Hurricanes and family dynamics generate quite the excitement for the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum in WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS, the second in Ellen Byron’s Vintage Cookbookcozy mystery series. The discovery of several crates of old, precious French wine buried beneath the house bring out relations from all over –France, Dallas, and the Panhandle – wanting their share.
Lawsuits are threatened over ownership of family possessions. Ricki James-Diaz, owner of the new Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop housed in the museum, learns she is the great-granddaughter of Genevieve Charbonnet, Eugenia’s sister. Loyal to Eugenia, who allowed her to open her shop, Ricki pretends to collude with the group that wants to sue for part of the estate. The leader of the legal activities is Jean-Louis Charbonnet, a legitimate family member. Unfortunately, he is murdered, leaving the rest of the family members to pick up the pieces.
Since the museum needs funds, Eugenia decides to have a dinner combination wine auction to raise money by selling the valuable wine during an expensive dinner at the Bon Vee Museum. Tickets sell out fast, but thieves break in and steal all the crates of wine. While police investigate the wine theft, Ricki and Eugenia check the background of the new relatives. Ricki also looks for clues in Jean-Louis’ murder, relying on her cohorts--Cookie, Zellah, Olivia, and Mordant--to help explore.
Ms. Bryon brings her characters to life and creates a sense of magic about New Orlean and the Charbonnet family. Her well-devised mystery relies on red herrings and a surprising twist to whom the murderer turns out to be. Ms. Bryon also leaves readers with a puzzle--who is Ricki’s mother and grandmother? According to Eugenia, Genevieve would never disclose the identities of the two women, and now Ricki wants to know. WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS is a fascinating read that generates a desire to learn more about the Charbonnet family tree.
It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.
Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.
When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.
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