Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Wine Tastings are Murder is the fifth installment in the A Poppy McAllister Mystery series set in Cape May, New Jersey and featuring Baker/B&B owner Poppy McAllister. Things have been a little slow at the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast thanks to a rash of bad reviews that were posted out of spite by a local Chef, so Poppy and her Aunt Ginny are looking forward to hosting a Welcome Wine and Cheese for a group of folks that will be taking part in a local wine tour.
The very wealthy Vince Baker and his much younger wife Sunny have descended upon the house along with Sunny's tiny pomeranian, Tammy Faye. Also arriving is Vince's daughter Alyce and her obnoxious husband Ryan. Tensions run high among the family members - Alyce and Ryan think Sunny has married Vince just for his money and they are determined to break up the marriage.
The first stop on the winery tour is the Laughing Gull Winery, owned by Poppy's high school classmate Kim and her partner Daniel. Nobody is really surprised after all the family squabbling that Vince winds up dead but when Kim fears that she and Daniel are considered suspects she reaches out to Poppy to find the killer.
A fast paced plot chock full of suspects and hijinks that will keep you laughing out loud from page one, this is the perfect cozy afternoon read and a delightful addition to the series. Poppy has her hands full with Aunt Ginny and her friends, Amazon's Alexa, a narcoleptic new housekeeper Victory, a disgruntled Figaro (the cat) and trying to juggle her two suitors, Tim and Gia. While I was seriously hoping that Poppy was finally going to make a choice between the two men and put the dreaded love triangle to rest, the final paragraph of the book reveals a shocking twist.
The very wealthy Vince Baker and his much younger wife Sunny have descended upon the house along with Sunny's tiny pomeranian, Tammy Faye. Also arriving is Vince's daughter Alyce and her obnoxious husband Ryan. Tensions run high among the family members - Alyce and Ryan think Sunny has married Vince just for his money and they are determined to break up the marriage.
The first stop on the winery tour is the Laughing Gull Winery, owned by Poppy's high school classmate Kim and her partner Daniel. Nobody is really surprised after all the family squabbling that Vince winds up dead but when Kim fears that she and Daniel are considered suspects she reaches out to Poppy to find the killer.
A fast paced plot chock full of suspects and hijinks that will keep you laughing out loud from page one, this is the perfect cozy afternoon read and a delightful addition to the series. Poppy has her hands full with Aunt Ginny and her friends, Amazon's Alexa, a narcoleptic new housekeeper Victory, a disgruntled Figaro (the cat) and trying to juggle her two suitors, Tim and Gia. While I was seriously hoping that Poppy was finally going to make a choice between the two men and put the dreaded love triangle to rest, the final paragraph of the book reveals a shocking twist.
