Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron

Item: Wined and Died in New Orleans
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted February 13, 2023 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Mystery, Review, Series / 2 Comments

Wined and Died in New Orleans

by Ellen Byron

Series: Vintage Cookbook Mystery #2
Series Rating:

Published by ‎ on February 7, 2023
Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: Audible Audiobook, ebook, Kindle, Paperback
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Books-A-Million
Also in this series: Bayou Book Thief , French Quarter Fright Night

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.

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron makes Ricki feels like she has opened a can of worms by trying to do some good for the Bon Vee House Museum.

Vintage wine being found and distant cousins coming to town during hurricane season. Will Ricki find the time to ensure her new business is successful?

Ricki James-Diaz is back in a brand-new mystery! It’s fall time in good old New Orleans, which is also hurricane season. Ricki is worried about the hurricanes, but more so for her business, as it has been slow. After discovering the wine, she takes it upon herself to post about it on social media after getting the go-ahead from Eugenia that it’s okay to do so. Well, that brings about all sorts of drama for the Bon Vee staff. Ricki and the rest of the Bon Vee staff has more things to worry about when another murder happens on the property. Our resident sleuth has taken it upon herself to solve this one because she knows in her gut that it wasn’t Eugenia that murdered this guy.

I loved Ricki in this installment, as she’s getting used to being in New Orleans. Ricki is coming into her own here in New Orleans, and it’s lovely to see.

The Mystery

Nobody at either Bon Vee or Charbonnet liked the murder victim after he inserted himself into everyone’s affairs that dealt with the money side of both businesses. The Charbonnet family has many family members coming out of the woodwork to get what’s rightfully theirs through the wine auction. I have to say that this mystery was one that I had a hard time following. See, I have to say that I fell for one of the red herrings and hoped it was one of the distant cousins that killed each other. I know, bad me. Everything tied together smoothly once the murderer was found, and I have to say that Ms. Byron led me like a fool to one of her carefully laid-out red herrings.

Five Stars

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron is the next installment in this Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, and I loved every minute of being in New Orleans during the fall season. Granted, we didn’t get to celebrate Halloween there, but it was hurricane season. Ms. Byron makes the reader feel like they are in the story with the characters as they go through the case’s developments. I am giving Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron five stars and recommending it to anyone that loves a great southern cozy culinary mystery set in New Orleans.

Also, don’t forget to check out the recipes at the back of the book. We have Biscuit Tortoni, Curried Chicken, Barbeque Frankfurters, Ellen’s alternate recipe: Barbeque Ground Turkey (or Beef), Beer Hush Puppies, and Brownies.

First Book in Series

Giveaway

Prize: Print Copy of BAYOU BOOK THIEF by Ellen Bryon

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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

About Ellen Byron

Ellen Byron authors the Cajun Country Mystery series. A Cajun Christmas Killing and Body on the Bayou both won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery and were nominated for Agatha awards in the category of Best Contemporary Novel. Plantation Shudders was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. Her most recent Cajun Country Mystery, Mardi Gras Murder, is nominated for Agatha and Lefty awards. In 2020, she’ll debut a second series, The Catering Hall Mysteries, under the pen name Maria DiRico.

Ellen’s TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. She’s written over 200 national magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. She also worked as a cater-waiter for the legendary Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs. She still misses her hometown – and still drives like a New York cabbie.

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