by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Fall’s Killer Vintage (you can choose ebook or print), and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

“A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine, and…” Murder!
Lillian Callahan, nicknamed “Calla Lily” by her Auntie Lettie, has reinvented her life post-soap opera stardom. She inherited her Aunt Lettie’s Napa Wine Country estate along with the Calla Lily Vineyard and Winery where she had spent much of her childhood. Several friends from her soap opera days have joined her as quasi-permanent residents in the large house her aunt turned into a B&B, assisted in revitalizing the on-site theater The Calla Lily Playhouse, opened with a parody of the soap opera to rave reviews, and as “Lily’s Diva Posse,” now aptly named “Calla Lily Murder Club,” give her all the back up she needs. Along with the vineyard employees, the young boy she is temporarily fostering, and Marlowe her protective Miniature Pinscher, the law enforcement presence includes an antagonistic local deputy, some federal agents, crime scene techs, and the very handsome Deputy U.S. Marshall Austin Jennings with whom SHE has just made a non-proposal proposal of marriage. What an exciting series with all the elements cozy fans enjoy!

Calla Lily Mystery KRL Reviews
Lily’s Homecoming Under Fire (January, 2019)
A Tangle in the Vines (September, 2019)
Fall’s Killer Vintage (November, 2019)

Fall’s Killer Vintage earns 5+/5 Chardonnay Sips…Exciting and Engaging Fun!
“FIRE!” Thick black smoke rolled into the room, and guests were panicking. Lily and Austin had been outside admiring the moon as it illuminated the Ladera Winery orderly row of vines, then hearing the shriek of alarm, they both raced to the exit to get everyone to safety. The door they find, however, is blocked and padlocked, but one can always count on a federal agent with a permit to carry a gun. Austin shoots at the large window…crash, smoke billows out, but no heat. It seems only to have been a smoke bomb, but to what purpose? Guests were gathered for a wine competition and Lily hoped her entry, Calla Lily Chardonnay, would be honored as the “Best in Show,” but the emergency interrupted the final award announcement. While milling around, accounting for all the attendees, and dealing with first responders, Lily spies a stranger in a baseball cap, oddly gleeful of the scene. Then a whoosh, windows shatter…flames erupt…smoke billows…and a body is found…a judge! Not one of the wine competition judges…a real federal judge, and Aunt Lettie’s friend Judge Colin Brinkley had been seen arguing with the victim making him a serious person of interest!

Wow…third time’s a “charmer!” Readers, like me, get grabbed right away with the nail biting efforts to rescue the trapped guests, an unexpected explosion, and a chase to nab a suspicious character. From there, this page-turner story was engaging with suspects close to home, clever with personal and professional motives explored, twists and misdirection, and secrets, of course, revealed, and very entertaining with character development continuing and more peril to live through! Anna Celeste Burke has penned several series I enjoy, but her Calla Lily series has become a favorite…Napa vineyard, wine and treats, romance, and mayhem! Her writing style is what I really enjoy, unable to put down, with her descriptive language and dialogue illustrating the setting, characters, tone, and personalities, but it’s her realism, humor, and the chapter titles I really like. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but don’t worry. At the beginning there is a Cast of Characters list with a brief bio of who they are and their connections to keep you in the know. All this leads to a “Wow!” ending.

Delicious Bonus! Anna is a trained chef, so I am always excited to see what treats she’s added to her books, but don’t worry you don’t need professional skills to make these treats: Champagne Cake with Chambord Filling and Butter Cream Frosting, Chili Upside Down Pie, Fried Plantains, Pumpkin Spiced Muffins, and Brandy’s Mom’s Southern Lemon Cream Cookies. Seems like we need a cookbook someday!

Alert! In Calla Lily Mystery series’ book four The Vintner’s Other Daughter, set for a 2020 release, a young woman goes missing. “Members of the town in which she lives are fearful for the safety of the young women in their community. The mystery of her disappearance deepens when the vintner’s other daughter, who vanished years before, suddenly reappears.”

Check out these KRL articles!
KRL Issue 11/3/18 Interview with Anna Celeste Burke
Kings River Life Highlights Anna Celeste Burke Books

Be a Big Anna Celeste Burke Fan!
USA Today, Wall Street Journal, & Amazon bestselling author, and personal favorite, Dr. Anna Celeste Burke is one who “enjoys snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, and food—California style!” With five mystery series set from California’s wine country to the beautiful central coast to the delicious desert, Anna’s stories are clever and exciting with strong female characters of varied ages from twenties, thirties, fifties, and retirement age, and all my personal favorites: this three-book Calla Lily Mystery series will soon add a fourth, The Vintner’s Other Daughter; five-book Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery adds book six A Dead Nephew early in 2020; seven-book Georgia Shaw Cozy’s book eight A Canary in the Canal releases soon, four-book Corsario Cove Cozy has book five Bogus Bonus! set for 2020, and the three-book Seaview Cottages Cozy will soon release book four A Fairway to Arms in Hemingway Hills. Something for every cozy taste!

Facebook – Anna Celeste Burke
Website – Desert Cities Mystery/Anna Celeste Burke
Twitter – aburke59
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Receive FREE Gift Gnarly New Year from the Corsario Cove series.

To enter to win an ebook or print copy of Fall’s Killer Vintage, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, with the subject line “killer,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 4, 2020. Only US entries and you must be at least 18 to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so we have it if you win, it will not be used for any other purpose). BE SURE TO MENTION IF YOU WANT PRINT OR EBOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

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.