Member Reviews
I like Norrie Ellington as a main character and I found this book to be well written and entertaining.
Norrie Ellington is about to have her worlds collide. It sounds like such a fun idea to anyone but scriptwriter Norrie, let the production company film a few scenes at the Two Witches Vineyard, which she is currently overseeing while her sister and etimologist brother in law are in South America hunting for rare bugs. The timing could have been better, what with the Wine and Cheese Festival taking place at the same time, which means people everywhere and now there would be even more people showing up to catch a look at Hollywood stars in action. I'm surprised that Norrie doesn't have a stroke with all that goes on in this latest book. The victim is an over the top director who can relate to the winery's name, this lady is definetly a wicked witch in the north east as far as her coworkers and soon to be exhusband are concerned. The there is the drama queen starlet and the overworked production assistant, the cameramen, and the even the Adonis like lead actor has nothing good to say about the lady. Even when she is found in an irrigation pond,dead, peole still can't find anything positive to say about her. Norrie can't wait for her final two months of winery sitting is over as it seems that each event includes a dead body as part of the activities. Thankfully she has her fellow vineyard owners to help her with sluething as well as her staff, Godfrey her bug guy and of course the hunky lawyer Bradley whom she is dating. It seems that everyone but Norrie's staff and the other locals are the only ones who didn't have means, motive, and opportunity. Of course Norrie has to figure this one out because someone is trying to make her look like the murderer. Another great mystery for arm chair detectives and wine lovers. I must agree with Theo and Don that prosciutto palmiers pair nicely with a Riesling. Clues galore and red herrings a plenty make this a twisting and turning plot with some crazy hijinks thanks to aura reading at the end. The only thing this book is missing would be a mac and cheese recipe at the end. Just a thought.
Clever addition to a delightful series. The usual characters are back, but a film crew has been added to the mix. I especially enjoyed reading about the snow when it is close to 100 degrees outside. I look forward to reading the next one in this charming series, wine, insects, and all.
What a twisty little cozy mystery!
Divide and Concord is the fifth book in The Wine Trail Mysteries by J.C Eaton. This mystery follows Norrie as she tries juggling the annual Wine and Cheese event at her vineyard and the film crew who has been sent to adapt a scene from her latest script. To the shock of everyone involved a body ends up in the irrigation pond, Now Norrie has decided to investigate who had means, motive and opportunity without alerting Deputy Hickman aka Grizzly Gray that she has once again inserted herself into his investigation.
I really enjoy the humor of this book. It's subtle but it helps lighten the mood considerable considering we're investigating a murder. This is the first book I've ever read in The Wine Trail Mysteries series so I appreciate the little explanations near the beginning about the different characters and what happened in previous novels. It helped me feel like I've been with these characters from the beginning.
However, the plot developed a little too slowly for my tastes. I felt that it could have been a bit shorter of a novel. There were a lot of chapters towards the middle where nothing really happens beyond chatting between the different characters. Except they aren't really chatting about anything new, just relaying information so that everyone knows what is going on. Considering we as readers already know what's going on I felt it was a bit unnecessary to have it explained two to three times every time a new clue was revealed.
That being said the story still kept me guessing on the whodunit. Like Norrie I was so convinced I was right on who the killer was only to find out I was wrong. I wish Norrie could have been a bit more subtle in her predictions as it doesn't seem very realistic to be telling everyone and anyone who you think the killer could be. This just doesn't seem like a smart decision if you want to catch them unsuspecting.
All in all this was nice little cozy mystery that kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the characters and the little tidbit of information on insects and wine, It was really informative. The homage that J.C Eaton made to classic cozy mystery characters like Nancy Drew and Mrs. Marple were really nice to see as well. I also enjoyed that for once there is no love triangle taking up pages of the story. This is a trope I'm not a huge fan of in cozy mysteries and I'm happy that J.C Eaton doesn't allow Norrie's romantic relationships to take over the story.
I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. I also plan on picking up the rest of the books in the series.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.**
cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, situational-humor, verbal-humor, dog
What do you mean this is book 5 in series? ! This is too much fun and sleuthing! Easily stands alone but I want to read the others for the fun! Norrie is a script writer and co owner of brother's grapes and wine business. While covering one business, the other intrudes in the form of a film crew and Canadian film stars. And a murder. Norrie heads into things without thinking and is joined in the lunacy by friends and other wineries despite the head shaking attitude of the local law. Tons of situational and verbal humor! Fun characters and interesting observations. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
This is not an unbiased review because my sister has a Plott Hound and I've never seen another in a story.
J.C. Eaton has provided another engaging mystery in their latest offering 'Divide and Concord'. The characters are quirky and likable. I feel like Norrie gets a little frenetic at times and has no rationality in her dealings with the police. The setting in Finger Lakes is delightful and the RomCom from a Canadian based film crew is a fun nod to Hallmark. I sincerely hope that Norrie's sister and brother-in-law never return as I want this delightful series to continue.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
This is a good, solid mystery that will keep you entertained from page 1 until the last page. Filled with quirky characters and an enjoyable storyline, this is a must read cozy.
An engrossing and entertaining cozy mystery that kept me hooked till the end.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the cast of characters is fleshed out and the plot flows.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Divide and Concord is an entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Well crafted plot and characters. Mystery fans will not want to miss this one. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.
Screen writer and winery co-owner Norrie Ellington is in charge of the winery while her sister and brother in law are away.
She's stressed doing a screenplay as well as dealing with the preparations for a festival involving the wineries in the association she belonged to....when she finds a woman's body on a neighbors land. It turns out to be someone connected with the screenplay she's writing.
She's a suspect, as is the neighbor and members of the film crew. Ms. Eaton gives of plenty to think on. Who is the body, why were they murdered? There are a myriad of suspects with good reasons, but she knows it wasn't her or her neighbor.
The neighbor, Norrie and their friends put their heads together to arrive at the answers before the local police and barely block the killer's escape before the police arrive.
I enjoyed this cozy immensely and was caught by surprise by the killer, so many others had good reasons. No obsenities, sex or graphic violence and peppered here and there with humor.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same spirit.
One of my favorite series. Norrie runs a winery. When a murder happens she sets out to find the killer with the help of others. Great series to read
The 5th installment of the Wine Trail Mysteries. Norrie Ellington is a screenwriter turned vintner who runs Two Witches Winery. She agrees to let a producer she knows film some scenes at the winery but wants to make sure no damage to the property etc. What she did not expect is a director who is out of control and with whom she has a very visible argument the day before he is murdered. This of course puts Norrie at the top of a long suspect list and she knows if anyone is going to clear her name it must be her. Good solid mystery which reads well and you learn the identity of the killer when the author wants you too. The story was well paced and kept me engaged. I enjoyed it.
Really fun and entertaining read, even though Norrie gets a bit carried away and out of control sometimes. Fun mystery and entertaining reveal. Very enjoyable story!
I absolutely love this series by JC Eaton! This duo has wonderful writing where you can't even tell where one leaves off and the other begins.. The characters are well developed and the murder and the events that lead up to the reveal keep the reader on their toes. I did not know the identity of the murderer was until just before it was revealed.
Screenwriter, interim winery manager, and amateur sleuth Norrie Ellington is gearing up for a wine and cheese weekend at the local wineries when she gets a call from her agent who needs to move a final shoot to Two Witches Winery. If it wasn’t one of Norrie’s screenplays, she might be able to say no, but she doesn’t and the shooting will coincide with the big wine and cheese weekend. Ramping up security, Norrie figures they can get through both events.
When one of the crew turns up dead in a pond and Norrie becomes a person of interest, she puts on her sleuthing cap and calls in her Nancy Drew Crew to find the murderer. Can the gang identify the murderer or will one of them be the next victim?
Set in the New York Finger Lakes region, with quirky and likable characters, you can’t help but root for Norrie and the gang when they hatch some of their craziest schemes to catch a killer, or cleanse a place of bad juju. A solid whodunit that will keep you guessing as each new clue is revealed. This series does not disappoint and has become one of my must read series. No, let me correct that, this is one of my must read author teams as I also enjoy their Sophie Kimball series.