Bitter Roots

Bitter Roots is the 12th wine country cozy mystery featuring Lucie Montgomery as the owner of Virginia's Montgomery Estate Vineyard. Lucie is an unusual heroine because she is disabled from a mobility impairment. However, it doesn't prevent her from managing her business. 

The story opens with Lucie planning her upcoming wedding. She and her winemaker, Quinn Santori, will be married in a ceremony that overlooks her vineyard. However, with all of her Cab Franc vines dying, the scenery will actually be ugly, brown and rotting vines. Lucie and other nearby vineyard owners had purchased vines three years ago from a local nursery, Landau Garden and Nursery. All of the neighboring vines have rotted too. Lucie and Quinn meet with Landau's representatives, Eve Kerr and Richard Brightman, but Landau refuses to refund their $250,000 investment in the diseased vines. Accusations fly between them and an ugly standoff between the supplier and the growers could escalate into litigation. When Eve Kerr, a stunning blonde who works at the nursery, is found dead a few days later, everyone wonders if someone in the winemaking community went too far. What especially troubles Lucie is why Eve secretly arranged to meet Quinn on the day she was murdered and whether Lucie's soon-to-be husband knows something he's not telling her.

I love that the first sentence has a quote from Julia Child: "Julia Child once said that every woman should have a blowtorch in the kitchen." I have always loved this quote and can even remember which TV episode she said it on. The first page contains narrative that gives the reader the entire background of the series. New readers will have no problem following the story. 

This is Crosby's best novel to date. It is also her most sophisticated plot for the series and she wrote it with alot of suspense. At first, I thought that the mystery to be solved dealt with the diseased vines. The author wrote into the story plenty of dialogue about the biology of diseases that vines can have. I enjoyed learning about this aspect of growing grapes. The mystery that dominates, though, is who murdered Eve Kerr. I was not expecting a murder at the halfway point as the mystery about the vines predominated the first part of the story. It could have been enough to carry the novel. However, it did not seem offputting to have a murder this late in the story. Crosby joined all three elements-the vines, the murder and the wedding-into a spectacular ending. We even get a lesson on dereche storms as one hits Virginia in the book. These storms travel horizontally and must travel a minimum of two hundred fifty miles to be considered a dereche.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book of the Month: March

The Perfect Home is my favorite read for the month. A close second is Ruth Heald's The New Girl. While both were 5 star novels, The Perfect Home had much more suspense and I couldn't stop thinking about it for several days. The story is about June Sweeney and the home she has created for her children since her divorce from their father. She has filled every room with family photographs and especially loves her garden. June has perfect neighbors in her cul-de-sac until Steve Murray moves in next door. Steve plays loud music all day and night while he works on the many cars that he keeps in his driveway. June meets with her neighbor Fred almost every day to discuss their mutual complaints about Steve. When June brings her complaints to son Sam and daughter Cathy, they do not side with her. They believe Steve is an OK guy. June begins to feel all alone in her misery thinking that it can't get worse. But it does. 

Book Cover of the Month: March

Eat the Rich #1 has a classic horror book cover that enticed me to buy the comic. Red and black has always been a great color combination and colorist Roman Titov has used it effectively. The red eyeglasses really pop against the dark background. It is perfect for a story on class and cannibalism.

Release #1 is a set up comic and does not have any horror elements. This comes in future releases. The story reads more like a psychological thriller at this point and it's a very entertaining one at that. 

I enjoyed this comic and plan on reading the remaining 4 releases but since all 5 releases have been published in a paperback, I will get the paperback.

Flake

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Cape
• Publication Date:  April 2, 2020
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787330583
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787330580

Flake is a graphic novel that celebrates ice cream. The story revolves around Howard Grayling, a second generation ice cream vendor. He runs his deceased father's territory in the northwest England town of Dobbiston. Howard sells ice cream from his van. He begins to notice a sharp downturn in business and soon realizes that a competitor named Tony Augustus, Howard's half-brother, is trying to take over his territory. Tony's business has been expanding all over the Northwest as he pushes other ice cream vendors out of business. If he can get Howard's territory, Tony will be the only vendor in the region. Howard gets help from his friends in the Dobbiston Mountain Rescue Team to overcome all of the obstacles in his way. Flake is Matthew Dooley's debut graphic novel.

What an enjoyable read! It is a light story that is appropriate for young readers. There are no sex scenes or dirty words. The artwork has been drawn in a whimsical style that matches the uncomplicated plot and is drawn in the usual comic strip format. All of the characters have round faces and stocky bodies. It makes them appear overweight but perhaps they are not. The story itself was fast paced. The characters are just as well developed as you would see in a fiction novel. I think a sequel is in order here.  It would be a shame to not hear from these characters again.

A fun read.  5 out of 5 stars.

Eat the Rich #1

Eat the Rich is a horror comic written by Sarah Gailey. It was published by BOOM! Studios between August and November 2021. I have only read release 1A at this point but it is a promising series for me. Eat the Rich is a five-issue comic book series from Hugo Award-winning author Sarah Gailey about the unspeakable horrors lying in wait behind the idyllic lives of the one percent. All 5 releases are available now in a trade paperback. I enjoyed this release and will most likely get the paperback to finish the story.

The publisher's summary: 

Welcome to Crestfall Bluffs! With law school and her whole life ahead of her, Joey plans to spend the summer with her boyfriend Astor in his seemingly perfect hometown. It’s a chance to finally meet his family and childhood friends, all while enjoying a vacation where every need is attended to. But beneath the affluent perfection lies a dark, deadly rot… will Joey discover the truth before it’s too late, and even if she does, can she survive to tell the tale?

Release 1A is obviously a set up comic. There is no horror in the story yet. You can feel the tension though between Joey and her 1% boyfriend's family. I would describe it as a psychological thriller instead. This release does a beautiful job of establishing the characters and the mystery to come. I feel Joey's pain as she navigates a formal shindig at Astor's home wearing the wrong type of clothing and jewelry. She also made the mistake of asking the help if they needed any help. Her politeness was a social faux pas. Astor certainly did not give her a heads up concerning what she could expect.

Eat the Rich is a fantastic comic series and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #9

I have been anxiously waiting for the publication of Melissa Yu's Peach Blossom Spring and cannot wait to get my hands on it. The book is on hold for me at my local library and I should be notified soon that it is ready to be picked up.

Peach Blossom Spring has the moost beautiful book cover that I have ever seen. It's red and pink color scheme mixes my two favorite colors. The story takes place in 1938 China. The main character, Meilin, must flee her home with her four year old son Renshu as the Japanese army approaches her town. She travels throughout a ravaged country seeking a safe place and brings with her a beautifully illustrated scroll that offers her some solace. An alternating plot concerns Renshu. He has settled in the U. S. and changed his name to Henry Dao. Henry has a daughter who wants to know about her Chinese heritage but Henry refuses to discuss it with her. He feels that the weight of history will drag his family down. 

This is a family saga that spans several generations. If you like these sagas, join me in reading Peach Blossom Spring.

Black Ice

Black Ice is the 21st Scot Harvath spy thriller from Brad Thor. I have read every book in the series and loved them all. However, Black Ice was a slow read with little suspense. In this installment of the series we have Harvath enjoying a summer off from work with his girlfriend Solvi. She is also a spy but for her own country, Norway. Near the end of his vacation, Harvath is told he must return to Washington ASAP or resign. He agrees to go back to Washington but as he leaves his favorite Oslo cafe, Harvath sees a man he killed enter a cab in front of the cafe. Harvath had confirmed the death of the Chinese  spy before informing his bosses and knew he was dead. Now he wonders whether he killed a double or if he had just seen a double. 

For the first time for a Brad Thor novel, I was frequently able to put the book down. Normally I would read his books in one sitting. It took me several days to get through it. When I read about Scot's girlfriend Solvi, it was apparent that the author was a man. Scot is always the catch, not the other way around. Scot's job is always more important than the women's job. The women are submissive to the man. I am not sure why this irked me now. Maybe the pattern is more apparent after 21 novels. I also wonder if men are his target audience.

I must also wonder whether I was not in the mood for a spy story or whether something was off in the writing. All I know is that I wasn't as interested in this installment of the series as I have been with prior novels. Perhaps Thor should switch up his formula for the series to breathe new life into his plots and characters. 

I am sorry to have to rate Black Ice 3 out of 5 stars. Thor usually gets a 5 star rating from me.

Stacking the Shelves #14

I am so excited about the approaching publication of A. M. Stuart's Evil in Emerald. I have pre-ordered a copy of the book, which will be published at the end of the month on March 29, 2022. Evil in Emerald is the third installment of the Harriet Gordon Mystery Series which takes place in Singapore during the early 1900s.

Some of you may remember the first two books in the series Singapore Sapphire and Revenge in Rubies. Most historical mystery fans read Singapore Sapphire when it was published in 2019 and loved it. I read many glowing reviews of this novel.

In Evil in Emerald Harriet turns to volunteering in local plays as an outlet from her work. She has been enjoying the rehearsals for her role in the Singapore Amateur Dramatic and Musical Society’s latest production – Pirates of Penzance. However, Harriet quickly discovers tensions among the staff of the theatre company. When the leading man is found murdered, suspicions abound, exposing scandalous behavior as well as some insidious crimes.

Inspector Robert Curran once again turns to his friend Harriet for help with the case. Curren's own life soon begins to unravel when a mysterious man turns up on his doorstep claiming to know more about Curran’s past than he himself knows. After Curran hears some devastating news, the line between his personal and professional life begins to blur. Now, more than ever, Curran needs Harriet’s steadfast assistance. When another cast member is found dead Curran and Harriet  hurry their investigation to find the killer before a third person dies.

Harriet's character has an interesting background. She is a widow who survived a typhus epidemic in India and an incarceration in Britain for her suffragette activities. This past is not part of the mysteries that she solves but it shows how she grew into an independent woman with insight into the human psyche. When she was released from prison Harriet sailed to Singapore to help her minister brother with his school for children.

If you haven't tried this series yet I highly recommend that you start reading.

Threads of Hope

Threads of Hope is the 3rd book in the Plain Patterns trilogy by Leslie Gould. The story opens with Tally Smucker enjoying a quiet life of reading and quilting. She can concentrate on her hobbies because of her decision never to marry. However, she has to deal with grief over her mother's catastrophic illness as well as the physical demands of being her caregiver. When a former Plain friend, Danielle, exhibits the symptoms of PTSD from her service in the army, Tally invites her to join a group of quilters at a fabric shop called Plain Patterns. Jane Berger owns the store and Jane likes to tell true stories from yesteryear while the ladies sew. During these quilting get togethers, Tally and Danielle learn about the plight of a WWI soldier and the girl he left behind, Jane's ancestor Kate Landis. Kate was an Amish woman who had to deal with her boyfriend Amos leaving the Amish community to fight in WWI. There is also the 1918 flu pandemic that is raging at the time. The couple's story resonates with both Tally and Danielle but for different reasons.

I am a quilter so I loved the quilt shop setting for this trilogy. Also, there are several parallels to the present time. We are two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and we are dealing with the Ukraine War, which could spill into WWIII. The author gives us some insight on how these issues were dealt with in the past but, of course, she did not know at the time she wrote the novel that history would repeat itself. Danielle's treatment for PTSD is also featured and it is educational for the reader. 

When quilters gather together they tend to solve all the problems in the world by discussing them and coming up with their own solutions, always better than what the politicians decide. I certainly felt this camaraderie among the Plain Patterns group and remember conversations that I have had in the past with fellow quilters. Quilting is also a way to mull over personal problems when you are sewing by yourself. Art and crafts are an outlet for me on dealing with personal issues. This book reinforced this effect as the characters also discussed the problems of the day.

Threads of Hope is the best book in the trilogy. It has more mystery elements than the other two books which made it a fast read.  4 out of 5 stars.

Swine

• Publisher: ‎Humanoids, Inc. 
• Paperback: ‎120 pages
• Publication Date: 10/5/21
• ISBN-10: ‎1643376047
• ISBN-13:‎ 978-1643376042
• 
  
• Swine takes the cake. The story premise concerns a miracle that the biblical Jesus performed.  Two thousand years ago Jesus confronted the demon Legion in the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac and cast them into pigs to drown in the sea. You can read about it in Mark 5:1. The author poses this question: what would have happened if every pig didn't drown as Mark tells us. Tyrone Finch imagines that a handful of the swine swam to safety and have spent the centuries planning revenge and causing a few random disasters along the way. His plot is certainly creative. Swine contains all ten issues of this miniseries and it is Finch's first comic.

The pigs are responsible for the sinking of the Titanic, the Hindenburg disaster and other disasters in history. Chasing down and killing these pigs are a man and woman team who are joined by the same tragedy. Ellis Rafferty spent seven years in prison after being wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, minister Becky. He asserts that the pigs killed her. Now released, he seeks to avenge her death. Joining forces with Becky’s sister, Zoey, they hit the road to chase down and kill the pigs. 

While the story is a little far fetched, it was entertaining. The graphics were beautifully drawn by Mauricet and colored by Lee Loughridge in those bright colors that I love. I must say that the pigs were amazingly drawn with every type of facial expression that there could possibly be. They are agile and can fly through the air when they want to attack a human. That old adage that when pigs fly . . . comes true in Swine. Each release begins with the traditional culinary drawing of the pig which shows where certain cuts of pork come from the body. It is a true devotional for the consummate pig lover.

5 out of 5 stars.

Girl in Ice

Girl in Ice is Erica Ferencik's third novel. I am not sure how to categorize it. Environmental thriller is the closest description but this is not an end of the world horror story. The story is about a girl who is found frozen in the ice in a deep crevice in Greenland and the climate scientists who are trying to communicate with her. Valerie Chesterfield is a linguist who loves the dead Nordic languages. She languishes in the shadow of her twin brother, Andy, an accomplished climate scientist who was stationed on a remote island off Greenland’s coast. Andy has recently committed suicide. He ventured into unprotected into 50 degree below zero weather wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Valerie suspects foul play though. She knows her brother loved life and would not have killed himself.

When Wyatt, Andy’s fellow researcher in the Arctic, discovers the girl, he immediately calls Val. Despite her agoraphobia Val journeys to Greenland to solve the mystery of the girl's language as well as her brother’s death. However, the moment she steps off the plane, her fears almost overwhelm her. She medicates herself with pills and alcohol. The landscape is tough and Wyatt, brilliant but difficult, is an enigma. The girl, Sigrid, is intriguing, and Valerie has a special connection with her. A few weeks after she thaws out, Wyatt believes that Sigrid may be ill. Valerie thinks that the answer to healing Sigrid lies in discovering the truth about Wyatt’s research. She does not know whether his data can be trusted and wonders if it has anything to do with her brother's death. 

Whew! This was a riveting read. I was hooked from the first page with its foreshadowing narrative: "There would be no bursting into tears at school. Grief was for after hours, for the nightly bottle of merlot, for my dark apartment, for waking on the couch at dawn, the blue light of the TV caressing my aching flesh." I couldn't put the book down until I  finished reading it. Not only did each chapter end with suspense to keep me reading, but practically every page did also. 

I enjoyed reading about the Greenland setting. It is an integral setting where the physical landscape, climate, weather and culture become part of the story. In addition, it's harsh landscape matched Valerie's emotions. Both were frozen. While the characters were careful when they went outside, I couldn't help but see the beauty in the snowy scenes they were navigating. Snow is always beautiful when you don't have to go outside yourself! It was fascinating to learn about the three languages that are spoken in the island: West Greenlandic, East Greenlandic and the Thule Greenlandic called Inuktun. Val was an expert in these languages. She stated in the novel "A language is far more than a means of communication. It is the very condition of humanity."  Her problem in communicating with Sigrid was that Sigrid did not speak any of these languages. She spoke a few words from each language but Val could not determine what Sigrid was trying to tell her. 

The author did a great job creating her characters. Val's emotional state matched the landscape of the novel. The agoraphobia that she suffered from was shown, not told. We saw Val medicating herself in order to be able to leave her home and later, leave the the comfort of her workspace in Greenland. Wyatt Speeks was the perfect villain. The climate scientist was impatient with others and this caused Val to be wary of him. She was not sure whether she could trust him or any of his decisions. Wyatt's assistant, Jeanne, was equally as emotionally frozen as Val. Her conversations were always cryptic but she suffered the loss of family members too. Jeanne was the cook and mechanic at the station. I thought it was odd that someone who wasn't a scientist was working at the station. The two other scientists working at the Greenland station were married to each other. Polar marine scientists Nora and Rajeev Chandra-Revard were way too lovey-dovey and their passion for each other was a little sickening. However, they did provide a break from the three other dark personalities.

I loved Girl in Ice and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Sugarcreek Surprise

The Sugarcreek Surprise is Wanda Brunstetter's newest novel. It is the second novel in her Creektown Discoveries series and was published earlier this month. The story concerns 25 year old Lisa Miller who became an orphan when she was seven after her family was killed in an auto accident. Lisa's grandparents decide to take her to their home in Sugarcreek, Ohio and raise her themselves. Lisa, however, has trouble making friends and has never opened up to her grandparents about her loss.  She is afraid that if she ever loves anyone again, that they will die and leave her alone in the world. 

When Paul Herschberger moves into her community, Lisa has already been teaching for 7 years. She has no plans to ever marry and have children of her own. Paul is also heartbroken. His longtime girlfriend in Indiana was also dating his best friend. Paul expected to marry the girl but broke things off with her after catching her with his buddy.  Paul decides to move to Ohio and work with his uncle as a carpenter. Soon he meets Lisa and is attracted to her.  Paul thinks that he met Lisa sometime in the past but cannot remember where they could have ever met. He tries to get her to go out with him but Lisa refuses all of his advances. Eventually they become friends over their mutual love of antiques and books. The question for the reader is whether these two hurt souls can ever overcome their handicaps and become a couple.

Romance is not usually the kind of book I read.  However, these Amish romance stories get to me every time. There is something about how these stories are told that attract me. There is a mystery to them and reading them is similar to reading a mystery novel because you want to know how the characters overcome whatever personal problem that they have. The Sugarcreek Surprise was no different. I was captivated from the first page until the ending. The religious aspect of the story is also intriguing for me. It is always fascinating to see how other people deal with their problems. We all have problems and the Amish are no different from the rest of us. Having a faith tradition of my own, I enjoy reading how the characters resolve their conflicts by using their faith. The answer is always the same, regardless of your faith tradition: will you allow God to change you so that you can overcome negative circumstances? 

This novel is appropriate for all ages and women in particular will enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Delicacy

James Albion's The Delicacy is a fictional story about the restaurant industry told in graphic novel format. Set in the world of flashy restaurants, this story of greed and ambition comes with a macabre ending as rare and delicious fungi spell trouble for two brothers who are running a restaurant. 

The story opens with Tulip and his brother Rowan having left the simple comforts of their remote Scottish island with a plan to grow succulent, organic vegetables in an idyllic market garden, and to open a restaurant serving these wholesome culinary delights to the busy sprawl of London. However, the world of fine dining seems impossibly competitive until they discover a delicious new species of mushroom. The dish brings diners in droves, catapulting their small restaurant to success beyond their wildest dreams.  Pressured by the demands of a hungry city, Tulip decides to crack the secret of their new ingredient's growth. But just how much will he sacrifice to feed his own insatiable ambition?

I was not expecting this comic to be so suspenseful. If it wasn't for the graphics, I would call it a cozy mystery. It has a perfect mystery plot with fast pacing. The Tulip character surprised me. His ambition seemed to be unbelievable. I don't think new restauranteur's would want to expand their business as fast as Tulip. However, the stress he endured created more and more suspense for the story. The ending was unexpected and I am still not sure how I feel about it. I was wanting something else while I was reading but I guess karma finally found its way to Tulip.

I LOVED The Delicacy and highly recommend it for comic lovers. 5 out of 5 stars.