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For the Sake of the Vine
Winemaking is an art, murder is too...
A phone call in the middle of the night shatters the lives of twins Zachary and Angelina Bartlett. A plane crash into shark infested waters has claimed the lives of their father, Master Winemaker Horst Bartlett, and their wicked stepmother, Tilda. Forced to return to the family vineyard to oversee the completion of the latest Merlot, the twins are confronted by the dark secrets of their father's sordid past.
With Kestrel Vintners, the region's premiere winery, just next door and Zach's high school sweetheart, Kat Slater, offering them the financial deal of their dreams, the pressure is on to sell and get out quick. But when clues surface from the midnight realm of their father's chilling obsession, the twins begin to question each other and the details surrounding their own mother's untimely death.
Now, another beautiful woman has gone missing. Coincidence or is history repeating itself? With winemaking in their veins, will the twins succumb to the call of the grapes or be consumed by their own dark obsessions?
"In For the Sake of the Vine, Adria Lang works a modern spin on the classic murder mystery. Set among Washington 's wine country, her unique blend of mayhem and forbidden passion makes for a robust and full-bodied debut."
PETER ATKINS- Screenwriter of Hellraiser II - IV, Author of Big Thunder and Moontown.
"Put down the Cabernet and snuggle up to a cozy fire with this murder mystery and a glass of Merlot. This full-bodied red satisfies, transporting the reader to Prosser, the unofficial capital of Washington State's wine region. To complete your escape, I recommend a box of dark chocolates, soft centers-slightly chilled, of course."
NEIL LOW-Author of Thick as Thieves, a Seattle best-selling mystery paperback 2008.
"A mysterious full-bodied gothic tale through the labyrinth of a very unique winery where the family blood runs ripe with emotional desire. Wine is the life's blood and the aroma of sexual repression and experimentation that permeates this tale has at its heart a rich palette of sensuality that is heightened by Steve Montiglio's luscious art."
Del Howison- Owner of Dark Delicacies Horror Bookstore, Burbank, CA
A phone call in the middle of the night shatters the lives of twins Zachary and Angelina Bartlett. A plane crash into shark infested waters has claimed the lives of their father, Master Winemaker Horst Bartlett, and their wicked stepmother, Tilda. Forced to return to the family vineyard to oversee the completion of the latest Merlot, the twins are confronted by the dark secrets of their father's sordid past.
With Kestrel Vintners, the region's premiere winery, just next door and Zach's high school sweetheart, Kat Slater, offering them the financial deal of their dreams, the pressure is on to sell and get out quick. But when clues surface from the midnight realm of their father's chilling obsession, the twins begin to question each other and the details surrounding their own mother's untimely death.
Now, another beautiful woman has gone missing. Coincidence or is history repeating itself? With winemaking in their veins, will the twins succumb to the call of the grapes or be consumed by their own dark obsessions?
"In For the Sake of the Vine, Adria Lang works a modern spin on the classic murder mystery. Set among Washington 's wine country, her unique blend of mayhem and forbidden passion makes for a robust and full-bodied debut."
PETER ATKINS- Screenwriter of Hellraiser II - IV, Author of Big Thunder and Moontown.
"Put down the Cabernet and snuggle up to a cozy fire with this murder mystery and a glass of Merlot. This full-bodied red satisfies, transporting the reader to Prosser, the unofficial capital of Washington State's wine region. To complete your escape, I recommend a box of dark chocolates, soft centers-slightly chilled, of course."
NEIL LOW-Author of Thick as Thieves, a Seattle best-selling mystery paperback 2008.
"A mysterious full-bodied gothic tale through the labyrinth of a very unique winery where the family blood runs ripe with emotional desire. Wine is the life's blood and the aroma of sexual repression and experimentation that permeates this tale has at its heart a rich palette of sensuality that is heightened by Steve Montiglio's luscious art."
Del Howison- Owner of Dark Delicacies Horror Bookstore, Burbank, CA
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 30, 2014
I'm not sure what I really think about this book. I wouldn't say I liked it. But, it isn't badly written.
Okay - from the beginning - I read this book since it is my book club's choice for November. I was actually looking forward to it since it was set in Prosser, Washington (just a short drive from my home town of Kennewick). It is set in a winery and the blurb on the back made me think of those cozy mysteries where bodies just end up in strange places.
It wasn't like that at all. In many ways you felt it was written for a fairly immature crowd - not juvenile, though. There is a lot in this book for more conservative people to take offense at. It made me quite uncomfortable at times. (I'm dreading hearing some of the comments at the book club meeting - I live in a pretty conservative area.)
On the plus side, it turned out to be quite a gothic tale complete with secret underground passages, enigmatic servants, and a mysterious legacy from a dead relative. That was enjoyable.
It could have more fleshed out characters, maybe even likable ones. Also, I didn't feel it needed to be quite that salacious. I had the impression that most of the characters would've felt right at home on the Jerry Springer show!
Okay - from the beginning - I read this book since it is my book club's choice for November. I was actually looking forward to it since it was set in Prosser, Washington (just a short drive from my home town of Kennewick). It is set in a winery and the blurb on the back made me think of those cozy mysteries where bodies just end up in strange places.
It wasn't like that at all. In many ways you felt it was written for a fairly immature crowd - not juvenile, though. There is a lot in this book for more conservative people to take offense at. It made me quite uncomfortable at times. (I'm dreading hearing some of the comments at the book club meeting - I live in a pretty conservative area.)
On the plus side, it turned out to be quite a gothic tale complete with secret underground passages, enigmatic servants, and a mysterious legacy from a dead relative. That was enjoyable.
It could have more fleshed out characters, maybe even likable ones. Also, I didn't feel it needed to be quite that salacious. I had the impression that most of the characters would've felt right at home on the Jerry Springer show!
November 22, 2009
Here's a line from For the Sake of the Vine that pretty much captures its mood: "Cynics and atheists say that we come into this world alone and that we die alone, and the time in between is nothing but a series of doomed attempts to undermine this inevitability." The tone is pure Goth, and although the book is not surrealistic, somehow vampires and werewolves wouldn't be out of place in its world.
"But" muses one of the main characters, "twins don't enter the world alone." And so the bizarre, extremely codependent relationship between the protagonists is explained away. I don't know how else to put this: the book in intriguing in a morbid way--one that has nothing to do with the plot and everything to do with the characters, at least one of whom is a true antihero.
I'm familiar with the wine country of the Yakima Valley and Mid-Columbia regions of Washington State. It's a pastoral world of rolling hills and almost relentless sunshine much of the year. I looked forward to reading a book set in that region, but in that respect, I was disappointed. The lens through which the setting is filtered distorts it and makes much that is beautiful in real life seem ugly.
This book is intended to be the first of a series. I, for one, am not likely to read others. However, this is a matter of personal taste. It's quite possible that this book may have a certain literary appeal to some readers. If you liked chains and white lipstick in high school, you might want to give it a try.
"But" muses one of the main characters, "twins don't enter the world alone." And so the bizarre, extremely codependent relationship between the protagonists is explained away. I don't know how else to put this: the book in intriguing in a morbid way--one that has nothing to do with the plot and everything to do with the characters, at least one of whom is a true antihero.
I'm familiar with the wine country of the Yakima Valley and Mid-Columbia regions of Washington State. It's a pastoral world of rolling hills and almost relentless sunshine much of the year. I looked forward to reading a book set in that region, but in that respect, I was disappointed. The lens through which the setting is filtered distorts it and makes much that is beautiful in real life seem ugly.
This book is intended to be the first of a series. I, for one, am not likely to read others. However, this is a matter of personal taste. It's quite possible that this book may have a certain literary appeal to some readers. If you liked chains and white lipstick in high school, you might want to give it a try.
October 18, 2011
Boy, this is a strange one. I picked it up at a thrift store because of it's unusual design. The whole thing fairly screams "self-published," which means it's in sore need of an editor, if only to have pointed out the confusing and inconsistent characterizations and bizarre overall concept, which apparently (it's not too clear) consists of a winery that incorporates dead bodies into some of its more renowned varieties. Oddly enough, it's fairly well-written from a technical standpoint (none of the poor grammar you usually find in these things), which at first gave me hope that this would rise above my expectations. Alas, that was not to be the case!
January 7, 2010
Do I have to give this book a star? I hoped this would be a fun romp through my home town of Prosser, but instead it was a drag though the blood! Boo!:(
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews