Murder Down Under

A nice glass of wine, a book and a quiet evening. What more can a girl want?

Here’s the blurb for A Vintage Murder by Michele Scott:

As the vineyard manager at Malveaux Estates, Nikki Sands knows wine…and has recently gotten to know her own heart. She’s finally chosen between two men, and followed one to Australia’s wine-producing Barossa Valley. But just when things Down Under start to heat up, murder steps in…

Nikki and her boss - oops, boyfriend! - came to Australia to visit the Hahndorf Winery, but it seems they’ve also walked onto a movie set. An epic film, complete with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, is being shot on the estate. Then, leading lady Lucy Swanson is found dead in her trailer, bitten by a poisonous snake. Ex-actress Nikki is asked to take on Lucy’s role, and Nikki agrees to step into the spotlight, hoping to find a villain under the glare. Off set, she’s combing vineyards, determined to catch a killer with a venomous streak - before she’s struck herself.

It was a quick read. And enjoyable as well. I have read a couple of the other books in the series, and was happy that Nikki chose Derek. I was rooting for them.

Back to the book, I found that everything went smoothly until Nikki was offered the part in the movie. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the blurb. But Derek’s reaction was…not the initial one, the one after, I didn’t see that coming. Nikki was her usual curious self, wanting to investigate and wanting “to help” to detective in charge. With all the drama that was happening, the scene stealer was Simon. I just love him!

I was surprised on who the killer was, it just felt strange. I’m usually pretty good on catching them early but not this one. Oh well, maybe next time.

A Vintage Murder by Michele Scott (3/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (7/08); Series: # 4, A Wine Lover’s Mystery; 100 + Reading Challenge (43); Library book;