Lethal Vintage

Sunny McCoskey #4

by Nadia Gordon

A Napa Valley chef turns up the heat on a killer at a billionaire’s pool party in this mystery from the author of Murder Alfresco.A decadent day of poolside sunbathing turns into a scandalous night—culminating in murder. By morning, the police are pounding on Sunny McCoskey’s door, and she is thrust into the center of a tense investigation involving a hedge-fund billionaire with a spectacular estate in California’s Napa Valley.Restaurant owner Sunny McCoskey and her usually fun-loving friends must juggle their culinary pursuits and a variety of suspicious characters in this delicious mystery. Steeped in good food, great wine, and plenty of summer heat, Lethal Vintage offers a fascinating look at what goes on in those mansions above the vines.Praise for Sharpshooter“[Sunny] is bright, tenacious, and extremely likable, and Gordon paints a vivid portrait of the Napa Valley and its wine-and-food culture. I’m looking forward to many more novels in this intriguing new series.” —Marcia Muller, New York Times–bestselling author of the Sharon McCone mysteries“Napa Valley, the good life, sunny skies, fine cuisine, and fleshy reds. But, isn’t there something murky at the bottom of the bottle? Yes, and it is murder, no less. The mystery of wine . . . If a wine does not have some mystery to it, we call it plonk. Sharpshooter is not plonk. A crime novel with taste.” —Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures on the Wine Route“Those of us who enjoy an authentic look into another culture while reading a mystery are going to enjoy joining Nadia Gordon in the wild, weird wine industry.” —Tony Hillerman, New York Times–bestselling author of the Leaphorn and Chee novels

Genres: Mystery, Wine, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2008

About the author

Nadia Gordon is the pen name of writer Julianne Balmain.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

So one day I'm watching Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentis and she is hosting her book group. Yes, I googled it and this is the book they were reading. I missed the discussion of the book on the show but had to read the book. I know now why Giada liked it so much - it's about a California female chef (sound familiar) who lives in Napa Valley and has her own restaurant. I did enjoy it, more than I expected. Perhaps the glee of finishing this semester is influencing me?

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Nadia Gordon Napa Valley mysteries are so great. Smart, fun, and steeped in wine and foodie food. And totally escapist for the quarantine blues. This one was just as good as the others--highly recommended.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. Great food and wine with a little mystery. I liked at the end when Sunny stopped calorie counting and became less concerned about health food saying "the extra years weren't worth the grief, they get tacked on at the end of your life when your already half dead anyway". Drink enough red wine, the resvertrol will keep us young:)

[Chris Hofmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read but the series was definitely getting to the end of plausibility. How many murders can Sunny be part of until you think she’s surely guilty of all of them despite what the author tells you? Some of the characters we’re a bit contrived but it was still enjoyable and a fun summer read. A 3.5.

[Jean Metzker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Interesting character development. Good light reading. Nice writing. If you know the deep nature of Napa Valley it’s even more engrossing. .

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t help myself for some reason. I like this series, even though Sunny McCloskey is almost terminally nosy. I really like her extended family – her friends, Wade, Monty, and her assistant Rivka. Wade is good character – he is funny and a bit of a foil for Sunny. I even like Sunny and admire her a bit – until she starts investigating.

The woman just can’t seem to control herself. She tells the local police detective (who she knows and who I think may have a bit of a crush on her, but I’m not sure) that she will refrain from sticking her nose into the most recent murder, but she does anyway. I guess she has some vested interest, since it is an old friend that is murdered. This friend calls her out of the blue and invites Sunny to visit her at her boyfriend’s estate. Anna’s boyfriend is a young billionaire who appears to have made is fortune using shady practices and being very ruthless. Sunny ends up staying the ng and in the morning learns Anna is dead.

I suppose since she was there and it is a friend, Sunny is more reason to be interested in the investigation of this murder. However, it does not explain why she goes off on her own to confront people and put herself in harm’s way without thinking things through and imagining what the consequences maybe. At least she isn’t almost killed in this book, as she almost was in the previous one.

I know I’m going to read the next one (if there is a next one), because as irritating as Sunny can be, I do like her and I do like this series.

[Samantha Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my favorite Sunny McCoskey book but I definitely liked it. Even though I found parts unbelievable I was still gripped by the story. I had to know who did it. I had to know why Sunny's boyfriend was caught with another woman. I had to know why that man had all the cameras in his house. I also liked all the descriptions of Sunny's lazy drunken escapades in this book. That was one part I did find very believable. I can recall times I've gone to a friend's only to find myself sucked into her weird world, wanting to leave but not wanting to be rude. Then wanting to stay but not knowing why. However, none of my escapades ever ended in murder. One thing I love about this series is that Sunny is so real. She is a down-to-earth character who I want to be friends with. While sometimes the books can be a little bit unrealistic, the characters in all the books always seem like real people. I also love the food talk! Love it, love it! This is the last book in the series. What am I going to do now?

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recently talking with a friend about how much more enjoyable wine tasting is when not run by unbearable wine snobs and is instead done by people who love wine without pretension. The [i]Sunny McCoskey[/i] series is sort of the same thing – it’s a murder mystery series without the pretension. I’ve read a handful of mystery books recently that seemed more focused on being “more" than a murder mystery (often at the expense of the story), and really, give me Sunny and her simple and uncomplicated adventures. Sunny going to a party and waking up the next morning to discover the hostess is dead? Absolutely. Having Sunny end up as a potential suspect? Sounds like fun. Could the plot be more complicated? Yep. But there’s a sort of light-hearted fun that pervades the Sunny McCoskey series, and each book tends to get better in that regard. I hope Ms. Gordon doesn’t take too long on No. 5, because I think we could all do with a little less pretension and a little more fun. Recommended.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick and delightful read with our amateur sleuth, Sunny. Sunny is hanging out with an old girl friend who has latched onto a VC billionaire with a home in Napa. A "sunny" alcohol fueled day leads to her crashing overnight with the wealthy young and restless. However, the next morning when she wakes up with a hangover, that's the least of her problems. I keep waiting for something romantic to happen between Sunny and the cop who always trys to keep her in line. As usual Sunny gets involved in police business but this time it's more personal and the killer comes after her. Lots of suspects and some great meals to go along with the hunt. Now I'll have a long wait for the next book. Wondering if Sunny is going to grow the business and what's going to happen with her current boyfriend who is now on probation- not legal but love/fidelity.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumped into the middle of this series as it was offered for $1.99. I might go back and read some of the lead ins just to get some background on the main character and her friends. Premise is Sunny, who is a chef in Napa Valley, gets somehow involved in murders and solving them. This time a friend she has not seen in years, invites her to a party, Sunny drinks too much wine and stays overnight, in the morning her hostess is dead. Sunny tries to determine which of the other guests might have committed the crime, as she is very friendly with the local police, she does not work for them. I enjoyed this book as I had just come from a vacation in Napa Valley and the places she mentions are fresh in my mind.

[Sheila Panno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was very light and easy. I really enjoyed reading about all the gourmet food and wine and it made me want to plan a trip to Napa Valley or have a bunch of friends over for a dinner party with great food and great wine! This was a book club pick for me. The member who picked it was inspired by Giada on Food TV. Giada has a book club and this was one of their picks. It's a great read inspired by food and wine with a little whodunnit entwined.

[Darlis · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this mystery, I wish I had more time to sit and read it. I was totally involved in other things while I tried to read and didn't have the time to enjoy it. However, I liked the characters, the setting made me homesick, and there were enough actions in the novel to keep me involved in the story. I hope others will like it, too.

[Donna Forshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 4th in her series of books. you don't need to read the first 3 to understand this one but it does offer some good background on some of the characters. The first 4 were solid 3 stars; this was only a 2 star but was still good and I'll continue reading the series.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lover of mysteries and an a wine enthusiast, I wanted to enjoy to this more. But I'm not an existing fan of the McCoskey series, and I found her character too unrealistic, and collective reactions unnatural. That distracted from the overall plot.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bland murder mystery set in the California wine country.

[Pam Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one better than #3. Good characters.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found out about this book on a television show and was really looking forward to it. Mystery and wine - could it get any better? Didn't live up to my expectations at all. Would not recommend it.

[Bridgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read for some light reading.

[Irene Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read on a Sunday!

[Danni]

Dollar site buy

[Mima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good really loved the whole Series wish there was more too come

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a daily find on my Nook. It falls at more like 2.5 stars for me. I liked it, but I'm not sure I'll seek out the rest of the series.

[Veda Sorrells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book very much. It was a page- turner and it always kept me guessing!

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in a fun series. Perfect beach read. Wish there were more.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book, although not one of her best (just a bit unbelievable on all the contorted web of relationships). Definitely gives you a realistic view of the Napa Valley lifestyle.

[Ellen Marchessault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reliable Sunny McCoskey installment.

[Kwoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the best of the Sunny series, but still an interesting and fun read

[Allisun · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a fav...I loved her first two and liked the third, but this one just did not do it for me!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nadia Gordon's books. I just wish she would write more!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, makes me want to read the others.