Books & Reviews
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The Wine Trail Mysteries
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A deadly search for sour grapes...
Norrie Ellington is a successful screenwriter living in New York City. She's also been a silent partner for her family's winery upstate -- until her sister and brother-in-law take a year-long sabbatical. With an experienced staff doing the work, Norrie figures Two Witches Winery will run itself while she enjoys the countryside and writes in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, there's a sour grape in the town of Penn Yan who doesn't care for vineyards. Bed and breakfast owner Elsbeth Waters complains to everyone who'll listen that the local wineries are bad for her business. But when Elsbeth's body is found on Norrie's property, the victim of foul play, the screenwriter-turned-vintner dons a sleuthing cap to uncover the identity of a killer who told the B&B proprietess to put a cork in it -- permanently! |
A RIESLING TO DIE “Well plotted with interesting characters and a humorous thread that kept my interest until the final scene.” – V.M. Burns, author of the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries, R J Franklin Series, Dog Club Mysteries, Fairy Tale Cozies “…a real treat. Plenty of suspects and some crazy theories kept me guessing the entire story.” –Escape with Dollycas |
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Finding a murderer requires 100% proof.
In Seneca Lake, New York, Norrie Ellington's Two Witches Winery has been selected by the local vintner community to host the annual Federweisser, a celebration of the season's first fermentation of white Chardonnay grapes. But the festivities are spoiled when Norrie learns that landowner Roy Wilkes has raised her neighbor Rosalee Marbleton's rent so high, she may have to close her vineyard. Before the rent hike could go into effect, Wilkes is found dead on Roslaee's property -- stabbed by a flowerpot stake -- and she becomes the police's number one suspect. To clear her friend's name, Norrie conducts her own investigation. But as she gathers clues, Norrie finds herself targeted by a killer, and if she's not careful, her desire to see justice done may die on the vine . . |
CHARDONNAYED TO REST “A sparkling addition to the Wine Trail Mystery Series. A toast to protagonist Norrie and Two Witches Winery, where the characters shine and the mystery flows. This novel is a perfect blend of suspense and fun!” –Carlene O’Neil, author of the Cypress Cove Mysteries |
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There's a lot of noir surrounding this rare pinot.
As the vineyards in Seneca Lake, New York, prepare for the seasonal “Deck the Halls Around the Lake” festivities, someone is determined to keep pinot noir off the wine list. Hijacked trucks and sabotaged ingredients have made it a hard-to-acquire vintage for the six local wineries -- including Norrie Ellington's Two Witches Winery. The case of the stolen and spoiled wines gets stranger when Arnold Mowen, owner of the company distributing the wine, is found dead, the apparent victim of a hunting accident. As Norrie tries to find the connections between the pinot's problems and Arnold's death, she uncovers a conspiracy among many locals whose hatred for the wine distributor was bottled up for far too long. . . |
PINOT RED OR DEAD “A marvelous mystery…” Baroness Book Trove |
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Can Norrie stop a murderer’s reign of terroir?
The descent of winter on the Finger Lakes means it’s time for the Wine Trail Association’s Chocolate and Wine Extravaganza. Unfortunately, for screenwriter-turned-reluctant vintner, Norrie Ellington, her Two Witches Winery is co-hosting the festivities. Norrie’s duties include wrangling the three international chocolatiers featured at the event—bitter rivals and industry influencers who can make or break Two Witches. But the heated competition among the celebrity confectioners soon spills out of the professional arena, and before the Extravaganza is over, one of the cocoa pros is dead, last seen sipping a Two Witches’ Cabernet Sauvignon. With spirits souring at the Extravaganza and her winery on the line, Norrie must hustle to find the uncorked killer before Two Witches’ reputation is crushed once and for all. |
SAUVIGONE FOR GOOD
“A wonderfully entertaining story, with twists that keep readers guessing, and mouth-watering descriptions that will also make them hungry.” The Cozy Review “Funny and entertaining. J.C. Eaton has bottled up a wonderful mystery within these pages.” Escape with Dollycas |
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Norrie Ellington is a sucker for doing good deeds, but when she agrees to let a film crew use her winery as a backdrop and one of them turns up dead, she’ll have to act fast because this crew knows how to put on an act…
When screenwriter and winery co-owner, Norrie Ellington agrees to let her producer film a movie scene at Two Witches Winery, her biggest concerns revolve around the crew trampling her precious vines and starstruck fans crowding the vineyard to spot the famous actors. But nothing had prepared her for the film’s director, an unbearable diva with a growing list of unreasonable demands‒along with a growing list of enemies. And when the director turns up dead, apparently the victim of foul play, a very public altercation Norrie had with the victim the day before puts her in the spotlight as the lead suspect. Knowing she’ll have to root out the killer to get off the narrow-minded local sheriff’s most-wanted list, Norrie compiles a large selection of potential suspects, including vengeful actors the director had once blacklisted and even the director’s estranged husband, a high-profile candy magnate trying to bring a burgeoning market for concord grapes to the region. Weeding out false leads and planted clues, Norrie knows she’ll have to act fast tracking down the culprit, or risk becoming the murderer’s next target in a deadly harvest… |
DIVIDE AND CONCORD
Engaging characters and a stirring mystery kept me captivated from the first page to the last. Dollycas’s Thoughts Well-crafted sleuths, enjoyable setting, and a dash of humor. Cozy Cat Reviews |
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Norrie Ellington has to pour herself into the case to bottle up a crafty killer. . .
With her overlong stay at Two Witches Winery extended yet again, screenwriter Norrie Ellington wants nothing more than to lay low and avoid murder investigations at all costs. Then two neighborhood boys show up at the winery saying they've discovered what looks like a dead body in a nearby woods, and Norrie's curiosity gets the better of her. When the body turns out to be a local labor manager and the sheriff suspects a neighboring winery of foul play, Norrie turns sleuth once again. Following the few clues found at the scene, Norrie soon learns that the victim had been charging exorbitant amounts for the seasonal workers he supplied to the vineyards, meaning any of the owners could have wanted him out of the way. And when another dead body is found, Norrie's dizzying list of suspects threatens to overwhelm her. But with the stakes higher than ever, her biggest fear may be that if the local sheriff doesn't kill her for meddling, there's a murderer on the loose who surely will . . |
"An intriguing plot and a mystery that kept me guessing." Marla B, Amazon Review "Well crafted characters and a great setting." A Cozy Cup of Murder |
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When a local historian is found dead, Norrie Ellington has to dig through the clues to prove the cause was not a centuries-old curse but coldblooded murder…
It’s rare that the summer solstice and a full moon fall on the same night, but winery manager Norrie Ellington is all too familiar with the curse that supposedly accompanies the event: the death by suffocation of someone in the area. She’s inclined to write the whole thing off as folklore nonsense – until the president of the local historical society is found smothered on that very night. Local law enforcement isn’t quite so superstitious, however, and they’ve pegged a close friend of Norrie’s for the murder. Determined to discredit the curse and get her friend off the hook, Norrie begins digging into the background of the victim, only to discover that he had no shortage of enemies. And as evidence emerges of his questionable connections and shady dealings, Norrie follows a trail of clues that leads her smack into the racing world at Watkins Glen. She’ll have to shift into overdrive to save her friend, because, curse or not, there’s a flesh-and-blood killer dead set on making Norrie the next victim… |
"It's a different climax with a humorous twist that had me chuckling. I really did enjoy this mystery and hope to see more of these characters in the next." JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) "Fun, Smart, Cozy Series" Cozy Reviews |
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Norrie Ellington gears up for Halloween at Two Witches Winery, where the phrase “wine and spirits” takes on spooky—and deadly—overtones . . . Back at Two Witches Winery for a short stay, Norrie Ellington is warming to the holiday spirit and the upcoming Hallow Wine Weekend, and she’s happy to steer clear of the writer from Wine Enthusiast magazine who’s come to do interviews about this year’s spectacular Merlot. But then the critic’s dead body is found slumped over a Halloween cauldron display, and despite a stern warning from the local deputy to keep her nose out of it, Norrie instantly switches into sleuth mode. Intent on discovering why someone wanted to silence the victim, Norrie quickly learns that he was an unbearable snob and known womanizer who had no shortage of enemies. But as one suspect after another leads to a dead end, Norrie’s stumped—until the one mysterious clue that’s been haunting her turns the case around. Now, as all the ghouls, goblins, and trick-or-treaters come out on Halloween, Norrie’s ready to unleash her spirit of justice—she just has to close in on the killer before the Grim Reaper closes in on her . . . |
"Another rollicking episode!" Audrey Battrum, Amazon review "Do yourself a favor and pick up a book by J.C. Eaton." ELL9677 Amazon review "I absolutely LOVE this series!" Mother of Scotties, Amazon review |
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You can’t plant traminette if you’re behind bars
When reluctant winery owner, Norrie Ellington is gifted with cockroach DNA, she thinks things couldn’t get worse. But when the body of a noted developer is found at a neighboring winery in Penn Yan, New York, all fingers point to her friend, Madeline Martinez. It didn’t help that Madeline was seen on two occasions, resulting in verbal altercations with the man when he outbid her for lakefront property that she planned to use for planting traminette grapes. It's no wonder Madeline has found herself behind bars and worse yet, someone is gunning for Norrie. With wine to be racked, roach DNA to be stored, and a slew of unsavory suspects, Norrie must put her screenwriting on hold and her sleuthing skills to work before she finds herself alongside her friend, or heaven forbid – the next victim of a ruthless killer. |
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