Napa, wine, cults, missing women, and a murderer on the loose-this book has it all. I was glued to the pages and read this in one sitting without even putting it down once. There are multiple layers to the plot and the characters making it extremely engaging. I enjoyed the mystery and the twists. The setting of Napa valley is a favorite of mine. There was plenty of action to keep this fast paced thriller highly entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book right after finishing a great mystery/thriller and so while it didn’t live up to this other book I was thoroughly intrigued from the beginning. It kept me engaged right up until the end. I definitely recommend this to all the thriller/mystery fans.

Mixed feelings.
The introduction was tantalizing. Then it got sidetracked by long winded walloping of the main character that made me roll my eyes. I did skip the ramblings.
There is potential in the storyline as I got caught up and wanting to know the end. I like the twist at the end. However, I’m just skeptical that a person who had been through lots of lost of blood, and was in a medically induced coma could just wake up with a clear head and gobbled up 2 muffins!
Three and a half stars for the story line. I felt disappointed that the image of an FBI agent , drunk during her free time, and portrayed as whimsical but hard core at work?
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for letting me read the book.

Secrets abound in wine country! FBI Agent Lana Burrell grew up in Napa Valley, California on a vineyard with her father Cliff and nearby best friend, Jess Bancroft. When Jess was murdered and Lana’s father was found guilty, Lana moved to San Francisco as a teen. With a killer in the Valley, Lana is sent to investigate the death of two women. She’s forced to partner with the sheriff’s department that put her father in prison as well as Jess’s wealthy family. As the past and present reignite grudges and emotions, Lana must keep focused on the murders.

Lana is often seen as detached and unemotional. Despite being a great investigator, she’s lived with guilt most of her life and it seems to drive her. She loves her job and believes in justice. She’s intelligent, competent, and introverted. She’s determined to solve the crimes even though it requires her to work with the local sheriff’s office. Deputy Essie Leroux is not the typical liaison assigned to work with the FBI. She’s only finished the police academy four months ago and is about sixty years old. She’s eager to help on her first assignment that’s not desk duty. I enjoyed the dynamics between the two. Both have flaws that kept them realistic.

A chilling prologue quickly hooks readers. Interspersed throughout the novel are a few letters, interviews, cross-examinations, newspaper articles, and court case summaries. These provide insight into the past and provide links to the present. Full of investigation as well as suspense and action, this crime thriller and police procedural kept me engaged. With many suspects, can Lana and Essie narrow the field and find the killer before another woman dies?

The plot is twisty and flows well. Both past and current plots are woven together seamlessly. There is the right amount of mystery, tension, and secrets to keep readers engrossed and wondering what was going to happen next. The atmospheric writing transported me to wine country. One of the things I loved was the interaction between Lana and Essie. Themes include trust, betrayal, friendship, power, murder, secrets, shadowy organizations, and much more.

Overall, this is a fast-paced, intriguing, and suspenseful tale with great characterization and plenty of action and danger that kept me engaged throughout the story. While this is a standalone novel, I would love for it to become a series. The author is an experienced screenwriter and this novel has been optioned for television development. It didn’t feel like a debut novel. Those who like police procedurals and crime thrillers will likely enjoy this novel.

Crooked Lane Books provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for April 22, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Blood On The Vine is a stellar novel filled with suspense, twists and of course wine. Lana Burrell a seasoned FBI agent reluctantly returns to her hometown of Napa wine country, to investigate some disturbing ritualistic murders. She hasn't been back in 20 years since the disappearance of her best friend Jess which resulted in her father being charged with her murder. As well Lana must face her first love Jonah, Jess' older and charismatic brother. Just as Lana must face her past, new threats and dangers have emerged placing her life in peril.

Read this if you like:
-highly atmospheric and at times sinister Napa Valley wine country especially the vineyards
-the world of winemaking
-rich family dynasties and the moral cost it takes to remain powerful
-dysfunctional, toxic families with many secrets some deadly and deprave
-new age cults
-strong female protagonist
-police procedurals
-fast paced read with lots of twists and turns
-satisfying, Wow ending

My rating 4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC that will be published April 22, 2025.

This was a good read. It was fast paced and I really liked the main character. I hope it’s a series. There were a couple of times I felt it was a bit too wordy. But all in all I was hooked and I feel like there could be more.

The blurb:

Lana Burrell grew up on an idyllic Napa Valley vineyard with her best friend Jess--until Jess mysteriously disappeared and Lana's father was falsely accused of her murder. Over twenty years later, he's still serving a life sentence, but Lana knows he's innocent, just like she knows Jess's real killer is still out there. Now, as a seasoned FBI agent in the San Francisco field office, Lana figures she can handle just about anything--until a killer strikes the Valley again and those old wounds come bursting open. Two women are slain in ritualistic fashion near the vineyard she once called home, and Lana has no choice but to revisit the site of the nightmarish past she tried to leave behind. A past that seems to be repeating itself as the blood and wine continue to spill all over Napa Valley. With rumors of a dangerous cult embedded at the center of wine country, the most powerful family in the Valley breathing down her neck, and a mysterious stranger stalking her every move, Lana's quest to solve the murders takes an even darker turn when she soon realizes the awful truth: she might be the next to die.

My thoughts:
This book was fast paced and twisty. I was captivated from the start and was hooked until the finish. I devoured the book in 24 hours!

Lana was fierce and determined in solving the recent murders, and finding links to the past. The story was packed full of secrets, and I did not see the twist at the end. Essie was a great character too, I enjoyed all the witty one liners she came out with.

4.5⭐️

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are my own.

FBI agent Lana Burrell has just been assigned a case in a place she never wanted to go back to, a place she used to call home before her father was arrested for murder in Napa Valley, CA. Now, two women are dead and she wants justice. Her prime suspect is the high school boyfriend’s wealthy mother. Will Lana discover who killed these women and get her innocent father freed?

I had a really good time with this crime drama. This book read like movie. Fast paced, with action, wine, cults, some romance, and family drama mixed in. What more could you ask for in today’s reading landscape. Please check your content warnings.

Brilliant book, tense plot line that kept me guessing until the end and well written characters.
Lana is a strong female lead with a complicated life and I loved how everything wrapped up so well in the end.
Fast paced and full of action, I will read more by this author!

Such a page-turner!!! Full of twists and turns, with a very charismatic main character (Agent Lana). Besides the crime, she also has to deal with things from her past that still affect her. Is not a clean book, by the way, but also not smutty. There is also a cult involved. Overall, really good book. Thanks Netgalley for my Arc!

EKKKK. I am so excited that you gave me early permission to this book. I LOVED it!

The plot was simple. FBI Agent Lana has no choice but to revisit the site of the past she tried to leave behind (such a nightmare).

I wasn’t fully sure what to think of this one as it went on. The plot drew me in quickly, the middle seemed to slow down and made it hard to pick up. The ending was SO WORTH the slow middle. I had some theories on who the murderer was, But was I wrong. I do think the ending was a bit abrupt. Would have liked to see a bit more to wrap it up, but over all this is one of the best thrillers I have read in the last few months.

Cheers to a successful book launch!

I was able to read an early ARC ebook of Blood on thr Vine. While scrolling my socials, I had seen a couple five star reviews and I wanted to make sure I requested a copy. This book was twisty and a great mystery thriller. The female main character was so down to earth and charismatic I loved it. Highly recommend this one!

In Blood on the VInde, FBI agent Lana Burrel is assigned to investigate a pair of murders in her hometown. When she arrives, she is paired with a 60 year old rookie deputy, Essie Leroux. The chemistry between these two is great! The investigation into the deaths leads her to a winery that her father, who is now in prison, used to help manage. As she works the case that may implicate the governor of California, or may be able to get her father released from prison. This is a well paced thriller that includes sex, drugs and wine. A fantastic edge of your seat mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC of this book.

I was completely captivated by this book! The way Lana’s past and present collided had me glued to the pages. As Lana, now a seasoned FBI agent, returned to the Valley, I could feel her determination and strength. The ritualistic passings and the eerie atmosphere kept me on edge, and I loved how the author painted such a vivid and suspenseful picture of the setting. I found myself rooting for Lana every step of the way as she confronted her nightmarish past and unraveled the chilling mystery. The rumors of a dangerous cult and the powerful family breathing down Lana's neck added an extra layer of intrigue and excitement. Lana's journey was both thrilling and emotional, and I loved experiencing every twist and turn through her eyes.

Overall, this book was a fantastic mix of suspense, mystery, and emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a gripping and thrilling read. I had so much fun diving into Lana's world, and I can't wait for more from this author!

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books for the copy of Blood on the Vine by J. T. Falco. I love books about cults and serial killers, so this one sounded like it was right up my alley. Lana and Essie were a great team, and I would love to read more about them. I loved how the story was about a cult, but not from the POV of someone tricked to join, and we find out why people are attracted to it. I liked reading about the competitiveness among winemakers, and how winemaking is kind of a cult! The big reveal was a surprise, but it made perfect sense. This book was graphic in parts, so if that bothers you, be forewarned! 4 stars

I received an ARC of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I did not realize until I just came on here to write my review that the author was a man. Considering that, I am pretty impressed with how he wrote the main character of Lana!

This book was extremely entertaining, with Lana's sarcasm and the wine cliches. Lana was an excellent character - strong and realistic and imperfect and interesting. I would absolutely love to see a series with her as the star.

The author seems to have done quite a bit of research on winemaking. The part about testing the grape must seemed almost sci-fi.

I was shocked with the villain reveal, and as usual, I have a soft spot for any thriller that surprises me.

Looking forward to reading more by this author!

So my favorite character in this book and the one I would love to see more of is Essie. She wasn't the lead, but was so much more interesting than FBI agent Lana. The book really picked up about halfway thru with a few twists thrown in. I would read more from this author.

I cannot get behind the twist in this book. The main character is unlikeable to the nth degree and the pacing drags for what is a relatively short book (320 pgs). Skip this one.

At the beginning of the book I was drawn into Lana’s story and her difficult task of going back to her hometown where tragedy had struck when she was young. Falco did a great job of developing Lana’s character, and you felt for her throughout the entire story. Falco has written a suspenseful novel that grabs you at the beginning, loses you in the middle, but brings you back in at the end. There were plenty of twist and turns that keeps you guessing who the murderer is and why they are killing. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys great suspenseful stories. Lana is an FBI agent that has been assigned to her hometown to investigate two women that have been murdered and were last seen at a Napa Valley Winery. Lana doesn’t really want to go but her boss feels that she is the right one for the job. As soon as Lana arrives in Napa Valley, she is stopped by the sheriff that arrested her father for murder. He isn’t happy to see her on this case and would like her to turn around and leave. That is when Lana decides that she will do her job and find out who is murdering these women. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blood on the Vine by J.T. Falco is one of those thrillers that pulls you in slowly, but won’t let go once the plot starts cooking!

This story follows FBI agent Lana Burrell. As a teenager, her best friend Jess was murdered and her father was framed for her murder. She’s left the Napa Valley life behind, but when two women are murdered within a month in the same community, her boss calls her in to lead the investigation. As she returns to the past she’d left behind, she must contend with the police officer who put her father behind bars and the Jess’ family, a center of wealthy wine dynasty. With clues of a shady cult in the middle of wine county and a stalker following her every move, Lana works to solve the murders with mounting fear that she could be the killer’s next victim.

I wasn’t fully sure what to think of this one as it went on. The plot drew me in quickly, but I thought it lost a little steam in the middle. That ending though does barrel through! I had some suspicions on who the murderer was, though the extent of the deed I couldn’t have guessed! I do think the ending was a bit abrupt. Would have liked to see a bit more to wrap it up.

I really liked these characters. Lana was a fantastic main character, well developed and sympathetic when she needed to be. The cast of supporting characters are colorful! The doubt is well placed on a lot of these characters which made it exciting. I really loved Essie the best! Her dynamic with Lana was fantastic.

This one is fun. I definitely suggest checking it out once it comes out!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 4/22/24