When Valerie Beauvais, author of a book on Thomas Jefferson's travels through the wine regions of France and Italy, turns up dead near Lucie Montgomery's Virginia vineyard, Lucie is certain Valerie's murder has something to do with the authenticity of a 200-year-old bottle of Bordeaux Jefferson may once have purchased for his good friend George Washington.

Interesting story about Lucie getting involved in trying to find out what Valerie knew about the 200-year-old wine that she was going to tell Lucie. There was also a lot of information about wine-making and lots about Lucie’s personal life. Although not suspenseful, it kept me interested throughout. ( )

okay... so while the books in this series, so far, aren't super-awesome, there's a peculiar charm to them. the writing and plotting can be quite clunky, and things are pretty obvious. but there is something about the main characters that makes them just interesting enough to keep reading. the storylines are a bit recycled in each book, loose threads abound, and lucie finds herself in a serious pickle with each unsurprising denouement. at this point, though, the characters do need to evolve and grow, and the repetition of local history, plot points, and character traits needs to calm down. one thing that irritates me with each book is the physical description of lucie's best friend, kit. for whatever reason, crosby fixates on kit's weight - pointing out her weight gain every single time. come on. really? stop it. ( )

I've been reading this series because of the setting and the characters. In addition, I'm learning a lot about the history of wine-making in America as well as wine making itself. In this book, the author uses a very tightly wrapped plot to present us with information on the history of the introduction of Bordeaux into the US, while at the same time giving us a glimpse of Nazi manipulation of the wine's supply in Europe during WWII.

The central character Lucy Montgomery continues to grapple with on again/off again romantic feelings for her next door neighbor, and for her winery manager, overlaid with her concern about murders committed in her area which she seems incapable of avoiding.

I look forward to more in the series. ( )

As part of her duties in operating her family's Virginia Vineyard, Lucie Montgomery attends a lecture on wines owned by George Washington. Valerie Beauvais, the lecturer, is extremely interested in a bottle of wine that Lucie was given to auction off at a charity fundraiser and insists on visiting Lucie to inspect the bottle. Valerie never makes it and soon Lucie and her beloved French grandfather are caught up in a murder mystery that will affect not only the two of them but also several people close to them.

"The Bordeaux Betrayal" is a nice mixture of mystery, history, and wine making information. Author Ellen Crosby does an excellent job of immediately pulling readers into Lucie's world. Lucie is a richly developed character - strong willed, a good business woman, not easily intimidated, and a bit confused when it comes to matters of the heart. The supporting characters are equally well-done, especially eccentric winemaker Quinn Santori who is a very complex, somewhat flawed character. Another great character is Lucie's seemingly tireless grandfather, Luc. The winemaking aspects are very interesting and never interfere with the plot - the same goes for the historical aspects of the book. The mystery is well developed and well written with plenty of red herrings. All of the characters have secrets that fit nicely into the plot. There is an underlying sense of danger throughout the book that becomes real towards the end and there is a very well done tension filled scene towards the end of the book.

"The Bordeaux Betrayal" is a nicely done mystery. ( )

a fun mystery that finishes with some truths about washington and jefferson and their wine history.
this was a audibile.com audio book ( )