Sacred Vines

A Finger Lakes Wine Mystery Novel

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Pub Date 31 Jul 2019 | Archive Date 11 Aug 2019

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Description

Book 2 in the Finger Lakes Wine Mystery series.

“This is a stand alone murder mystery novel for fans of traditional detective or cozy mysteries such as Midsomer plus food and culinary mystery novels."

★★★★★

What starts with a flaming car rolling down a hill into Conesus Lake turns into the next Finger Lakes Wine Mystery for Investigator Louis Deville. He and Investigator Reginald Scudder work on what appears to be an accident. The local sergeant invites them to stay and help with a case he calls "sensitive". The new death is not helping the town's local economy, where the major draw is a local winery.

With the recent drowning of a young boy and now another death in the same lake, the Willows Pond Winery is struggling. While the owners try to keep the winery of the small town going, and what's left of their family together, there is more mayhem underfoot.

Nearby, at a monastery which is eerily familiar to Deville, a nun is busy trying to save souls, while a drifter is missing and considered a suspect.

An autistic young man holds a troubling secret, a nurse who knows the victim all too well, and a mother who is suffering from her own demons all hold clues to horrific events.

Can Deville save a young girl from the same fate of her twin brother, while trying to solve a murder mystery case which has more twists than a lake itself? And can he keep his sanity from his own past and from the meddling innkeepers who seem to know everything about everyone?

This cozy mystery novel is set in the small town of Conesus in the Finger Lakes of New York, where food and wine are plentiful. This new cozy mystery series features a traditional detective who solves a murder mystery in each novel.

Book 2 in the Finger Lakes Wine Mystery series.

“This is a stand alone murder mystery novel for fans of traditional detective or cozy mysteries such as Midsomer plus food and culinary mystery novels."

...


Advance Praise

Reviewed By Deborah Lloyd for Readers’ Favorite

"Investigators Louis Deville and Reginald Scudder were summoned to the picturesque town of Lakeview in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The town featured a winery and a monastery that had once housed a children’s orphanage. When a flaming car sped down the hill into Conesus Lake, its driver did not survive. Sergeant Adder, from the Geneseo police station, asked for their assistance in determining if this was an accident or suicide but it soon became apparent that a murder had occurred. As the investigation went on, Deville and Scudder learned a great deal of information about the relationships and possible motivations of many of the townspeople. Author Don Stevens has written an intriguing mystery novel in Sacred Vines: A Finger Lakes Wine Mystery.

There are many characters in this storyline, and each person is described with much detail; it is easy to picture each one. One example is that the young man Dudley, who has autism, is realistic. How he views the world and how he copes with its complexities are authentic. Another interesting aspect of several main characters is how the current events tie in with life experiences from the past – from the main character who spent a few years of his childhood in the orphanage to a nurse who has a questionable work history. There are many twists and turns in this book, making it a real page-turner. The reader is engaged from the first page to the last. Sacred Vines: A Finger Lakes Wine Mystery is a captivating, entertaining read; this is a series to enjoy."


Reviewed By Lesley Jones for Readers’ Favorite

"An autistic boy stands at the side of Conesus Lake, admiring the splendor of a falling meteor, when suddenly the screams of a young woman are heard. As her car, engulfed in flames, crashes into the lake, the same place where a young boy drowned a few weeks previously, the quiet town of Finger Lakes is once again the center of a mysterious death. Was this murder or suicide? There seems to be only one man experienced enough to investigate this mystery. Louis Deville arrives in Finger Lakes, but when he tries to question the people who knew the victim, he comes face to face with resistance from possible witnesses who seem to be hiding something. As events unfold, Deville is forced to face his painful past. He also discovers that the town holds the key to some horrific truths that extend much further afield than Conesus Lake.

Sacred Vines by Don Stevens is a totally gripping read and the author has an undeniable talent for triggering all of your senses with his narrative; 'stench of burning metal marshmallow'. Each of the characters was so diverse and unique. They all possessed such depth with dark secrets which they are hesitant to reveal, but Deville does an amazing job of peeling them away, little by little. I loved how Deville embarked on his own personal journey to reconcile his painful recollections as the flaws in his personality made him so human and likable. I thought the relationships between the characters developed perfectly. The twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing until that climactic scene at the end when all was revealed. The author also has an incredible ability to lead you down one path, only to uncover more information that leads to another conclusion. The dialogue was a superb reflection of the characters' personalities too. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and by the end, I was left wanting to know more about the future of the characters."


Reviewed By Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite

"Sacred Vines by Don Stevens is a murder mystery that starts with a blaze (literally) in the Finger Lakes region of central New York state. This is the third installment of Stevens' Finger Lakes Wine Mystery series, preceded by the well-received A Taste For Death, and the series prequel, Bitter Harvest. Sacred Vines reads as a stand-alone, immediately diving into action with what is hoped to be an accidental death when a young woman's car is engulfed in flames and driven into the lake. Aside from being terribly tragic, it is negatively impacting tourism in the region which is driven by the wineries, including the Hollingsworth family, who have experienced tragedy themselves. It's left to Investigator Louis Deville, with the help of Reginald Scudder, to string together what is really going on in the Finger Lakes region among a cast of varied, interesting, and wonderfully fleshed-out characters.

Don Stevens has written a wonderful piece of fiction with Sacred Vines, bringing to life a region that should be far better known in real life, and turning it into a glorious setting for a murder mystery. The narrative is excellent and flows consistently throughout. I particularly loved the dialogue which felt authentic but maintained an air of genuine wit. The unraveling of the mystery is done with the skilled hand of an experienced author, slowly peeling back the layers and—as all good fiction does—throwing in a spanner the moment you think, just maybe, you've worked it out. I'd absolutely recommend this book to those looking for a fresh and modern twist to a classic formula, the likes of which readers of Agatha Christie and A.E.W. Mason will enjoy."

Reviewed By Deborah Lloyd for Readers’ Favorite

"Investigators Louis Deville and Reginald Scudder were summoned to the picturesque town of Lakeview in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The...


Available Editions

ISBN 9780997960129
PRICE $16.99 (USD)

Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

A nice cozy mystery. I liked the plot, the cast of characters and the setting.
The mystery is ok, no plot hole, and it kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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I very much enjoyed this book, I like the storyline, the characters and the bones of the story. I found that I was looking forward to each and every page. The mystery had me intrigued and the way the main character's story was interwoven with the mystery.
An enjoyable read

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Interesting police procedural flavored with sadness. A young woman's charred body is found in the lake inside her roommate's car. Everyone's life seems related not only to the vineyard, but also to the monastery that was once an orphanage, and that includes the investigator who came from France. Difficult interviews with those who knew her.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. ( )

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The story moved a bit slow for my taste. But the twist at the end was a good one and made up for the dragging pace. Stick with it, you won't see the end coming.

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Sacred Vines by Don Stevens has been classified as both a cozy mystery and a traditional detective story. It is the second book in the Finger Lakes Wine Mystery series and is set in the Finger Lakes area of New York.

Investigators Louis Deville and Reginald Scudder are called to help on an investigation that appears to be an accident. The local sergeant specifically requested Deville and this plays into the personal side of the story.
However, there is more going on than meets the initial eye. There was a recent drowning of a young boy and now the death of someone else in the same lake. Are they related? Are they accidents or is one or both of them murder? Then there are assaults and another murder. I won’t say more about the specifics in order to avoid spoilers.

This is well-written and Stevens does a great job of helping the reader visualize parts of the town; especially the winery that is the main tourist attraction and the monastery that used to house a children’s orphanage. It is a little slow in a few places, but it also has a great twist at the end.

Each character seemed to come alive to me. Secrets abound and the Investigators have to work hard to unearth them as well as determine who is lying. The mystery was intriguing and the characters had depth. This novel addresses several themes including alcoholism, autism, murder, assault and so much more that I have left out due to spoilers.

I recommend this novel to those that enjoy cozy mysteries or a straight detective story.

Many tanks to Net Galley, BooksGoSocial and Don Stevens for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

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Investigators Louis Deville and Reginald Scudder are called to an “accident” to help out the local sergeant. What they quickly find is this may be no simple accident, it may be a murder. As they start interviewing family and residents of Finger Lake, they come across a family that has just lost their son through a drowning in the same lake. Could this just be coincidence? They start diving deeper into the lives and history of the residents to find that many of them have buried secrets and lies in their pasts. Twists and turns in the story take you through a fascinating story of love, loss, betrayal and friendship.
I really enjoyed this book, but I will be honest that the first time I picked it up I found the beginning confusing probably due to the fact that I didn’t read the first book in the series. I put it down to pick it up again after reading reviews and boy was I glad I did. The book had me guessing right until the last page. I liked the different characters and the dynamics of the small town residents. I quickly became engrossed in the story when things started to unfold. Thank you so much to the author, Books Go Social and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review.

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This mystery is about more than just a small finger lakes town, it is about ghosts from the past and questions of the future. Very interesting characters but I did feel that I would have understood the storyline better if I had read a previous book in the series. At first I thought I was reading a British book, but then I realized that Inspector Deville was not in Europe but rather he was in New York state. Off the beaten path and definitely out of their jurisdiction, Deville and Scudder work at putting the clues together. A small town grieving the loss of a child and now young girl, both to the lake by the vineyard winery and monastery. The monastery holds relics and records that might must help Deville with the mystery of his past. Oh what a tangled web was weaved and oh how convoluted things were in this story making it an excellent one to keep the reader engaged and following along with the Insector looks into the victim, her story, and the people she interacted with. Such a diverse cast of characters and for me it was a toss up between the precocious Anya and the ever helpful Mr. Black. I did become a little lost in parts relating to Inspector Deville' s past. Side note, there is some great wine tips and a nice description of the difference in grapes such as the pinot grigio vs the pinot gris.

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Sacred Vines, book 2 in the series was a great read. I highly recommend it. Great author and a great story.

Synopsis:
What starts with a flaming car rolling down a hill into Conesus Lake turns into the next Finger Lakes Wine Mystery for Investigator Louis Deville. He and Investigator Reginald Scudder work on what appears to be an accident. The local sergeant invites them to stay and help with a case he calls "sensitive". The new death is not helping the town's local economy, where the major draw is a local winery.

With the recent drowning of a young boy and now another death in the same lake, the Willows Pond Winery is struggling. While the owners try to keep the winery of the small town going, and what's left of their family together, there is more mayhem underfoot.

Nearby, at a monastery which is eerily familiar to Deville, a nun is busy trying to save souls, while a drifter is missing and considered a suspect.

Was this review helpful?

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