Wined and Died in New Orleans

By: Ellen Byron

Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley

The second in a fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.

In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.

Rough start but improves in time

Especially at the beginning the stereotyped characters are annoying, shallow, and distract from the plot. However by half way through the book, the characters become less shallow and the plot greatly improves.

Immerse yourself into New Orleans

They all do a wonderful job of immersing you in a journey through the main characters life. While Ellen Byron’s books follow a similar plot line, the narrator expresses Byron’s work in a way that leaves you guessing what wrote the story will take with foreshadowing and plot twists of characters.

Good Book Wine and Die in New Orleans

It was a good book I enjoyed the story line and the characters. I look forward to reading more books.

Twists n turns of who done it

I really enjoy this series. It has fun characters to draw you in and an underlying mystery you can’t wait to solve.

What a delight!

Ricki James-Diaz is the proprietor of Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, located in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. New Orleans. Atmosphere. An aristocratic family with troublemaking relatives. A quirky cast of characters. What more can you want?

The story is full of optimism and charm – and the occasional murder – generously seasoned with LOL humor. It’s a tonic for the world-weary. Can’t wait for the next Vintage Cookbook!