[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Poppy and her aunt, Ginny, are hosting members of a wine tasting tour at the B&B when tragedy strikes. One of Poppy’s guests dies at their first winery visit. What at first blush looks like a heart attack seems to be murder instead.
Poppy’s friends who have a stake in the winery beg her to look into things and clear the winery before the bad press puts them out of business.
It seems unlikely that the rest of the tour group would be involved. They’re mostly strangers to one another. But the victim was travelling with his attractive young wife as well as his bitter adult daughter and her husband. The son-in-law had been pressuring the man to ditch the women and go sailing so they could “talk business” from the moment they arrived. The daughter was trying to drive a wedge between her father and his new wife. Maybe something bigger was going on within the family – or the business – that led to murder.
At least investigating a murder will give Poppy something else to think about besides her complicated love life.
Review
This is book 5 in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series. This was a fun addition to this great mystery series. While I still don’t care for the love triangle (You can read my rant from book 4 here.), it took a back seat in this book which I was happy about. And there was progress made by the end – although with a new wrinkle to carry us into book 6, Beauty Expos Are Murder, due out in the summer of 2021.
This is a busy series to begin with. Poppy has her work at the B&B, plus caring for her elderly – and spunky – aunt. She also bakes for two local businesses with her two love interests. She has her small circle of friends who help with the sleuthing. And Aunt Ginny has her crew, too.
This book adds the murder as well as a wine tasting group, a problematic new employee, possible rivals in both of her romantic relationships, and an unusual request from her law enforcement frenemy. So there’s a LOT happening here. But the author never loses track of the various threads. Secondary story elements never overwhelm the focus on the mystery, which I appreciated. The mystery develops at a great pace, and there are lots of avenues for Poppy to pursue in her sleuthing. The solution to the mystery was quite satisfying.
This is a fun series that often makes me laugh out loud. The mysteries are always terrific, and I get a kick out of most of the main characters. If we could get past the love triangle, I would adore it all the more. (Poppy spends a lot of time in this book talking about and thinking about her weight, her diet, and what she is and is not eating. This could be triggering for some readers.)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.