Murder in the Wine Country: A California B&B Cozy Mystery

Murder in the Wine Country by Janet Finsilver takes us back to Red Cove, California. Kelly Jackson, manager of Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is participating in an event to raise awareness on the plight of veterans. Kelly is looking forward the foraging expedition to look for edible greens. She is surprised when the game warden advises them to go in pairs because of poachers making off with a rare succulent, Dudleya farinose. The Silver Sentinels need a new project, so they begin looking into the poaching problem. Before the events can begin, a friend of Phil’s, Eric Stapleton is killed. Eric was acting as a consultant on the sale of the Sagatini Winery. Everyone is shocked when Phil ends up at the top of the suspect list. Kelly and the Silver Sentinels set out prove his innocence. Murder in the Wine Country is the 6th A Kelly Jackson Mystery. Each book in this charming series can be read on its own. I like the variety of characters in this series especially the Silver Sentinels. Tommy, Helen’s son, is a cutie who is full of energy. The setting of Redwood Cove is just lovely. The author’s vivid word imagery brings the setting to life. I found Murder in the Wine Country to be well-written and engaging with the story moving along at a steady pace. It was interesting learning about edible greens. The chefs make some tasty dishes with their foraged ingredients. I appreciate that the romance between Scott and Kelly moves along slowly. The spend time together when they can, and they are taking their time getting to know each other. The mystery had a couple of different components to it (which I loved). I liked that Kelly took a more active sleuthing role in this book. It is always entertaining following Kelly and the Silver Sentinels as they dig up clues and uncover the guilty party. Murder in the Wine Country has a great conclusion that nicely wraps up the mysteries. Murder in the Wine Country is a diverting cozy mystery with foraging for flora, wonderful wines, succulent stealers, valiant veterans, and a perplexing puzzle.

I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised by more than one mystery and the pace they were solved. It was a well paced book with believable characters. I'll be looking for the next one.