If you don't know much about how wineries operate, not to mention what a traminette is, you'll know by the time you finish this book. You'll also know more about cockroach DNA than perhaps you want to know, which puts you right up there with main character Norrie Ellington. A reluctant temporary convert to running a winery, Norrie is still learning the ins and outs of wine making. She wishes the winery's real owners, her sister and brother-in-law, would quit chasing, well, bugs/insects in the far corners of the world and come home and stop sending her stuff like cockroach DNA. She'd like to get back to her real job of screenwriting, even if some of the ideas tossed her way by her publisher make her cringe.
I won't do a deep dive into the plot other than to say it largely evolves around finding out who murdered Stanley Hurst, the man wanting to build a supposedly luxury resort in their small town. It'd ruin more than the view, most likely meaning the end to several local businesses. Many community business reps, including Norrie, spoke out against the development but it was okayed anyway. Then Stanley is found dead. It's when Norrie's friend Madeline becomes the chief suspect that Norrie becomes involved. But, wait...there are other suspects. Stanley's proposal was not popular, to be honest, leading to the question of why it was passed. And, Zenora, the local psychic, seems to be one a roll for accurate, rather scary predictions. Maybe Norrie should have burned that sage.
Bottom line, this was a quick, fun read but seemed to start slowly for me. I liked the characters but it took me awhile to get them straight in my head, which may be on me for finding things slow going. There were also lots of coincidences. 3.5 rounded to a 4 star. I did enjoy the interactions between the characters although, whoa, given how often they prompted or warned each other with a kick under the tables, Norrie and friend Theo must be constantly black-and-blue. They work well together, however, despite this rather painful prompt. Even the flamboyant psychic, Zenora, seemed to have a heart of gold. Thanks #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for introducing me to Norrie and her circle of friends. I'll be on the lookout for her next adventure now that I've got everyone straight. That last "catch" was a hoot.
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