Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was really good. Boy what a web it wove. Some of the twists i definitely didnt see coming, especially the video. But i knew everyone was involved to a certain point.

This was a great thriller and had my attention through the end!

This was a solid thriller. There were enough layers in the timelines to keep me guessing the whole time. I thought the character development was solid, and the setting was a good draw. I'll be looking for more from this author.

This fast paced thriller offers is set in picturesque Napa Valley, California, where FBI agent Lana Burrell is forced into a dark and twisted mystery that shattered her childhood and forever changed her life. Women are turning up dead and it is all traced back to one vineyard. With local gossip about the murders, discussions of the possibility of cult activity, and a powerful local family hiding secrets, the setup is atmospheric and tense. The plot moves at a brisk pace in some sections, keeping the suspense high, though it tends to lag in others, causing the momentum to falter. The author attempts to lead the reader down several rabbit holes, which adds intrigue, but not all of them feel fully earned. Some plot points are wrapped up a little too neatly, undermining the complexity of the mystery. Still, it’s an entertaining read overall, especially for fans of suspense that mixes past trauma with present-day danger.

This book was really good. It gripped me from the beginning and i was hooked and exited about what was happening. The book held my interest the whole way and was all in all very entertaining. The book is about Lana who is an FBI agent (love this). She has to go back to where she grew up to solve multiple murders and open up her old wounds from the past. The book progresses at a very nice pace, not too slow. J. T. Falco really did a good job here. The contents of the book keeps the listener engaged and interested.

The audiobook was very well narrated and the narrator made the book come even more alive. Loved it!
I would really recommend this book!

THANK YOU to Spotify Audiobooks for the book to read and review! This is out now!
I'm giving 4 stars to this twisted, wine country mystery.

This story has lots of my favorite tropes/ themes in a book:
-BA Women FBI Agent & Sheriff's Deputy
-mixed media
-decades old mystery
-cultish vibes
-family DRAMA

Throughout this story there are many red herrings which helped to drive the investigation forward. The mixed media works really well in this story. Some examples are journal entry, court documents, interview transcript, etc. They added depth to the story and layers to the characters, specifically the family drama among the Bancrofts. The cult vibes and family drama really propel this story to some weird and dark places, but I was HERE for all of it! There are some wonderful side characters as well especially Essie. Overall, a great read.

This mystery resolved nicely (well not NICELY as there is some really tough stuff at the end but like, it felt resolved).

The audio production of this was fantastic. The narrator's voice was very pleasing to listen to, the pacing was good, and she added wonderful emotions into the reading as well which I always LOVE in an audiobook. This was easy to follow and stay invested in the story. One of my favorite audiobooks I've read recently!

All the items I listed above come together to make this story entirely bingable! I loved going along with Agent Burrell on this investigation and couldn't read fast enough to see how this would resolve.

Title: Blood on the Vine
Author: J. T Falco (Debut Author)
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Abigail Reno
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 22, 2025
My Rating: 2.3 Stars
Pages: 320

FBI Agent Lana Burrell grew up in wine country Napa Valley, California with her father Cliff.
When Lana was a teen her best friend, Jess Bancroft was murdered and her father Cliff was found guilty. Lana was sure her father was innocence.

Now as an FBI Agent she is investigating the death of two women. Lana is forced to partner with the local sheriff’s office that put her father in prison, and also has to reconnect with the wealthy family that runs a powerful wine dynasty,
Additionally there are clues of cult at the center of wine country.

I was drawn to this story as a Californian I love Napa Valley. It is so different from crowded Southern California. So I was sure I was going to enjoy being taken away to wine country. I love to read so murder and a nice glass of wine sounded like a great idea.
I did check reviews and a reader I like and trust mentioned it was ‘graphic in parts’ so I had been warned. She was correct- however it was more graphic than I like. – hearing it is always worse than reading.
I did hang in there by skipping parts. There were so many nasty characters I was clueless as to whodunit.

Bottom line – it didn’t work for me.

Want to thank NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 22, 2025.

Blood on the Vine by JT Falco was an enjoyable mystery. The ending felt a little rushed and everything was neatly tied up, but otherwise I found it entertaining. The narrator did a decent job with voicing the different characters, especially Deputy Essie. Deputy Essie was my favorite character overall because it was fun imagining a woman going into the police academy on her sixties, set in her ways but eager to learn and be of assistance.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how the female narrator handled this whole story by herself! She was clear and concise and easy to listen to for hours on end. The story completely took me by surprise and had so many different twists and turns, I never knew what direction it was headed! I live pretty close to Napa Valley and don’t read too many books centering around it, which I enjoyed. I would recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers, mysteries, and detective stories!

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

This is twisty, turny ride through the family secrets of winery families! Wow. The drama! A FBI agent returns to her hometown to investigate the recent murders of four women who have gone missing or been murdered over the past 50 years to determine if the cases are linked with each other.

This debut novel will keep you thinking once the book is finished!

4 stars.

Look it wasn't a bad book, it just didn't wow me or surprise me. It was just okay for me in the end. There were some overused tropes that just annoyed me a little and the storyline was a little slow moving for me.

We are following FBI agent Lana Burrel, who is investigating a murder case in Napa Valley whom her father is in prison for. When similar deaths happen again and Lana is determined to free her dad and find the killer.

I thought this book was ok,I was a bit bored at times and didn’t love Lana as a main character. I hate to say that it sounded like she was written by a man, but it did. The whole “omg did I shave my legs” before sex made my eyes roll and just other ways she talked would not be how a woman would talk. It’s your typical alcoholic, horney female main character that I don’t really enjoy.

I didn’t guess the killer so that had a nice twist at the end, but I would have liked to see what happened with her dad. The ending was a bit abrupt. I would give this author a try again in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A detective who grew up in Napa is assigned to a murder case back in her old stomping grounds. Here she must come face to face with the locals and local law enforcement who put her father in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, wrangle with the wealthy vineyard owners who have shunned her, and demand justice for both the rich white girl found dead and for the migrant girl who went missing a month before.
Lots of politics, a little winemaking, and some detecting craft keep this novel interesting and different.
Good narration. I thought I had this figured out, but thankfully I did not. Makes it much more enjoyable that way. 4 1/3 stars.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @SpotifyAudiobooks, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #BloodontheVine for review purposes. Publication date: 22 April 2025.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, but there were a few plot elements that I was not a huge fan of (especially the way the case wraps up in the end and some of the events from the past that contributed to it). I loved the Napa Valley setting and some of the dynamics that revolved around the wine making industry. I thought that Lana's character development was well done, but some of the other characters could have been a bit more fleshed out. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Oh, my heart hurts that I am not in love with a debut novel from an author. I want people to hit home runs when up at bat, but Blood on the Vine was just ok. That said, will I pick up the next book J.T. Falco writes? Yup. But, I'm also going to be honest in hopes my 3 stars are at least insightful.

Falco is a man according to the web, and the protagonist in this book is a woman. A woman I could not like, enjoy, care about, or become invested in during the journey. I just didn't like her, her alcohol use, her behavior, the very young sounding inner voice. None of it resonated with me and without a hero to love, it's just a lot of words.

I did love the setting, the audio narrators and the pretty quick read.

This is the first book I have read by this author so i went in without any expectations. For the most part I found this book to be an enjoyable read that kept me engaged but it didn't wow me. The main character is an FBI agent who eats like crap and drinks too many Heineken but that's about all the character depth that you get. There is some back story but I just need a little more connection to my protagonists. The dark plot into an underground sex cult added some fun to the story as did the backdrop up the wine industry. I would recommend this as a light read that if you take for what is then you'll enjoy it.

This one starts off with a nice swirl-and-sniff of mystery before pouring into a full-bodied thriller. FBI agent Lana Burrell is dragged back to wine country where her best friend was murdered, her dad was framed, and now—surprise!—the body count is rising like the price of a good cabernet.

Is it the cult? Is it the wine snobs? Is it that cop who ruined her life with big “I’m the law” energy? You’ll have to read to find out.

It slows a bit in the middle (like that one dinner party that should’ve ended after the second glass), but the finale is a wild ride. I guessed some of the twist, but the full uncorking? Deliciously unhinged. I needed just a touch more at the end to really savor the finish, but still—a good pour.

Also, Essie? MVP. Give that woman her own spinoff.

Pick this one up if you like twisty thrillers, complex women, vineyard drama, and maybe a little culty chaos with your merlot.

3-Star Review: Blood on the Vine

I was pleasantly surprised by Blood on the Vine. Going in, I expected a run-of-the-mill thriller, but what I got was something much more unique. The storyline took some unexpected turns, and the originality of the plot really stood out. While it didn’t quite blow me away, it was a refreshing change from the usual formula and definitely worth a read for anyone looking for something a little different in the thriller genre.

This is a decent mystery, with some unlikable characters, some very weird plot points, a twist, and a light romance. It's pretty mediocre in all ways. The dialog seemed stilted at times and the believability was somewhat sketchy, but it was highly readable and an interesting setting.

Narrated by Abigail Reno
Presented by Spotify Audiobooks

Clearly written by a man, this one.

Aside from the gratuitous sex scenes, though, not too bad a crime novel.

Two bodies turn up so our protagonist is sent back to her hometown in Napa Valley to investigate. Along the way she's got to deal with the local rich family, a cult, and the sheriff that put her father in prison many years ago for the murder of her best friend.

I was quite intrigued at first but once the cult was introduced my mind started to drift a little bit. It all seemed a bit too far-fetched and I just found it hard to follow how everything was tying in.

The pace wasn't too bad - there always seemed to be something happening and there are plenty of different threads to follow. Lana is not too bad for a protagonist, but nothing particularly new, either.

Some of the occurrences did seem a bit unnecessary for me, and the male author was very evident. I don't think it needed as much detail as it included.

I liked the setting, with some interesting tidbits on wine-making and the like.

The narrator was decent, and gave a good performance. It was fairly easy to distinguish most voices, and there was enough emotion to convey urgency when needed. I'd happily listen to this narrator again.

Nothing particularly memorable, but a neat crime novel that ties everything together nicely.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

A murder mystery set in wine country? Say no more—I’m in! Working in the wine industry, I was completely drawn in by the richly atmospheric setting. The detailed descriptions, especially of Napa Valley, felt so authentic and immersive, it was like stepping right into the vineyards I know so well.

This was such a gripping read—where past and present collide in a twisty, corkscrew-like police procedural and crime thriller. I couldn’t put it down.

Learning that Flaco is a screenwriter and that this story is already optioned? It makes perfect sense. It reads with cinematic flair and doesn’t feel like a debut in the slightest. I’m already looking forward to whatever comes next!