by Doward Wilson

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Deadly Vintage. We also have a link to order it from Amazon.

Meet Carla Bass, interior decorator, currently living in Braga, Portugal, with her husband who is overseeing the remodeling of a hotel that is part of a high end chain. They are living in Braga for six months, and Carla is carrying on her decorating business with the help of her assistant back home and Skype.

As she explores the beautiful city, she comes across a wine shop whose decorative tiles she admires. Talking with the wine seller and sampling his selection of Ports keeps her occupied while she picks out a bottle of Port to take home for her husband to sample. While she is in the shop she observes a bottle of Port for sale for three million euros. Arriving home she is surprised to find that the wine seller has given her the wrong bottle, and she has what appears to be a very valuable bottle of Port. Returning to the wine shop to return the bottle, she discovers the wine seller’s dead body behind the counter and has the bottle of Port she is returning stolen by a strange man. Carla is determined to discover the murderer and the story behind the bottle of Port that she was given and then had stolen from her.

As Carla delves into the mystery, she discovers that the stolen bottle actually belonged to a rich banker. The banker’s bottle had been replaced by a high end forgery, and he was hoping that the bottle Carla had been given was his original stolen one. Who did the trade out with the forgery? Was it the boyfriend of the wine seller’s niece who had worked a party at the banker’s estate? Who is the man that the boyfriend is afraid of? Why isn’t the niece telling the police the whole truth? Is she just protecting her boyfriend or is she more involved in the theft than appears?

As Carla follows the clues, she is followed and attacked, only to be rescued by a policeman who is tasked with following her. Carla accepts the help of the wine sellers niece and together they continue to track down clues. Can they find the murderer and the missing bottle of vintage Port or will they end up dead?

I really enjoyed getting to know Carla and admire her spirit in this twisted crime of theft. This book was believable and entertaining at the same time. Carla came to life on the pages of the story. All the characters were very life like and well drawn. The descriptions of the scenery brought the background to life in vivid relief. The top notch mystery weaves its way thru the book with lots of red herrings and twists and turns. It will keep you guessing right to the surprising climax. I highly recommend this delightful mystery for any cozy or mystery fan.

To enter to win a copy of Deadly Vintage, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “vintage” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 8, 2020. U.S. residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted when the contest is over. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Doward Wilson is a retired and avid cozy, paranormal, and adventure reader who can’t say no to most books. He recently moved from Independence, Missouri to Gladbrook, Iowa. Located in Central Iowa, Gladbrook (population 900+) is small town, rural farming at its best.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.