Wine and Chocolate?! yes please! Who wouldn't love to travel to the finger lakes for a Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza (okay maybe without the murder though). Perfect for cozy mystery lovers who especially love culinary based murder mysteries and also cooking competitions.

Sauvigone for Good

by J.C. Eaton

Norrie, part owner of Two Witches Winery in Penn Yan, New York, is doing her part to facilitate the wintery Chocolate and Wine Festival that is sure to draw a crowd to the benefit of the wineries on Seneca Lake. Three world class chocolatiers will be competing for a large cash prize plus lots of media attention. First, there will be three days of demonstrations and wine pairings at the wineries. Norrie has a great crew who can manage normal issues that might arise. No one is prepared, however, for murder, scheming, and sabotage.

To counter bad publicity that is sure to arise, Norrie sets out to investigate a puzzle that involves the chocolatiers and other mysterious guests from Europe. Her friends Don and Theo at a neighboring winery offer support, and Gladys, who works for the county sheriff, can be counted on for the occasional leak of information. Norrie has had run-ins with Deputy Hickman before. He associates her with disasters and repeatedly warns her off her attempts at investigating.

Although the plot centers on murder and intrigue with lots of red herrings, there are side threads as well. Norrie, while “babysitting” the winery in her sister’s absence, has a job and deadlines as a screenwriter. In addition, she is sorting through her feelings for Godfrey, a young entomologist friend who is very helpful whenever called upon, and for Bradley, a lawyer she is dating.

I recommend Sauvigone for Good by J.C. Eaton as a fun cozy mystery, clean and interesting. I’m looking forward to the next whodunit by this husband and wife writing team.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #4 in The Wine Trail Mysteries but could be read as a standalone.

Publication: December 10, 2019—Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press)

Memorable Lines:

“Do you want any of us to go with you?” Stephanie asked. “It’s not a problem for me. My husband can put the boys to bed instead of having a love affair with the remote.”

It was another frigid morning and the snow in our vineyards glistened from the crust of ice that had formed on top of it. Another picture-perfect postcard for the Finger Lakes, unless you actually had to be outdoors.

“…And she’s got a smirk on her face that makes the Cheshire Cat look like an amateur.”

Finger Lakes' Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza is starting and Norrie's winery, the Two Witches, is part of the program, however, at the starting event, one of the premier chocolatier's is found dead in the snow, clutching a wine glass which had held Two Witches' Cabernet Sauvignon. Norrie feels that before her winery gets blamed for the death, she has to find the murderer and save the reputation of the Winery. When more antics and threatening actions appear to directed at the chocolatiers, Norrie may find she has her hands full.

I really enjoy the cross between the wines, chocolates and Norrie's romantic escapes.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jeanie

This is a fabulously elaborate fourth offering in this series! I never knew a winery could be so … interesting! The characters are engaging, the winter setting in the Finger Lakes region of New York is a bit chilling but beautiful, and who can resist chocolate? The mystery was impossible for this reader to solve, which is the way I like it. There is much humor to go around; I especially enjoy how Godfrey handled a situation.

Norrie has overseen the family winery, Twin Witches, for six months. She is looking forward to the return of her sister Francine and hubby Jason from chasing bugs in Costa Rica. While she is still screenwriting for the made-for-tv movies station from Canada, the pressure is greater than ever because of her duties at the winery.

Six of the wineries were chosen to hold chocolate and wine pairings, including demos of three top European chocolatiers, in the days immediately preceding the first ever Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. The winning chocolatier will win a huge sum of money, a book deal, writeups in major food magazines, and notoriety as the top chocolatier in the world. Each is a prima donna with special requirements. All stars come with a plethora of rumors, and this trio is no different. Two of the chocolatiers, Aletta and Stanislav, are in a relationship that had ended Aletta’s marriage. Jules, the third one, had a death threat, causing his assistant to quit, so he is bringing his nephew Earvin with him.

The opening night of the chocolate and wine fest arrives at Geneva on the Lake Resort, where the chefs are staying and the extravaganza will be held. Brad, the attorney Norrie is dating, is out of town on business, so she invites Godfrey, a friend and a coworker of her brother-in-law’s at Cornell Experiment Station, as her plus-one. Each of the six wineries where demos will be given have a specific wine selected to offer with the chocolate pairing, and each of those wines is featured at the ceremony. Overall the event goes well, but Jules has disappeared before the evening is through.

Early the next morning, Deputy Hickman is pounding on Norrie’s door. The crew at Geneva was clearing the parking lots early and found Jules dead in the parking lot. He was not dressed for the wintry outdoors and was still holding a wineglass. When checking the footage from the news networks the prior night, the last time Jules is seen before going outside is when he is given a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine Twin Sisters is providing for the events. He has a list in his pocket of the six featured wineries with a heavy line drawn through her winery. They will be doing tox screens, and she needs to be prepared to answer more questions.

The only thing as bad as having a dead body found at the winery months earlier is a potential rumor that their wine killed a world-acclaimed chocolatier! Knowing Deputy Hickman, he isn’t going to expend much energy on the investigation – or if it was even murder. Not only does she want to do what is best for the family winery, she also wants to prevent any further problems at the upcoming events. Earvin Is allowed to replace his uncle making chocolate creations; Twin Witches is one of the two wineries he will give demos at. He disappears as soon as the demo is over, and they are unable to locate them for his limo ride away. Threats, other challenges, and visitors from the chefs’ countries in this small area add to the suspense, and the suspect list!

I enjoyed getting to know Norrie, the winery staff, and owners of the other wineries better. I like Norrie, and I like seeing Norrie and Godfrey together. He has a great sense of humor, is very knowledgeable about the various insects he has studied over the years, and when Norrie needs him, he makes himself available.

This novel can be read as part of the series or as a standalone. The plot is incredible, very hard to even guess at who the real killer is. I now laugh at the notes I had with all the crazy scenarios I came up with, especially since most of them were too simple compared to the depth of intrigue that actually occurred. Having a big silly dog and seeing a bit of Norrie’s usual profession brought an added dimension, as did learning more about chocolate and – especially – the final chocolate designs the chocolatiers were to make. At the end, I was surprised at the motives for the murder, and completely blown away by the solutions. I highly recommend this amazing cozy mystery by this talented husband/ wife writing team!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Sauvigone for Good earns 5/5 Chocolate & Wine Pairings...Engaging Fun!

I am new to J.C. Eaton’s work and delighted to learn it’s a writing duo with an entertaining writing style. In this fourth book in their Wine Trails Mystery series, Norrie has accidentally volunteered to help handle arrangements for the chocolate demos from three world-famous chocolatiers. They are set to compete in the Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza sponsored by the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and the six local wineries, including Norrie’s Two Witches Winery, will be the highlighted venues. Each winery will also select the perfect wine to pair with the chocolate creations. It’s important the event go off without a hitch, but over-the-top demands, quirky obsessions, almost chocolatier-zilla manners, and social media is trending reports on threats and rivalries. But murder? Who killed the chocolate man? Only Karma knows!

I was pleased the duo used my favorite first-person narrative giving me a fun and vicarious role in the drama through Norrie’s “I” perspective with her descriptions and inner thoughts to enjoy. The drama was well-developed starting with some backstory, but I missed some supporting character details, none of which interfered with my staying engaged. The drama had a good setup, a possible victim was obvious, and a plethora of suspects with professional and personal motives to mull over. Karma, you’re needed! Descriptive language and dialogue did well to illustrate the setting, characters, tone, and personalities. Norrie’s investigative style is realistic to a point, some over-the-top ideas, but with informal interrogations, nosiness, and happening upon clues along with a somewhat antagonistic relationship with local law enforcement, and the dead ends, false clues, and twists. The events leading to the conclusion had some “wiggly” concerns (no spoilers) and a little much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Ok, wine, food, and chocolate, but where’s the bonus recipes? It’s not imperative, and I’m a bit selfish in this, because I really enjoyed the story, but I love my recipes, too.

Norrie is desperately trying to get her latest screen play written while also running the family winery while her sister Francine, is in South America looking at bugs, with her entomologist husband. Of course this would be at the same time as the Wine Trail's Wine and Chocolate Extravaganza complete with prima donna chocolatiers, sabotage, and murder. Was it death by bonbon, a sleep aid, or suffocation? The contest is getting cutthroat and Norrie is desperate to figure out who did it since Grizzly Gary doesn't seem to be able to piece the clues together. One doesn't have to be familiar with the characters to enjoy the story line as you can easily pick out the main characters who are quite the characters. I do think that Norrie needs to stick to the lawyer and not dwell on the entomologist. Of course I also think that the there should recipes for food pairings to go with those wonderful sounding wines. Looking forward to the next installment!

Sauvigone for Good by J.C. Eaton is the fourth book in the cozy The Wine Trail Mysteries series. Each book of this series has it’s own mystery that will be solved within so they could be read as a standalone or out of order. However, for those following from the beginning there is character development that carries over from book to book.

This series began with Norrie Ellington having been asked to return home to upstate New York by her sister to oversee the family business, Two Witches Winery. Norrie’s sister and her brother in law had been given a grant to study a species of insect in Costa Rica for a next year and while Norrie had made her life in New York City she would be able to continue her job as a successful screenwriter anywhere.

Who knew however that returning home to the winery would bring Norrie face to face with so many murders in their normally quiet area though. This time around one of the celebrity chocolatiers that are in town for the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza is killed with the last thing they were seen with was one of Two Witches Winery’s glasses.

The husband and wife writing team that make up J.C. Eaton quickly rose to the top of my favorite for cozies having not only this series but another that I’ve been following. Each book has that quirky fun that I enjoy so much in a cozy with likable characters and lovely settings. If you like a few laughs, some general craziness along with a solid mystery then I’d recommend giving this series a try.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love every book I have read by this author. The characters and their development throughout the plot is excellent. It kept me guessing until the end who the murderer was - you drink you know and hit dead ends or curve balls that second guess your thinking. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Sauvigone for Good is the fourth installment in the Wine Trail Mysteries series set in the lake shore town of Penn Yan in the Finger Lakes region of New York and featuring screenwriter and winery partner, Norrie Ellington. Winter has arrived at the winery and the Wine Trail Association is putting on the Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza which will pair six of the local wineries with three world renown chocolate confectioners and will culminate in a reality type competition with the winner receiving a large sum of money.

With Two Witches Winery have been chosen to host several demonstrations, Norrie has no choice but to attend the Meet and Greet on opening night. It soon becomes apparent that the three contestants have more than just a professional rivalry and when the next morning reveals one of them dead in a snowbank, Norrie soon finds herself in the middle of another murder. She knows when the detective shows up on her doorstep with video showing the last thing the victim drank was her families Cabernet Sauvignon and he was still clutching the wineglass in his hand that she'd better locate the killer before her sister Francine finds out.

A fast moving plot with plenty of suspects, laugh out loud moments and a recurring cast of quirky characters. While I wish Norrie would spend just a little more time at the winery other than eating in the bistro, I'm also hoping that in future installments she spend a little more time with Charlie, the plott hound instead of leaving him locked in the house for hours on end. Perhaps Charlie should be spending a little more time with Alvin, the spitting goat. And fingers crossed that the dreaded love triangle that's been in the works for the past three books will finally come to an end in the upcoming addition to the series.

I received an advanced copy of Sauvigone for Good from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground and while not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Yum! Chocolate and wine pairing sounds perfectly scrumptious. To have a high powered competition of some of the finest chocolatiers and promote their locals wines seemed like such a great idea. It might have been if the contestants had not been such divas and demanding that one of the three is found dead in the snow with one of Norrie’s wine glasses clutched in his hand. The fact that the last thing to pass his lips was her Sauvignon does help much either.
Who knew the world of chocolate was as cut-throat? Between the two remaining contestants, the nephew of the victim and several other wild cards, finding the killer is going to be quite a challenge. But Norrie and her friends are up to it- or so they can hope. It is a fast and enjoyable read filled with interesting characters, tons of intrigue, a definite Continental twist and some mouth watering chocolate. I have enjoyed the previous stories in the series and this one did not disappoint.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Nice addition to a terrific series. A variety of characters. A smidgeon of romance. Lots of chocolate and a few bugs. I look forward to reading the next one.

Sauvigone for Good by J.C. Eaton is the 4th book in The Wine Trail Mystery series. I really enjoyed this book. It's time for the Wine Trail Association's Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza in Finger Lakes. Norrie Ellington, our screenwriter, turned vintner is in charge of the three international chocolatiers, who are all bitter rivals. When one of the chocolatiers is found dead, Norrie is determined to find the killer and save her winery. I also really enjoyed the story line, and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Entertaining and well-written cozy mystery. I enjoyed it very much.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Winter weather has hit the Finger Lakes and so has the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. Norrie Ellington is on the planning committee and the Two Witches Winery is hosting one of the chocolatiers for some chocolate demos and wine pairings before the big competition which will bring in tons of people. She is also dealing with a moved-up deadline for her latest screenplay. So to say the woman has her hands full is an understatement. The last thing she needs is another murder. But that is just what she gets and it is pivotal she puts on her sleuthing hat because the deceased was last seen with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from her winery!

J.C. Eaton has bottled a wonderful mystery within these pages. Norrie teams up again with Theo and Don to try to make sense of what is happening at the participating wineries and the international chocolatiers. The event starts with dinner at Geneva on the Lake and all the wineries have provided wines for the event. The meet and greet went well but no one was truly surprised when the chocolatier ends up dead. There are plenty of rumors flying and secrets being held. Norrie has plenty of theories, some pretty far-fetched. Don and Theo do their best to try to reel her in but with threats found carved into the chocolate blocks and other crazy happenings everyone is interested in catching the killer as quickly as possible. While Norrie’s adventures aren’t always rooted in reality, she is so much fun to follow. The ending was unexpected and I loved it!!

All the characters continue to evolve. Norrie has made herself at home and she is getting a little more involved in the winery. Her sister and brother-in-law have hired a crew of knowledgeable people so she is able to keep up with her screenwriting commitments. The employees are an eclectic group but they know their jobs and have no problem with Norrie’s hit and run management style. There is the start of a romantic triangle that I hope resolves soon although I don’t know for sure which man I want Norrie to pick 😉

I love the setting of this series. The author has described Two Witches Winery so well, it is easy to picture everything from the wine tasting room, the goat outside, the family home, the dog mostly inside, and the roads to all the wineries in the area. I could also imagine the cold and snow. The chocolate demos had me drooling, I almost broke out the Christmas candy (meant for others) here.

Sauvigone for Good is funny and entertaining. So well-written I was in the dark about a lot of things right up to the final reveal. I am looking forward to my next visit!

Six wineries are paired up with three famous chocolatiers to showcase the pairing of wine and chocolate. Norrie is the silent partner of the Two Witches winery, reluctantly overseeing it while her sister and brother in law are in Costa Rica on a grant to study a bug. They deal with an insect and Norrie solves murders. None of this was her idea but her sister talked her into it telling her all she needed to do her writing job was a laptop and a landline. So here she is. As Norrie says "this chocolate fest had train wreck written all over it" and it started before any of them had even arrived. Things went from bad to worse and one of them turns up dead and one of the last things he ingested was one of her wines. Not good for business so of course Norrie starts to snoop and that doesn't make the police very happy.
I have enjoyed each of the books in this series, partly for the Finger Lakes location and always for the characters and the mysteries they solve.
My thanks to the publisher Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the 4th release in the delightful new series " Wine Trail Mysteries". I have read the entire series and do highly recommend for your reading enjoyment that you dive into the series from book one. This can be read as a stand alone but they are so enjoyable that every reader would enjoy the series . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own. There are humorous fun cozies with great charcters and always a well crafted sleuth.

In this next in series we revisit our intrepid protagonist Norrie Ellington and her Two Witches Winery. She is preparing for a wine trail festival of which she has offered to co host. There are celebrity confectioners in attendance and they are at odds. When a murder occurs the winery is at risk and Norrie decides to take up the investigation on her own to save her wineries reputation.

I love the charcters that are so humorous and the many antics that Norrie experiences in each book. The setting is done to perfection and the sleuth always a surprise to conclusion. This is a enjoyable cozy series that I highly recommend.

Cozy Mystery in The Finger Lakes Region
I have read all of the books in this series and, like wine, they get better with age. Part of it is getting to know the backstory. Most of it is that the mysteries are getting to be less obvious and take longer to figure out. I did not have a clue until the did the final reveal. It was a good story with lots of local color to go along with the chocolate and wine. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Sauvignon for Good is an entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Great plot that pulled me immediately into the action. Fans of mysteries are gonna love this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Sauvigone for Good is the fourth book in J.C. Eaton’s (the husband and wife writing team of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp) The Wine Trail Mysteries series. The story flowed smoothly with a steadily paced plot, twists and turns, and a well-developed cast of characters. This is a quick and easy read with an interesting mystery, but there is some mild adult language.

Norrie Ellington is a successful screenwriter and silent partner in Two Witches Winery, her family’s winery on Seneca Lake in Penn Yan, New York. Her older sister and brother-in-law, Francine and Jason, are spending a year in Costa Rica while Jason researches a bug, and Francine asked Norrie to temporarily move to the winery and oversee operations. Norrie reluctantly agreed since she can write anywhere, and the winery’s staff is experienced. Norrie Ellington and the other members of the Winery Owners of the West are hosting the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza at their wineries, with the finale being a competition between three world-famous chocolatiers at Geneva on the Lake. The three chocolatiers are scheduled to give confection making demonstrations, paring each one with a wine at each of the six wineries. Before the demonstrations even begin, the body of one of the chocolatiers, Jules Leurant, is found. Norrie, who has a tendency to get carried away with her sleuthing and making wild assumptions, is determined to uncover the identity of the killer.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I enjoyed this series. If you read cozies and expect everything to be plausible then this genre may not be for you. I read cozies to be entertained, challenged, and escape the current “Trump” news. The series to does this for me. Do I find it a little unreal, yes.

Our screen writing/winery overseer is knee deep into another murder investigation. She has a lot on her plate and is convinced the local police will not thoroughly investigate the crime.

I like the comradery of the wine trail and her neighbors just down the hill.