Book description
The Chardonnay Charade
begins with a daring helicopter flight in the middle of the night.
Facing a freak spring frost that threatens to kill the grapes in her
vineyard, Lucie Montgomery hires a chopper to fly over the vines in
order to blow warm air on them. But her thoughts soon turn from grapes
to murder when she discovers the body of Georgia Greenwood, a
controversial political candidate, lying near the fields. Georgia's
husband, Ross, Lucie's friend and doctor, immediately falls under
suspicion. To make matters worse, Ross, a renowned collector of Civil
War documents, has just discovered a letter that seems to prove that
Confederate president Jefferson Davis had prior knowledge of the plot to
assassinate Abraham Lincoln. In the small town of Atoka, Virginia --
proud home to the "Gray Ghost," the Confederacy's legendary
guerrilla commander -- the letter is a bombshell.
Three years ago Ross saved Lucie's life after she was involved in a
near-fatal car crash. Now she intends to return the favor and prove
Ross's innocence. As the search for Georgia's killer escalates, Lucie
crosses swords with her attractive but cantankerous winemaker, Quinn
Santori, and confronts her own unwelcome feelings of jealousy over his
new romance and job prospects. Her worries about her kid sister's
out-of-control drinking and a second vineyard-related death further
ratchet up the tension. Even though Lucie believes that in vino
veritas -- in wine there is truth -- she finds that the path to
uncovering a murderer involves making a heartbreaking decision that
will alter the lives of those she loves.
"Superb. Crosby delivers a fine mystery full of
twists, realistic characters, and finely ladled suspense."
-- South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Ellen Crosby is the author of six books in the
Virginia wine country mystery series: The Viognier Vendetta, The
Riesling Retribution, The Bordeaux Betrayal, The Chardonnay
Charade, and The Merlot Murders. She also wrote Moscow
Nights, a stand-alone novel published in London. A former
freelance reporter for The Washington Post and the Moscow
correspondent for ABC Radio News, Crosby lives in Virginia with her
family. Learn more about her at EllenCrosby. com
