Elise Beckett and her family, who own River Bend Winery, are excited about the food and wine festival in Delphine over the weekend. As area vineyards are setting up their display booths, a rival vintner's wife, Divia Larson, makes some snide remarks to Elise's grandmother, Abigail DeVries. Miss Abby and Garrett Larson have a romantic history from a long time ago.

Two days later, Abby finds Divia dead in her motel room. Divia had asked Abby to come talk to her and now Abby is a prime suspect. Besides Abby finding Diva at the motel, a bottle of River Bend Reserve Merlot from Abby's vineyard is found in Divia's room with Abby's fingerprints all over it.

Elise enlists the help of her siblings and sets out to prove their grandmother is not guilty. Her sheriff's deputy boyfriend, Jackson Landry, warns her to stay out of his investigation. Elise tends to get involved in things she shouldn't quite easily and doesn't listen to Jackson's continuous admonitions. Can Jackson break this case before Elise gets herself in trouble...again?

OF MERLOT AND MURDER is a charming cozy mystery that will keep you turning pages. The plot is as twisted and tangled as grapevines in this second installment of Joni Folger's Tangled Vines Mystery series. Elise and Jackson are strong, smart characters, and the playful banter between them lends another delightful element to the story. There's a rich cast of supporting characters, each with their own individual charm. This is my second visit to the River Bend Winery, and I just love the people and the town of Delphine. You can easily get drawn into this wine country and small town setting and feel like you are visiting with old friends.