he claims is his inheritance. After
she refuses, Edmond storms away, only to be later found dead
by the river. What seems to be an accidental drowning turns
out to be murder. Now Elise must help Sheriff's Deputy
Jackson Landry solve the mystery before the killer strikes
again.
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