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Booked for Travel Mystery #1
Murder Will Travel
When widowed travel agent owner Lynne Montgomery heads to the Sonoma Wine Country with fifteen tour guests in tow, suddenly murder is on the itinerary when Lynne stumbles upon the body of a vintner, the former owner of the Villa Belladuce, and the police suspect that one of her traveling vacationers may be a killer. Original.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published May 7, 2002
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 5, 2020
In this début, Emily Toll describes running a travel group. California wine country is a great subject but it can't be a mystery, without the tone woven and paced as such an adventure. What Emily emphasized ought to have been background settings. Narration and dialogue are as important as a story's focus. I have never seen so little dialogue. Everything about characters backgrounds, feelings, and action are told, not SHOWN. Dialogue activates stories for readers. Lynne Montgomery flatly recited every character's back stories, along with the daily tour-operating duties she needed to do.
What disconnected me the most, is that those duties were prioritized so sacredly, it was preposterous. One does put customers first but when there is a police investigation, no one utters: “I'd rather not disturb my tour group”! Lynne voiced this absurd argument repeatedly. In that way, Emily trivialized the crime in her story, the same as failing to fit the mystery genre. Redwood trees and a terminally-ill Grandma vacationing with her Grandkids, were lovely threads. I liked few characters but “Murder Will Travel” could have received three stars, if not for a forced, cliché ending. Someone is in a telltale place and it impossibly dawns on them that the person they are with might be the killer... which they exclaim to them!
Thankfully, I guess in 2002 a captor doesn't think of removing a cell phone, which everyone knows these members carry. This novel's climax is whether or not the confined person can turn it on! Most significantly, no reason is clarified for this murderer's identity. Again, the ingredients of what define a mystery are superficially mimicked: a character readers don't suspect. An explanation needs to accompany that. Casting plausible suspicion elsewhere was done well. I own the sequels and will try the next one sometime.
What disconnected me the most, is that those duties were prioritized so sacredly, it was preposterous. One does put customers first but when there is a police investigation, no one utters: “I'd rather not disturb my tour group”! Lynne voiced this absurd argument repeatedly. In that way, Emily trivialized the crime in her story, the same as failing to fit the mystery genre. Redwood trees and a terminally-ill Grandma vacationing with her Grandkids, were lovely threads. I liked few characters but “Murder Will Travel” could have received three stars, if not for a forced, cliché ending. Someone is in a telltale place and it impossibly dawns on them that the person they are with might be the killer... which they exclaim to them!
Thankfully, I guess in 2002 a captor doesn't think of removing a cell phone, which everyone knows these members carry. This novel's climax is whether or not the confined person can turn it on! Most significantly, no reason is clarified for this murderer's identity. Again, the ingredients of what define a mystery are superficially mimicked: a character readers don't suspect. An explanation needs to accompany that. Casting plausible suspicion elsewhere was done well. I own the sequels and will try the next one sometime.
May 11, 2021
This was a debut novel about a widow who runs a travel agency and leads a group on a win wine tour in Sonoma Wine Country. There were too many characters and trying to find out their reasons for being on the tour was a lengthy process. Once the murderer was revealed the author quickly wrapped it up leaving you wonder how the characters got on with their lives.
July 29, 2019
This was more about a tour of Sonoma County with descriptions of the wineries, scenic attractions and tourist destinations in the area. A dead body found on the first night of the tour is more of a distraction than the main story line in the book. No one seems that interested in the corpse, much less upset about it, except for tour guide Lynne Montgomery when one of the group is arrested for the murder. The other tour members would rather drink wine, eat, shop, golf, visit the redwood forest, and go on hot-air balloon rides than care about a murder. Between her tour duties, visits to the jail, and talks with police and attorneys, Lynne should not be able to function, but she somehow manages. In the end, a totally illogical suspect confesses to the murder, but there are many loose ends and unsatisfactory explanations of motives and behaviors. I wanted to like this book and I hope to visit Sonoma County one day, but this is not a cozy mystery. The emphasis was on characters - the various members of the tour, the owners of the hotel, the police and attorneys - who they are, their backgrounds and what they do, not the mystery.
November 5, 2017
This book's plot was well done but I didn't love it. I found it very difficult to remember all the characters and felt it would have been better done with less characters. I also thought that while the outcome was reasonable, there was maybe not enough clues beforehand.
Lynne is a travel agent and takes a tour group to Sonoma wine country. While staying at one of the wineries, she finds the former owner of the winery dead in the driveway on the first day of the tour. To her chagrin, one of her guests is arrested for the crime and she strives to keep her tour group moving forward in the tour. I thought that part was well done - she was not all of a sudden this private detective but the characters were a trifle flat.
I think I would read another of her stories but not rush out to get it.
Lynne is a travel agent and takes a tour group to Sonoma wine country. While staying at one of the wineries, she finds the former owner of the winery dead in the driveway on the first day of the tour. To her chagrin, one of her guests is arrested for the crime and she strives to keep her tour group moving forward in the tour. I thought that part was well done - she was not all of a sudden this private detective but the characters were a trifle flat.
I think I would read another of her stories but not rush out to get it.
August 4, 2012
For the most part I enjoyed this book. The historical details of Sonoma county were interesting. The wine information was, too; but too much of it. This is one cozy mystery that is probably more realistic in that Lynne didn't actually solve the case; but was more of an observer of the case as it progressed.
April 11, 2013
Fun murder mystery that follows a travel group as they stay at and visit wineries in the California wine country. One of the characters is from Wisconsin, which was a fun touch, as he taste-tested mico-brew beers instead of wine! Enjoyable story. The ending surprised me, as I really was shocked to find out the identity of the killer.
November 8, 2013
Okay mystery about a murder in California wine country. I'd read it before and it was so forgettable that I didn't remember doing so.
September 18, 2014
2.5 stars--Murder in wine country. Could be a good series, but way too many characters introduced in this story.
May 12, 2019
I love cozy mysteries, and was looking forward to this series about a widow who leads a specialized wine country tour in California. But, I was kind of disappointed. I thought the story telling was disjointed. All of sudden, you get a small section from the point of view of one of the tourists, without ever really understanding the need for the sidebar. I had assumed that Lynn, the tour guide, was the main character that you were supposed to follow and identify with. But I ended up not really knowing who was the main character, who you were supposed to identify with and root for. I don't think I will be pursuing this series
June 23, 2022
Did not see that killer coming at all, holy cow 🐄. I really liked how the different characters told their "story" throughout the book but I wish more of them shared. 🙂 The information was a bit heavy and I didn't care about wine at all so I skimmed those parts. 🙊 I thought the book wrapped really fast after the arrest and I wish there could have been just a bit more.😞 Overall a good story and a new author to check out. 😊
June 22, 2023
Maybe 3.5 stars? It was a quick, fun read and I enjoyed trying to guess the ending. But the ending itself was a bit too quick and easy to be satisfying. All in all it was a decent first book.
September 20, 2025
Another great cozy murder mystery! Love this genre. No gory, sadistic crimes. 👍👍
January 26, 2013
Murder Will Travel is book 1 of the Booked for Travel mystery series by Emily Toll. Travel agency owner Lynne Montgomery is conducting her week-long custom package tour "Sonoma Sojourn" in California's Sonoma Wine Country. Her 15 guests on the trip range in age from mid-twenties to early seventies: a combination of couples and singles, friends and relatives. The group stays at the Villa Belladuce winery in Sonoma, and travels each day to wineries, cooking classes, hot-air balloon rides, redwoods, historic sites, and shopping.
Their first evening cocktail hour on the patio is interrupted by Lance Belladuce, a member of the family who until recently owned and operated Villa Belladuce. He has an altercation with the new winery owner Jeff Rutledge, but soon departs, and the party resumes.
Next morning Lynne discovers Lance's dead body on the winery premises. For the remainder of the book, group vacation events are intermingled with the progress of the investigation. Most of the vacation guests have their own carefully guarded secrets, gradually revealed as the week unfolds. Interesting historical details of Sonoma wine industry and delightful descriptions of the scenery are a pleasurable reminder (to the reader) of Sonoma wine country vacations.
Detective Lauren Shaw is in charge of the investigation. While she conducts her investigation in a business-like manner, she seems to be convinced by circumstantial evidence, and fairly uninterested in a thorough search for clues. This characterization of a female officer is astonishing, since the author's Guns and Roses mystery series set in San Diego County features a female deputy sheriff who is keenly aware of the misleading nature of circumstantial evidence, and extremely thorough in chasing down every lead and carefully evaluating each piece of evidence.
The plot has interesting twists and red herrings as the guests’ secrets are revealed, culminating in a suspenseful conclusion. I enjoy the author’s writing style and look forward to reading more of the series.
Their first evening cocktail hour on the patio is interrupted by Lance Belladuce, a member of the family who until recently owned and operated Villa Belladuce. He has an altercation with the new winery owner Jeff Rutledge, but soon departs, and the party resumes.
Next morning Lynne discovers Lance's dead body on the winery premises. For the remainder of the book, group vacation events are intermingled with the progress of the investigation. Most of the vacation guests have their own carefully guarded secrets, gradually revealed as the week unfolds. Interesting historical details of Sonoma wine industry and delightful descriptions of the scenery are a pleasurable reminder (to the reader) of Sonoma wine country vacations.
Detective Lauren Shaw is in charge of the investigation. While she conducts her investigation in a business-like manner, she seems to be convinced by circumstantial evidence, and fairly uninterested in a thorough search for clues. This characterization of a female officer is astonishing, since the author's Guns and Roses mystery series set in San Diego County features a female deputy sheriff who is keenly aware of the misleading nature of circumstantial evidence, and extremely thorough in chasing down every lead and carefully evaluating each piece of evidence.
The plot has interesting twists and red herrings as the guests’ secrets are revealed, culminating in a suspenseful conclusion. I enjoy the author’s writing style and look forward to reading more of the series.
February 17, 2017
Book one in the series.
This book is a fun cozy mystery. It tells the story of a lady in her 50s who used her husband's insurance to purchase a travel agency. Now she is taking a group to a vineyard for wine, fun, hot balloon rides, tastings and apparently murder.
The characters are very believable and relatable. The story has some great twists and I didn't get the murderer for a long time.
This book is a fun cozy mystery. It tells the story of a lady in her 50s who used her husband's insurance to purchase a travel agency. Now she is taking a group to a vineyard for wine, fun, hot balloon rides, tastings and apparently murder.
The characters are very believable and relatable. The story has some great twists and I didn't get the murderer for a long time.
June 25, 2013
Subject matter, age/circumstance of main character, whole theme...all looked appealing and the makings of a gread quick cozy. It didn't. I hated this book, just so disjointed, hard to follow, endless empty avenues of thought...it failed miserably as a smooth, cute, interesting and cozy mystery. Thumbs down on this one for me. Dissappointed.
August 19, 2014
Fairly standard modern cosy-style mystery, set on a wine tour of California. Liked the main character.
August 9, 2015
A very enjoyable cosy murder mystery. I may look for some more in this series.
November 9, 2015
After reading the first two chapters, I still could not get into the book. I will try reading the next book in this series.
April 20, 2017
52 year old travel business owner Lynne Montgomery is leading yet another group on a Sonoma Wine Country tour and lands in the middle of new owners, one of whom isn't overly thrilled with a tour group there, a murder and vandalism to an area of the winery.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews