Twisted Vines

Shakespeare in the Vineyard #1

by Carole Price

Crime Analyst Caitlyn Tilson Pepper inherits a vineyard and two Shakespearean theaters in a northern California town from a mysterious aunt and becomes a target for murder.

Cait's investigation into the life and death of her Aunt Tasha forces her down a road paved with familial lies, devastating secrets, and multiple murders. She is faced with a hard decision: accept her inheritance and move to California, or return to Ohio and the job she loves?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

330 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2012

About the author

Carole is a Buckeye! Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University and worked for a national laboratory in northern California before turning to writing mysteries. She graduated from Livermore's Citizens Police Academy and is a police volunteer. Her writing companion is Shilo, an adorable 10-pound mixed terrier.

Carole is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She and her husband reside in the San Francisco Bay Area in the middle of wine country.

Reviews

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ostensibly set in Livermore ca, but other than a few local store or restaurant names, there's no sense of location or setting, and it's like the author couldn't decide if she wanted to write about wine country or local Shakespeare theater so tossed in a little of both and not enough of either...and the plot is so short on logic it becomes irritating, ie a fire has burned down one of the theaters, and it turns out alarms were installed but never activated, and still aren't so of course there's another fire.....surprise surprise...and when at least land probably two, maybe three murders occur and actors equity wants promises security will be present before it allows it's actors to come to perform,, our heroine promises, but later resists even having a few deputies brought in...duh?.........and there are too many mysteries, as if bits of a dozen romantic suspense storylines were gathered and then tossed randomly into the story in no particular order, relationships kept secret, parents dying in an accident, perhaps mysteriously, a deceased aunt who appears out of nowhere to leave her ranch , house, grounds, a few odd people work there...all to the niece she's never met...and everyone just seems to shrug that and the whole adoption questions off as nothing....
The characters could become interesting if they are fleshed out much much more in the next book, but for the moment they are too stereotypical

[Kristin M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun to read. Local so that made it more interesting.

[Penandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to love this book. The Livermore Valley is beautiful and offers an excellent setting for a mystery. I so much wanted this to be it, this it wasn’t. A good editor might have helped with better sentence structure, continuity of plot, and a better sense of place — not to mention better character development! Im tempted to read a later book to see if later books in the series improve on the shortcomings found in this one (if they’re available in our local library, I may).

As I drove home through the vineyards the other evening, I reflected on how disappointed I was that the author didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to provide readers with a better sense of the area she had picked for her story. This is a beautiful valley and is much more than the mention of a few restaurants, offices, and shops.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author developed such a convoluted and improbable premise for the book that everything that followed seemed unrealistic and trite. Livermore has some of the oldest, continually producing vines in California but I really didn't get a sense of location. There are several other series about an inexperienced girl who inherits a vineyard and deal with more of the complexities of winemaking. For me it was too much drama and not enough terroir.

[Ulana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this murder mystery. It was well laid out. I like the main character, a lady Crime Analyst Caitlyn Pepper who is the heir of her aunts vineyard, home, and Shakespearean theater in Northern California. She suspects her aunt was murdered. She flies out to California to hear the will and check out her aunts property. A couple of fires and another murder happens on the property so it gets complicated.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read. I want to see what else is in store for RT and Cait.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sure wish I'd read this book before the second one! Everything makes a lot more sense. Great characters, an interesting mystery, and a wonderful setting. Livermore sounds like an ideal town.

[Mamagross · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read for those of us in the TriValley area.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot would be okay of it moved a little faster. Not a lot of action. Writing flows well , just no intrigue. Very predictable.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caitlyn Tilson Pepper is introduced to us in this story, the first novel in the Shakespeare in the Vineyard Mystery series. I had been fortunate to win the second story Sour Grapes in a Goodreads giveway, so I read these backward, but after reading Sour Grapes, I HAD to find out how Cait had inherited the theater/vineyard in California.

The story begins when Cait receives a call from a lawyer in California, informing her that her aunt Tasha has died and left Cait her home, which is an estate that includes 2 theaters and a vineyard. Since Cait has no idea that aunt Tasha exists, and the caller is relaying the news on April 1st, Cait decides that it is an April Fool's joke, and is hanging up the phone when she catches the full name of her alleged aunt - Tasha Tilson Bening. Intrigued by the coincidence of similar surnames, she agrees to fly to CA to look over the situation.

On arrival there, she finds enough mystery to keep her there to see how she is actually related to Tasha. I had not yet mentioned that Cait's job was a Crime Analyst for the Ohio police, and she had been a policewoman before that. Putting her experience to good use, she begins to investigate the disturbing incidents at the estate, fires in the theater, someone shooting at her through the kitchen door.... Luckily, she finds a few allies and a bit of romance to go with the hunt for the truth.

Since I've mentioned the second book, we know that Cait survives the first, but it's a great trip to the finish line.

I highly recommend both books. Lots of mystery, the making of new friends, and just a bit of romance. Now I need a 3rd!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes one forgets the comfort of a cozy mystery, especially when one is in the sure hands of a true storyteller. Carole Price has spun a tale in the Livermore Valley full of vibrant characters, classic red herrings and an array of juicy suspects that Agatha Christie would smile and nod upon.

Living in Pleasanton, I have a soft spot in my heart for Ms. Price's setting, which springs to life in her pages. She mentions the cafe at Garre Winery and Cafe Oresco, even Mines Road. I feel right at home. In this homey, yet idyllic setting, the author weaves elements of Shakespeare. Imagine a Shakespeare Festival in our local wine country! Sign me up!

Her protagonist is Cait Pepper- love this heroine! Tough, but with baggage (hey, welcome to the club), she is smart, talks a little too much, beautiful and very alive! She springs off the page. I don't want to give too much away (it is a mystery after all), but there IS a hunky love interest, murder, pathos, humanity and whimsy in this book- LOVED IT!

Everyone should get a copy!!!!

You can read my interview with the author at http://erikagardner.com/2012/09/20/tr...

P.S. The next book in the series is called "Sour Grapes"- can't wait for it to come out!!!

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

I enjoyed the California-set Elaine Flinn mysteries. That series, unfortunately, ended with the death of its author. I thought this might be an interesting thing to read in light of that. I liked the idea of combining California wine country and Shakespeare. Unfortunately, it was a little bit too much of a first novel, complete with rushing to introduce the main character's full name and profession in the first sentence. I hate when books do that. ("Crime analyst Cait Pepper finally finished clearing her desk Monday morning at the Columbus police station when the phone rang.") I'm sorry, but there's no excuse for packing that much info into the first sentence. Also, the book was set in 2012, and so was the book apparently? Given that, I find it really hard to believe that a fax machine in a police station in a reasonably large metropolitan area would be using shiny thermal paper. Seems vaguely possible, but unlikely.

I'm curious about some of the mysteries introduced here, but unfortunately not curious enough to actually finish reading the book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a projected series of mysteries featuring Ohio crime analyst Caitlyn Tilson Pepper. If the others are as good as this one, I will certainly be waiting for each one as it is published. Caitlyn receives a telephone call from a lawyer in California with the news that she is the sole heir of the estate of an aunt that she never knew that she had. She needs to fly to California to settle the considerable estate, which will make her a very wealthy woman, but is not sure that she wants to leave her job in Ohio.

Her uncle had died some months previously to her aunt from a fall while riding his horse. Two men working on the estate think that both her aunt and uncle were murdered, and soon Caitlyn feels the same way. Arson which again burns one of the theaters on the property, a shotgun blast through the kitchen door window which makes her dive for cover, the discovery of a murdered private investigator in her garage, and a few other incidents, all convince Caitlyn to use her investigative skills to find out what is truly happening.

This was a quick read and a past page-turner the I would recommend for all mystery lovers.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted Vines is a good read all around, with solid characters and lots of red herrings.

Author Carole Price transplants the Oregon Shakespeare Theatre to a vineyard in Northern California and by killing off the founder, introduces Caitlyn Tilson Pepper who carries the arc of the narrative. Don't mistake Twisted Vines as a cozy, because it's not - Cait has to contend with several deaths, and her background as a crime analyst makes her the perfect protag - systematic, courageous and methodological (even when it comes to love). She speaks her mind as she moves through the scenes, weighing and balancing each suspect in turn, as she gains a better understanding of the vineyards, theatre, and of the mystery.

There's lots of backstage action in Twisted Vines, for those who love theatre, light mystery and the beautiful Northern California setting.

Thanks to author Anne Parker for introducing us to Carole Price. Breakfast together with you and Carole at Brothers earlier this summer was delightful!

--Ashland Mystery

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caitlyn is more shocked to learn that she had an aunt than she is to hear of her inheritance. The crime analyst and former police officer is sure that it's a scam--until she leaves Ohio for California and sees the estate she's inherited. There's the vineyard, of course, but there are also the theaters, where a Shakespeare festival will be starting in a few months. The handsome SEAL her aunt persuaded to stay on the grounds is suspicious about Tasha's death, and Cait soon realizes that she's suspicious too. As Cait finds some family secrets of her own, she also prods the local police to find out just what did happen to Tasha. Despite the title, this concentrates more on the theater aspect than the wine-making. First in a series.

[Jacqueline Seewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisted Vines by Carole Price is a unique mystery novel. Ohio crime analyst, Cait Pepper, inherits a California vineyard and two Shakespearean theaters from an aunt she’s never heard of before. She soon learns that both her aunt and uncle died under mysterious circumstances and ends up investigating their murders which makes her a target of the killer as well. There are a number of unusual suspects. Royal Tanner (R.T.), a Navy SEAL, helps her uncover the truth while bringing romance into the young widow’s life. Altogether a mystery novel you won’t want to put down until you have read the last word.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to a new "cozy" mystery series that starts off (briefly) in Columbus, Ohio, but takes place in the greater San Francisco area.

The only thing that prevented me from giving it 5 stars was the number of editorial / misspelled or misused words in the text. I got tripped up on more than a few sentences in the book and it takes a lot to trip me up when I'm reading a great story!

To the editors of the world, I realize you have a lot of authors and their works to cover, but spell check is not adequate. Sometimes you actually have to read the book!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first in a series. I was looking for a local author that my mystery reading group could read and interact with.

I am familiar with the Livermore, CA area and enjoyed thede details, along with the Shakespeare Theater aspects. I was an English lit major as an undergraduate.

The mysteries were well plotted, and her background as a police officer made the investigation logical.

It had more romance than I like, but I will read on in the series.

I borrowed the Large Print edition from the public library.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime Analyst Caitlyn Pepper is shocked to learn that she has inherited a vineyard from an aunt she never knew existed. She is even more shocked to find out that her aunt may have been murdered. Not trusting the police to find the killer, Caitlyn risks her own life to see justice done. This first book in a new series features a pleasant mystery and a nice romance. Recommended for fans of Joanne Fluke and Carolyn Hart.

[Penny Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's the perfect combination--Shakespeare theater and wine country! The protagonist, Cate, is a smart ex-cop who investigates a murder at her newly acquired winery in the Livermore Valley. The author knows her police procedurals - very impressive. And there's a great love interest! Can't wait for the next one.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this book! Shakespeare, Livermore, murder/mystery sounded like a winning combination for me! I think the author had some good ideas but the dialogue and storytelling were flawed. I did not make it beyond page 40. :-(

[Staci McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to preview this book. It's a fantastic debut novel with a strong female lead and a gorgeous wine-country setting.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An admirable effort for a first novel. Loved the setting--Livermore wine country. The author is local and I met her at our indie bookstore. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Sara James]

I am glad I found this book on my library new book shelf. Great read, and cannot wait for her next book Sour Grapes

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a simple and entertaining read. Kept my interest all the way through. No huge surprises, no big twisting plot lines, just an entertaining read. I look forward to the next one.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A library find.
September 2025.
Enjoyable.
Contained a few unnecessary cuss words.
Smooth. Flowed well.
Held my attention well. I wanted to finish the Book before I put it down.
Read.
Enjoy.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK - only realised it was sent in my local area when I started reading it - duh!

[Katie M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story based in Livermore CA. Possible title for Livermore Reads Together?

[Fred Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder, intrigue and romance are entwined in this story by Carole Price. Each chapter leaves the reader anxious for the next as characters Caitlyn "Cait" Pepper and Navy SEAL Royal Tanner (R.T.) uncover a unique mystery. "Twisted Vines" is a compelling, entertaining novel.