VILLAIN IN THE VINEYARD

Chesapeake Bay’s favorite sleuth unearths a vineyard’s poisonous secrets.

Real Estate Rule #4: Beware a house covered in tangled vines, for they conceal deceit.

Realtor Helen Morrisey is smiling. Her family is close. Her business solid. Her feelings for a local detective stronger than ever. When a string of her clients’ homes are graffitied, Helen writes it off as petty efforts by bored teenagers. Until they raise the stakes.

One by one ‘Your agent is a crook’ is splashed across buildings in blood red letters. Her hometown’s growing distrust in Helen chips away at her resolve, and her business. Overnight, she’s fighting a vengeful vandal to protect her name. Why is she a target?

Her phone rings. Her heart sinks. A local business leader and friend is dead. Last to see him alive, Helen convinces police her friend’s death is no accident. It’s murder. Days later, she discovers an eccentric vineyard owner slashed with a bottle of his prized wine. Two distinctly different backgrounds. How can these two crimes be related? Or are they?

Helen is long on loyalty but short on time. Retreating is not in her DNA. She faces two choices. Does she track down the person out to destroy her? Or dig into the dead men’s list of enemies to expose their killers? Can her sleuthing smarts outwit them? Or will Helen be the next victim?

. . .

“I’ve loved all Judy L. Murray’s Chesapeake Bay Mysteries, but I think this one may be my favorite. With a richly layered plot, a brilliant cast of characters, and an authentic feel for both policing and sleuthing, Villain in the Vineyard is a gem.” 

~ Connie Berry, USA Today bestselling author

"My first time reading a book from the Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series and I did not put it down until finished. Between the fast-paced mystery and the extremely likable characters, I was enthralled with Villain in the Vineyard. Helen Morrisey is the sassy sort of true-blue friend you would want. ...Thoroughly enjoyable. Looking forward to getting caught up by reading the first three in the series with a glass of wine and some of Helen's Twizzlers." 

~Kings River Life Magazine Review