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Summary
Summary
Ellen Crosby's "beguiling" ( Kirkus Reviews ) fifth mystery takes readers into Washington's corridors of power, where Lucie Montgomery uncovers a political and financial scandal while trying to locate her missing friend.
WHEN LUCIE MONTGOMERY VISITS Washington, D.C., during cherry blossom season she doesn't expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812.
The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca's neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder--or an elaborate scheme to disappear? A clandestine meeting in the U.S. Capitol, a startling revelation on a windy hill, and cryptic messages from Rebecca cloaked in eighteenth-century poetry are all part of the suspenseful tale of whether Rebecca is alive or dead--and the truth about Asher Investments.
Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, The Viognier Vendetta combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby's trademark.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
When glamorous Rebecca Natale disappears before a black-tie gala honoring her boss, billionaire Wall Street guru Sir Thomas Asher-who's donating a collection of architectural drawings, maps, and other documents relating to the design and planning of Washington, D.C., to the Library of Congress-Virginia vintner Lucie Montgomery, who's Rebecca's college friend, investigates in Crosby's enjoyable fifth wine country mystery (after 2009's The Riesling Retribution). After Rebecca's clothes turn up at a Potomac boat house, she's feared to be either a suicide or a victim of foul play. Lucie joins forces with ex-investment analyst Ian Philips, a disgruntled whistle-blower who's prepared to testify before a government subcommittee that Sir Thomas is running a Ponzi scheme, but Ian "drowns" before he can do so. Full of Washington historical lore, this addictive whodunit also updates Lucie's relationship with brooding Quinn Santori, her Montgomery Estate Vineyard winemaker lover. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Those reunions with college classmates can be murder.Although Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery (The Riesling Retribution, 2009, etc.) hasn't heard from Rebecca Natale in years, she agrees when Rebecca asks her to join her in Washington, D.C., while she's in town with Sir Thomas Asher, her wealthy boss. After a short, pleasant stroll past some of the architectural glories of the nation's capital, punctuated by several enigmatic hints her old friend drops about her recent past, Rebecca departs to run some errands for her boss. When Rebecca, who was supposed to be picking up a precious wine cooler stolen during the War of 1812 by Sir Tommy's ancestor, fails to appear at a gala reception that evening, Lucie is questioned by members of Sir Tommy's entourage. The discovery the next morning of Rebecca's clothes in a rowboat on the Potomac draws Lucie into a dangerous hunt for a possible killer. Rumors that Sir Tommy is another Bernie Madoff make whatever Rebecca might have told Lucie a subject of interest to the police, reporters, politicians and some hometown friends who may lose everything if Sir Tommy goes broke. Back home in Virginia, Lucie's on-and-off relationship with her prickly winemaker Quinn Santori is also influenced by the scandal. Despite more murders, Lucie puts aside vineyard business to search for answers.Another pleasing combination of mystery, history and romance in a series that never disappoints.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Virginia vintner Lucie Montgomery returns in her fifth mystery. This time she begins by visiting Washington, D.C., during cherry-blossom season. Lucie is excited and intrigued to meet up with an old friend, Rebecca Natale, who is working as an assistant to a philanthropist and investment counselor. But the next morning Lucie is asked to identify Rebecca's clothes, found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac. Is her friend staging an elaborate disappearance, or could this be suicide, or even murder? Clues include messages to be found in the writings of Alexander Pope and in the history of the War of 1812. As Lucie travels back and forth between her Montgomery Estate Vineyard and various D.C. venues, the wine business and her relationship with winemaker Quinn Santori begin to take a backseat to solving the mystery of Rebecca's disappearance. The meticulously researched historical background always a hallmark in Crosby's novels is nicely balanced by an intriguing mystery.--Coon, Judy Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
An old college friend invites Lucie Montgomery to a Washington, DC, soiree during which a billionaire will be making a huge gift of artifacts from the War of 1812 to the Library of Congress. But Rebecca Natale disappears after a brief meeting with Lucie, and the next morning her clothes are found in a rowboat in the Potomac River. Was Rebecca murdered, or did she commit suicide or stage a disappearance? Lucie follows a trail of clues left by Rebecca. VERDICT The fifth entry (after The Merlot Murders) in Crosby's mystery series set in Virginia's wine country mixes winemaking details with a timely tale that incorporates the current financial and political climate. Fans of Kathryn K. Wall and Carolyn Haines might enjoy this series. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
