Book Description
Huge-hearted Abby loves dogs — and doesn’t think twice about swerving to avoid an adorable terrier in a country lane. Or following along, when the troublesome pup goes darting off into a local vineyard.
But she never expects where the runaway dog is leading her — straight to a corpse!
Clementine Courtenay, elegant matriarch of the May Valley Vineyard, lies floating face-down in a stream.
The police say she must have slipped and drowned. But Abby’s not so sure.
As rumors begin to swirl amid the tangled vines, Abby realizes that no one in Clementine’s inner circle is quite what they seem.
Between jilted lovers, greedy offspring and bitter rivals, Clementine kept her friends close and her enemies closer still . . .
What secrets will Abby find — fermenting in the darkest corners of the Courtenay family cellar?
It’s up to Abby to solve the case before this sweetest vintage turns sour .
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
MURDER IN THE VINEYARD (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #4) by Liz Fielding is another wonderfully engaging addition to the cozy Maybridge Murder Mysteries series featuring an English horticulturist, wife and mother who seems to always find herself embroiled in a murder. This book can be read as a standalone, but the protagonist’s family and all the Cotswolds characters continue to evolve, and I have enjoyed the entire series in order of publication.
Abby Finch finds herself swerving into a hedgerow after barely missing a small terrier that has darted in front of her car. It is wet and trembling, so she puts it in her car to begin the search for its owner. She meets the woman who runs the local dog rescue, Fancy Day, and discovers the dog was homed to Clemintine Courtenay, who is from an old money family and owner of the May Valley Estates Vineyard. When they go in search of Clemie, they find her lying face down in a stream dead. While Abby has questions, the police feel there is no foul play involved.
Abby promises her new husband she will not get involved, but there are rumors and questions that do not add up. Clemintine was entangled in family greed, drama, and rivalries as well as hiding her own secrets. When another body turns up in the same location, Abby and her friends work to untangle the twisted family vines.
I enjoy this series and Abby’s adventures every time I get a new addition to this series. Abby and her family and friends continue to engage me in every outing. Ms. Fielding’s writing of the character interactions and friendships make me feel as though I could walk right into the story and be a part of the group. Scout the terrier’s journey to becoming a part of Abby’s family is a wonderful addition to the story. The mystery plot in this addition to the series is very smartly interwoven with current and generational family secrets, plenty of red herrings, and the always present horticultural tie ins that I enjoy reading about.
I highly recommend this entertaining addition to the Maybridge Murder Mysteries series.
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Author Bio
Liz Fielding worked as a secretary in Africa and the Middle East and was co-ordinator of the Brecon Jazz Festival before writing full time. Her books are published worldwide in multiple languages, she has won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for both The Best Man & the Bridesmaid and The Marriage Miracle and in 2019 was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK.
She is now writing cozy crime for Joffe Books and her first Maybridge Mystery, Murder Among the Roses is available now.
Liz lives in West Sussex.
Social Media Links
Website: http://lizfieldingblog.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizfieldingauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liz.fielding/
