The Vale Vineyard Killer

DI Jack Dawes #8

by Frances Lloyd

The Vale vineyard tour is disrupted by a nasty discovery. The lifeless body of Bob Beacham, the site manager, is found in a huge fermentation tank. He suffocated to death.

It looks like a tragic accident. That’s until the paramedics find a deep gash on the back of his head. It’s time to call in Detective Jack Dawes.

Then Dr Anstruther, who looks after the vineyard workers’ health, is knocked down in a hit-and-run.

Someone is clearly picking off people connected to the Vale vineyard. Who will be the next to die?

Genres: Fiction

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2021

About the author

Frances Lloyd was born in Essex but spent a nomadic childhood being carted between RAF stations until mercifully, she was allowed a crack at a proper education in Cheltenham, studying English and Classics. As an adult, she eventually fetched up in the south west of England but by then, had become something of a wandering minstrel with no physical or spiritual roots apart from work.
Frances has always been a writer. The job that paid the mortgage was in government communications, writing speeches and other parliamentary material for some well-known politicians.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson]

Detective Inspector Jack Dawes Mystery Book 8

The usual tour of Richington Vale Vineyard is disrupted by a nasty discovery. The lifeless corpse of Bob Breachan, the site manager, is found stuffed into a huge fermentation tank. He suffocated to death. It looks like a tragic accident. Until the paramedics find a deep gash on the back of his head. It's time to call in DI Jack Dawes.

This is a nice cosy, easy to read book that's just perfect for the long dark nights ahead. People who work for or at the vineyard are being killed. DI Jack Dawes is called in to investigate. It's fast pace, with a few twists, kept my attention throughout. There's a few laugh out loud moments too. I have not read any of the books in this series but this book does read well as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #FrancesLlyod for my ARC of #TheValeVineyardKiller in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Strong]

Who has a problem with the Vale Vineyard? People associated with the vineyard are being murdered.

First, it's the site manager, but the physician that overlooks the care of vineyard workers states that the manager was a victim of an accident and not murder.

Shortly after, the physician is a victim of a hit and run. Accident? Coincidence? Murder?

DI Jack Dawes and his team are called in to investigate, only to be stonewalled by the owner of the vineyard and his extended family. They all seem to be hiding something ... but what .. and why?

Suspense starts at the very beginning and holds heady until the final act. Characters are deftly defined in a skillful manner.. I like the blend of the personal along with the professional, ie, how Dawes bounces ideas off his wife, as she has intuitive people skills. The conclusion brought forth an ending that was both unexpected ... and satisfactory. Although 8th in the series, this is easily a stand alone, however, this has been a compelling series and would recommend starting withe the first book.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Janet]

The Vale vineyard tour is disrupted by a nasty discovery. The lifeless body of Bob Beacham, the site manager, is found in a huge fermentation tank. He suffocated to death. It looks like a tragic accident. That’s until the paramedics find a deep gash on the back of his head. It’s time to call in Detective Jack Dawes. Then Dr Anstruther, who looks after the vineyard workers’ health, is knocked down in a hit-and-run. Also the vines are dying too.
This is the eighth outing for Jack & another well written entertaining read. There was a lovely mix of humour & mystery. The humour had me laughing out loud & the mystery kept me guessing. The pace was very good & the characters very well portrayed. I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Kay Oliver]

Thank you Netgalley, Joffe Books, and Author Frances Lloyd for this ARC.

Someone is murdering the workers of The Richington Vale Vineyard, destroying the grapes that make the wine, and the backstage operation. Why?

There were some really fun side stories and the cast of characters was excellent. This was an amusing, entertaining, and fast-paced murder mystery. I have not read any other books from the series, but this served as a great standalone.

[Julie]

4.5 Stars

Frances Lloyd knocks it out of the park yet again with her latest DI Jack Dawes thriller, The Vale Vineyard Killer.

It’s a typical day at the Vale vineyard – until events take a sinister and shocking turn. A tour is suddenly disrupted by a very nasty discovery – a dead body! The body of site manager Bob Beacham has been found in a huge fermentation tank. It seems that Bob had a tragic accident and ended up suffocating to death. The paramedics are immediately called in and when they discover that a deep gash has been found on the back of Bob’s head, it seems that initial suspicions were incorrect and Bob hadn’t died in an accident, but was in fact murdered. Who killed Bob? The only person who can get to the bottom of this case is Detective Inspector Jack Dawes who once again will have quite a challenge on his hands!

As Jack and his team begin their investigation, another shocking incident occurs: Dr Anstruther, who looks after the well-being of the vineyard staff, is knocked down in a hit-and-run. Clearly, a dangerous killer with a grudge against the vineyard and its employees has a vendetta against them and is picking them off one by one. Who will be the killer’s next victim? Will Jack and his team manage to catch them before another body is found? Or are they already far too late?

With the odds not in their favour, will they nail this ruthless murderer in time? Or will the killer end up evading justice and leaving a trail of mayhem and destruction in their wake?

British murder mystery fans need to add Frances Lloyd’s name to their auto-buy list. A treat for Midsomer Murders devotees, The Vale Vineyard Killer is a tense, witty and highly enjoyable crime thriller readers will be immediately engaged by as they find themselves completely gripped by this fast-paced murder mystery full of shocking surprises, jaw-dropping revelations and chilling twists and turns.

Jack, his wife Corrie and the rest of his team are on top form and readers will thoroughly enjoy spending time in their company and will be counting down the days until their next gripping adventure.

A fun murder mystery readers will not want to put down, The Vale Vineyard Killer is another brilliant instalment in the Jack Dawes series by Frances Lloyd.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Alyson Read]

The vineyard manager is found hit on the head and stuffed into a tank of wine to suffocate. Then local GP Jim Anstruther, who was certainly in the pocket of the Richington-Blythe family and responsible for much covering up over many years, is killed in a hit and run, leaving DI Jack Dawes and his team of DCs Aled Williams, Gemma Fox and ”Mitch” Mitchell, and also Clive “the geek” who has a talent for extracting (hacking) information from various sources, with two cases of murder involving the local vineyard in the cosy village of Richington Vale to solve. Corrie and Carlene are running a buffet for Cynthia’s charity event held at the winery when a third person drops dead. With a break in revealing a couple of well-kept secrets and lots of dissention between the family board members, the vines are dying and the business is struggling. How many more bodies will be added to the tally before the detectives can find the killer in this well written and sometimes heart-stopping puzzling case?
This is the eighth book in the highly popular series featuring DI Jack Dawes and his sergeant DS Mike "Bugsy" Malone of the Metropolitan Murder Investigation Team in Kings Richington, Richmond, and what a great team they make! Jack is married to Coriander, a clever lady who runs a highly successful catering company and occasionally "helps" him with his investigations. Bugsy used to be a confirmed bachelor whose only love was Arsenal football team, but recently has met and married Iris, bringing more very welcome additions to the superb cast of characters
Despite the fact that there are some serious crimes going on, there is a lot of humour and charm in the conversations and witty interactions between the characters, making these books an absolute pleasure to read. There are some fantastic warm and loveable characters featuring in this “not quite cosy" police procedural series ranging from Big Ron (Dr Veronica Hardacre) the pathologist with her voluminous knickers, Gormless Gavin her locum and Chief Supt George Garwood ever panicking that he might not look so efficient if Jack ever left, to Carlene with her fierce loyalty to the Dawes, and there are some real laugh out loud moments and phrases. One of my very favourite series!! 5*

[Jeannie]

Mayhem! Mystery! And Murder!

Another excellent addition to this series. This is another of the books that I missed, although how I missed this one is a mystery in itself. I won't rehash the plot or the story I'll just say it was enjoyable and entertaining with enough intrigue to fill up 3 books. DI Jack Dawes and his wingman Michael "Bugsy" Malone have their hands more than full as they try to suss out suspects, clues, and solve more murders than you can shake a stick at. The masterminds of all the problems occurring at a local winery was a complete shock. And the people I suspected had a different agenda altogether but was no less sinister. Only one more book and I will be completely caught up with this series. Having finished book 12 A few days ago I went back and discovered the few that I had missed. Kudos to the author and to Joffe books for not only the recommendation but the glossary of British slang at the end. It helps so much to be able to understand the lingo. 🎉🎉👏👏✋✋📚💞

[Jan]

All the characters are fascinating, but the ones on the Murder Investigation Team and their spouses (and the SOCOs and ME team) are the fun ones! It looks like several of the killings have been well planned, but the who and why take a while to be revealed among all the red herrings and plot twists. Don't forget about police politics! The murders are well planned but this is not one of those grim procedurals. The team is excellent at doing their due diligence and the wives help along behind the scenes. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Cindy(groundedinreads)]

Thank you Netgalley & Joffe books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I’m a fan of police-procedurals & crime-fiction so when I read the book synopsis that it takes place in a vineyard, I just had to read this!

It reads a bit like an amped up & somewhat dark cozy mystery so I was thrown off a bit at first but as I kept reading, the investigation into the related murders begin to fall into place. About mid-way through the book, I was hooked and flew through the remainder of the book! It was a bit predictable but I enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and look forward to reading another in this series. 3.5 rounded up

[Peggy]

Clever and interesting...

This book was very well written. I thought I had it figured out but the Author was pretty crafty with her red herrings. I really enjoy this series as the characters are so well developed, the towns are well described, the plots well thought out and the writing overall is very good. Cozy British mystery meets cozy British police procedural. Nothing heavy, pure!y entertaining. I read this in less than a weekend.

[Jacqueline]

Vine Killer!

Not only a people killer but a vine killer as well! A brilliantly, exciting book. Picked it up whenever I had 5 minutes. Another high body count for Jack and Bugsy, much to the dismay of Garwood. Who gets phone calls from his ‘funny handshake brigade’ to tell his officers to get a move on solving the case. Three sets of brother and sister pairs in this book, all of them having a part to play! A superb piece of writing.

[Elizabeth Roxburgh]

Jack and Corrie mysteries

This is the latest i the Jack Dawes book that I have read and as enjoyable as the previous ones in the series. Good characters and interesting plots, especially Jack and his team. Would definitely recommend to those who like really good murder mysteries.

[Doreen]

Great Story!

Terrific mystery! Deaths occur quickly at a family winery in a small village, where most everything is owned by the one family! Old sins come back to serve vengeance on evil doers! Lots of complications and hidden identities cause problems for the police murder team!

[John Keeth]

Wonderful

I have read all of the books in this series and unlike so many of these series this one just gets better with each book. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. I would recommend that you read it in order of publication and not randomly.

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen]

Another great story

Another great story in the Inspector Jack Cases series a!omg with all the usual characters expect his wife Corrie and her catering business. A really enjoyable and entertaining book to read. Please keep them coming.

[Liz Krummell]

I have read all of the books and as they continue the characters of that book's murder continue to become more cliché which is disappointing when you compare it to the intrigue in the book on the island

[Helen Raspin]

After the previous two books in the series, which were a bit disappointingly obvious and not up to the usual standard, this current book is back up to par!

A thoroughly enjoyable narrative, with red herrings and twists that keeps you guessing right to the very end.

[Emma Tooke]

I liked the book, working at a Vineyard I think made me understand and enjoy it more. The characters were funny and very much individual and themselves. Every time I thought someone was the killer they died. It had a nice twist at the end!

[Misfits farm]

Oh what a wonderful, fun, entertaining read! Richington Vale Vineyard has a reputation for fine wine and its wonder Jolyon will do everything in his power to keep it that way, including being on the wrong side of ethics, morals and law if that's what it takes. When an employee is found dead, the company, as ever, says it was his negligence that caused it- couldn't possibly have anything to do with them. DI Dawes isn’t so sure and when the body count starts piling up, he and his team have their work cut out to find the perpetrator.
I loved this- there were little things that made me laugh out loud as I was reading it (Jack’s wife Corrie- I’ll leave you to work it out) and other subtle comedic references cleverly thought out. It's a great story with an excellent plot and Frances shows a great skill in putting this together along with a gift for hidden phrases. A brilliantly entertaining, well thought out read that put a smile on my face.

[Cynthia Grove]

Sadly DNF although I have enjoyed previous books in this series.

[Darrell Turnock]

A thriller

Good book. I enjoyed this book as the concept is different and interesting. It kept my attention throughout the from start to finish.

[MRS G]

The Jack Dawes series were initially magnificently fun to read. I just haven't enjoyed the last two books as much. I really can't pinpoint why. 😟

[Teds Kindle]

A good.murder mystery

A good story with many twists and turns. The characters are believable and even the baddies evoke some feelings of compassion. I read it in one sitting.

[Julia]

Another so gem !

Although a slower start than some of her previous books once the scene was set events took off at speed and a clever and witty story unfolded.

[Chrissy Houser]

The Vale Vineyard Killer

I really liked this book. And I really like all of Frances Lloyd books.
I really like all of the main characters & the mysteries of each book.

[Mary Walsh]

A jolly good tale

Great to see corrie and Jack dawes back in action. Enjoyed the Red herrings and the chardonnay. Very enjoyable. High body count too.

[Colleen]

A cozy mystery for a fun afternoon read. A cozy mystery for a fun afternoon read. Richington Vale Vineyard has a reputation for fine wine, But when employees are dying at the same time of the fall harvest and the vines are also dying, DI Dawes begins to wonder if all is connected.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

[Sue Wallace]

The Vale vineyard killer by Frances Lloyd.
Detective inspector Jack Dawes book 8.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Jack. 4*.

[Gary Van Cott]

3.0 stars

[Lorraine Woodall]

I really enjoyed this book, despite the murders it had a cosy comfortable feel about it with lots of little domestic touches.
There were certainly enough murders to get your teeth into and the investigating team were both diligent and likeable. The pace of the book was good and I would happily read more from this author.