What do you think?
Rate this book
A BJ Vinson Mystery #4
The Lovely Pines
A BJ Vinson Mystery
When Ariel Gonda’s winery, the Lovely Pines, suffers a break-in, the police write the incident off as a prank since nothing was taken. But Ariel knows something is wrong—small clues are beginning to add up—and he turns to private investigator BJ Vinson for help.
BJ soon discovers the incident is anything but harmless. When a vineyard worker—who is also more than he seems—is killed, there are plenty of suspects to go around. But are the two crimes even related? As BJ and his significant other, Paul Barton, follow the trail from the central New Mexico wine country south to Las Cruces and Carlsbad, they discover a tangled web involving members of the US military, a mistaken identity, a family fortune in dispute, and even a secret baby. The body count is rising, and a child may be in danger. BJ will need all his skills to survive because, between a deadly sniper and sabotage, someone is determined to make sure this case goes unsolved.
- GenresContemporary
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2018
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Don Travis
8 books11 followersDon Travis is a man totally captivated by his adopted state of New Mexico. Each of his mystery novels features some region of the state as prominently as it does his protagonist, a gay ex-Marine, ex-cop turned confidential investigator. Don never made it to the Marines (three years in the Army was all he managed) and certainly didn’t join the Albuquerque Police Department. He thought he was a paint artist for a while, but ditched that for writing a few years back. A loner, he fulfills his social needs by attending SouthwestWriters meetings and teaching a weekly writing class at an Albuquerque community center.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 29, 2018
The fourth B.J. Vinson mystery in this series is just as intriguing as the first three. B.J. Vinson – or BJ for short because… who wants to be called Burleigh? – is an intrepid confidential investigator who gets involved in the weirdest cases. This time the owner of a winery in New Mexico needs BJ’s help to identify an unexplained intruder who doesn’t steal anything other than the odd bottle of expensive wine from the cellar. Things escalate when one of the employees is murdered, the family fortune comes into play, and an unexpected baby turns up. As ever, the quality of the writing is high, there is a variety of quirky and eccentric characters, and the New Mexico setting adds color and variety as BJ traces his various leads.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 18, 2018
Book four in the series. This could be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first in the series if you haven't already.
Blurb does a decent job of summarizing and tantalizing, so I won’t rehash. I will add though, the blurb makes it sound like BJ’s significant other Paul has a predominant role in helping to solve the murder, when he is mostly a background supporting character in this installment.
I will say up front, I adore the BJ. Vinson books. I love the New Mexico setting and how vividly Mr. Travis describes the landscape and intertwines tidbits of history. It makes the book feel more intimate and alive.
I’ve enjoyed the cast of characters since I picked up the first book – BJ is levelheaded, thoughtful and through. His interaction with other law enforcement agencies is one of respect, he doesn’t come in as a know-it-all who HAS to be the one to solve the mystery. He knows some agents are more willing to work with him than others and he goes with the flow.
As I mentioned above, Paul is very much a supporting character. The reader is treated to beautiful glimpses of their relationship: how much they care for each other, little couple quirks, and BJ’s angst at their age difference. Honestly, I love this kind of written romance, it’s so much more poignant.
BJ relies on Hazel and her husband Charlie. If you’ve read previous books, you can tell they are good friends even though their interaction is always portrayed as strictly business.
The mystery itself is nicely cozy. Astute mystery readers will probably figure it out fairly quickly, but it’s enjoyable watching BJ and his group work through the who-done-it. There are a couple concurrent mysteries which keep the plot moving right along.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. Well-developed and interesting characters, an engaging plot, and a great setting. I really need to plan a trip to New Mexico!
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. THANK YOU!
Blurb does a decent job of summarizing and tantalizing, so I won’t rehash. I will add though, the blurb makes it sound like BJ’s significant other Paul has a predominant role in helping to solve the murder, when he is mostly a background supporting character in this installment.
I will say up front, I adore the BJ. Vinson books. I love the New Mexico setting and how vividly Mr. Travis describes the landscape and intertwines tidbits of history. It makes the book feel more intimate and alive.
I’ve enjoyed the cast of characters since I picked up the first book – BJ is levelheaded, thoughtful and through. His interaction with other law enforcement agencies is one of respect, he doesn’t come in as a know-it-all who HAS to be the one to solve the mystery. He knows some agents are more willing to work with him than others and he goes with the flow.
As I mentioned above, Paul is very much a supporting character. The reader is treated to beautiful glimpses of their relationship: how much they care for each other, little couple quirks, and BJ’s angst at their age difference. Honestly, I love this kind of written romance, it’s so much more poignant.
BJ relies on Hazel and her husband Charlie. If you’ve read previous books, you can tell they are good friends even though their interaction is always portrayed as strictly business.
The mystery itself is nicely cozy. Astute mystery readers will probably figure it out fairly quickly, but it’s enjoyable watching BJ and his group work through the who-done-it. There are a couple concurrent mysteries which keep the plot moving right along.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. Well-developed and interesting characters, an engaging plot, and a great setting. I really need to plan a trip to New Mexico!
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. THANK YOU!
August 28, 2018
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DSP Publications for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
The fourth book in the BJ Vinson Mystery series is The Lovely Pines and like the previous books in the series, we have a real mystery to solve. There’s secrets on top of secrets in this book and BJ is here to solve all of them, regardless of what he was hired for! As with the previous books, the author is giving us a new location to discover with new characters and still some of the familiar characters from previous books. Though it seems like BJ has a simple breaking and entering to solve, the case devolves into such much more. There are mysteries on top of mysteries in this book!
This book has BJ working with different police forces, some who are not familiar with him and not happy to have him involved in their cases. BJ is having to put more effort into making sure he’s not stepping on any toes. The easiest mystery to solve, in my opinion, was how the breaking and entering occurred. From the first inspection of the wine room, I knew what would be coming out, but it took BJ a little longer of working through the pieces. But BJ had a lot to solve when a death becomes involved in his investigation. Paul worked with BJ on this case, though I don’t know if it was as much as the previous book. With Paul’s interest in journalistic investigation, it would seem that him working alongside BJ would be something he’d be interested in.
The author really does a fantastic job of introducing completely new mysteries to this series. He keeps each case interesting, fresh and engaging. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next! I love that I can just start this book and sink into BJ’s world of solving crimes. Mystery lovers make sure to grab all of these books and get to know BJ!
Rating: 5 stars!
The fourth book in the BJ Vinson Mystery series is The Lovely Pines and like the previous books in the series, we have a real mystery to solve. There’s secrets on top of secrets in this book and BJ is here to solve all of them, regardless of what he was hired for! As with the previous books, the author is giving us a new location to discover with new characters and still some of the familiar characters from previous books. Though it seems like BJ has a simple breaking and entering to solve, the case devolves into such much more. There are mysteries on top of mysteries in this book!
This book has BJ working with different police forces, some who are not familiar with him and not happy to have him involved in their cases. BJ is having to put more effort into making sure he’s not stepping on any toes. The easiest mystery to solve, in my opinion, was how the breaking and entering occurred. From the first inspection of the wine room, I knew what would be coming out, but it took BJ a little longer of working through the pieces. But BJ had a lot to solve when a death becomes involved in his investigation. Paul worked with BJ on this case, though I don’t know if it was as much as the previous book. With Paul’s interest in journalistic investigation, it would seem that him working alongside BJ would be something he’d be interested in.
The author really does a fantastic job of introducing completely new mysteries to this series. He keeps each case interesting, fresh and engaging. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next! I love that I can just start this book and sink into BJ’s world of solving crimes. Mystery lovers make sure to grab all of these books and get to know BJ!
Rating: 5 stars!
February 15, 2021
A very intriguing mystery read with romance on the side. 6 books in the series now (with more to come?) and each one lays out a very entertaining and enthralling mystery with interesting secondary characters and lots of detail about the New Mexico landscape that make me really want to visit and see the sights. Everything centers around the main character, BJ, and his PI business. Second to the mystery is BJ's romance with Paul.
These are all best read in order as many of the secondary characters keep growing in the stories but not necessary.
These are all best read in order as many of the secondary characters keep growing in the stories but not necessary.
February 26, 2019
This one is a pure mystery and investigation story. I like the twists and turns of the story, but I was a bit skeptical about the motive of the murder. Maybe because the background of the murder case was a bit vague, so it's a little hard to accept that the killer would even kill for the second time.
September 7, 2018
** 4.5 Stars **
May 18, 2020
Another interesting instalment in BJ Vinson’s case file.
And as it turns out, it is a number of different but linked cases.
BJ and his cohorts Hazel and Charlie are good, Paul has a smaller role in this one so we don’t see him much, new and old police contacts appear as well as lawyer Del.
Yes at times the script gets a bit too describy with clothes worn etc but I do like the mysteries and how they unfold. BJ still has his TSTL moments - he will be checking back seats now - and like all heroes, comes put of bad accidents relatively unscathed.Enjoyed
And as it turns out, it is a number of different but linked cases.
BJ and his cohorts Hazel and Charlie are good, Paul has a smaller role in this one so we don’t see him much, new and old police contacts appear as well as lawyer Del.
Yes at times the script gets a bit too describy with clothes worn etc but I do like the mysteries and how they unfold. BJ still has his TSTL moments - he will be checking back seats now - and like all heroes, comes put of bad accidents relatively unscathed.Enjoyed
October 10, 2018
My review of “The Lovely Pines” can be found at my web site.
November 21, 2018
One of the best mystery series going. Vinson and Paul an amazing couple.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews