Whodunits and Wine

Do you thirst for a superb glass of wine and an intriguing puzzle of a mystery to read on the weekend? I’m combining both in a new vinophile mystery set in the premier Canadian wine region of the Okanagan Valley.

When a murder is discovered at an ostentatious Okanagan winery, Jay Mitchell, a vineyard owner, agrees to help prove the winery isn’t involved. In exchange, he’ll get a contract to purchase his grapes. Jay isn’t a trained sleuth by any means but he’s leveraging the fact he was involved in a murder case once before and he was lucky enough to unmask a killer. He’s also desperate to find a buyer for his crop. The murder probe takes him the length and breadth of this British Columbia grape-growing region, against a background of tourist landmarks, recreational pursuits, the Rocky Mountains and uniquely special wineries, in an increasingly dangerous search for the truth. A search that evolves beyond selling some grapes into a fight to stay alive. Local issues of temporary foreign workers, droughts and wildfires all play a role, and a dedicated oenophile will find an appendix filled with wine facts to peruse.

Lovers of whodunits and wine should enjoy this ‘cozy’ mystery, and I hope it will entice new readers to become fans of bacchanalian bloodshed.