This is the 1st Wine Lover's Mystery Started: 9/16/07
Ended: 9/21/07
>>>>>>>>>>WARNING-SPOILERS AHEAD-WARNING<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Synopsis:
Nikki Sands was like every other aspiring actress—waiting tables between jobs. But Nikki had taken serving wines to heart. She knew enough to impress Napa Valley’s golden boy, Derek Maleveaux, who offered her a job at his vineyard. And though Nikki may have left her dreams of stardom behind, the work of wine is ripe with intrigue—and the seeds of sleuthing are planted.
Nikki has just set foot on Napa Valley’s rich soil when she realizes her new job may not be as safe as she thought. First off, Derek Maleveaux is disconcertingly sexy. Second, his top winemaker is dead in the bushes outside Nikki’s cottage. It doesn’t take a connoisseur of foul play to know something’s taken a terrible turn...
Characters:
Nikki Sands: Aspiring actress/waitress; raised by Aunt who retired recently from the LAPD as a homicide detective; 34 y/o, shoulder length blond hair with green/blue/grey eyes; ashamed by her white-trash family roots; her mom was a whore and her "father" (unknown whether he was her biological father) died drinking & driving; she was then shipped off to her Aunt Cara
Derek Malveaux: Multi-millionaire; holds largest share and therefore runs Malveaux Estate Vineyards; dirty blonde with ocean-blue eyes; asks Nikki to come to Napa Valley to work for him; impressed with her wine knowledge after she waits on him; does not live at the Malveaux Mansion, but prefers to reside on the property in a barn he restored/custom-built himself; heads an annual benefit for the Leukemia Foundation; mother passed away from leukemia when he was 7 y/o; attracted to Nikki but does not act on his feelings; feels he is not ready for a relationship and does not want to hurt Nikki
Maurice: Bartender at Chez la Mer; Nikki's friend whom she worked with at Chez la Mer; ~64 y/o
Gabriel Asanti: Italian winemaker; Nikki finds him murdered behind her cottage shortly after she arrives at Malveaux Estate; a known womanizer; DEAD: apparently strangled by vines; rumored to have had an affair with Meredith while she was still married to Derek; rumored to have entertained possible employment with competing vineyard-Sumner Winery; secretly fucking Minnie
Meredith Malveaux: Derek's ex-wife; cheated on Derek several times; dark hair and eyes; shallow, materialistic, money-hungry, plastic & fake; due to the divorce settlement: continues to live at the Malveaux Mansion and is the manager of the estate bistro that only serves lunch; Derek suspects she may be stealing a portion of the profits; Nikki will be her boss and oversee the management of the bistro; help in the killing of Gabriel because he rejected her for Minnie; killed Minnie for not only stealing her man but trying to frame her for stealing; ultimately in cahoots with her twin brother Cal and her mother Patrice; had originally planned with Patrice to marry Derek and get impregnated, divorce and then use the child's custody as a playing chip in exchange for the vineyard; later-- planned with Cal to extort money from their mother Patrice after killing Derek
Minnie Lark: Malveaux accountant; young, prim, wears glasses and looks every bit the librarian with her severe chin-length page boy haircut; impeccable skin; dreams of moving to Tuscany; suspects Meredith is stealing from the estate bistro; friends with Andres; secretly fucking Gabriel; DEAD: strangled to death with a phone cord; found by Nikki upstairs in Malveaux Mansion during Annual Leukemia Benefit; discovered that she was the one stealing from the bistro, setting-up Meredith, so that she & Gabriel could run off to Tuscany and purchase a vineyard
Andres Fernandez: Winemaker @ Spaniards' Crest Estate; known to be rivals with Gabriel; dark rugged good looks; believes wine making is an art and Gabriel did not respect it; sister Isabel
Isabel Fernandez: Andres' sister; pursued by Gabriel, but she wanted nothing to do with him; owns & runs new restaurant "Grapes"
Simon Malveaux: Derek's gay half-brother; spoiled rich kid; lives at the Malveaux Mansion; despises Derek out of pure jealousy; blackmailed by unknown person who caught him with fuck-buddy, Samuel; decided to pay Samuel to leave Napa Valley
Marco: Simon's partner; thick Italian accent; leech with a sarcastic sense of humor; gossip hound and fame hungry; lives at the Malveaux Mansion; smokes
Patrice Malveaux: Derek's stepmother; redhead with light green eyes; plastic & fake; despises Derek because he holds the largest share of the Malveaux Estate; lives at the Malveaux Mansion; smokes; does not acknowledge that her son is gay; when she was young, she become pregnant with twins and gave them up for adoption; later was reunited with her children, Cal & Meredith and they plotted on getting their hands on the Malveaux Estate
Chandler Malveaux: Deceased; still in love with his first wife who died from leukemia; married Patrice out of guilt when she had helped him out financially years ago
Jeanine Wiley: Police officer called onto the scene when Gabriel's body was found by Nikki; freckled-face redhead; fan of Nikki's cancelled TV show alter ego: Det. Sydney Martini; shy
Oliver: Derek's dog; Rhodesian Ridgeback
Tara Beckenroe: Briefly dated Gabriel; known as a barracuda in her quest to obtain a man; writes for Winemaker Magazine; bitchy; slept with Cal; researched and figured out the DNA connection between Cal and Meredith; saved Nikki when she was being strangled by Cal; out to get Derek for herself
Stan Horn: Police Chief of Napa Valley; 65 y/o; resembles Santa Claus
Cal Sumner: Owns Sumner Winery; Johnny Depp look-alike; tried to get Gabriel to come work for him; dating Meredith; friend's with Derek; wanted to be a country-western singer; twin sister is Meredith, mother is Patrice; was losing his winery due to bad business deals; finished killing Gabriel after Meredith hit him over the head with a wine bottle; set-up Manual to take the fall for the killings; tried to kill Nikki but was knocked out and tied up by Tara
Manual Sanchez: Vineyard worker; Mexican immigrant; wife and newborn killed in an auto accident; has 2 young children: Catalina & Mateo; framed, arrested and charged as the "Wine Lovers Killer"; children are taken by Child Protective Services
Mark Anderson: Brute cop
Samuel Eades: Gay barista at local Starbucks; was having an affair/fucking Simon; aspiring actor who wants to move to LA;
My Review:
Overall, I enjoyed this first installment, although not as good as the Coffeehouse Mystery Series. Like a fine wine, this one needs time to breathe, but I will definitely read the next book.
Sex: No fucking, past actions implied
Language:Swearing is very limited (bitch seemed to be the strongest word used)
Violence: Past actions implied; tame stuff here
Book Score: 8.5/10
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