The curtain may fall on the Calla Lily Players’ first season unless Lily and Austin can find a killer on the loose in California’s wine country. Torrential rains threaten to put a damper on The Calla Lily Players’ first outdoor theater production. When the ground suddenly shifts, buried secrets revealed amid the tangled vines put the spotlight on murder. As Lily and Austin dig deeper into the … into the mystery, drama unfolds onstage and off. The race is on to find a killer before opening night.
Grab your copy of the second book in the Calla Lily Mystery series by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Anna Celeste Burke and join the race!
Recipes Included.
Free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
more
Beware the Numbers Man!
Lily Callahan and her diva friends are almost ready for the opening performance of the Calla Lily Player’s. They are battling the effects of a freak storm that threatens to flood the theater when Lily makes a grisly discovery that could derail their opening debut even worse than storm could.
This is not the peaceful Napa Valley you always hear about or maybe Lily Callahan is a trouble magnet. I can’t wait to see how the introduction of Billie plays out in future books. Austin’s mellow personality is an excellent counterweight for Lily it’s nice to have a little romance interleaving with all the havoc in this exciting cozy.
Lillian ( Lily) Callahan is the owner of the Calla
Lily Vineyards and Winery in Napa, California.
Lily inherited the vineyard and winery from her
Aunt Lettie who raised Lily when she became
too much for her parents too control.
The story starts as Lily is digging to untangle
vines and trash from a clog drain during a
heavy downpour to save damage to one of
the outbuildings. She makes a gruesome
discovery….skulls from several dead persons.
At the same timeMarlowe, her Mini Pinscher
saves her from an attacker who gets away.
Her wannabe man friend, U.S. Marshal Austin
Jennings swings into action to get the proper
law enforcement out to the vineyard and
established a crime scene.
Meanwhile Lily’s posse which are her friends
from Los Angeles from when Lily was an
actress in a soap opera until her character was
written out are stay at the main house at the
vineyard. They were preparing to present a
play.
Aunt Lettie’s dear friend, Judy is also staying
at the house helping everyone out there.
A twelve-year-old boy is found stuck to the
security fence. He is loaded with bruises.
His parents are called a show up inebriated.
Since the boy is abused Lily decides to foster
him. He tells them about the Numbers Man
and the Sitter although he doesn’t know their
name.
This story is a fast moving, suspenseful,
intriguing and very interesting and informative.
The characters are top notch. Each one adds
their own personality to the mix to produce
an extremely well written, well plotted story
with many twists and turns.
Recipes are included at the end for: Crispy
Butterscotch Praline Cookies, Mississippi Mud
Cookies, Molasses Spice Cookies, and an
appetizer of Figs and Prosciutto.
A Tangle in the Vines is a very intriguing mystery. I love Lily and her diva group, as well as Judy and Austin. Billie is a welcome addition to the crew. I would love to hang out with these very personable, realistic characters. This is a very complex mystery with multiple bodies, suspects and possible motives. This book held my attention throughout and I could not put it down until I reached the end! I highly recommend any book by Ms. Burke who is one of my favorite authors.
Anna Celeste Burke is a wonderful writer and she has based her different series all in different parts of California. I love this. This series takes place in the Napa wine country. This is book 2 in the Calla Lily series and it is good. The characters are well developed and she always has lots of twists and turns so you don’t guess the mystery too soon. Can’t wait to see what Lily and her cast of characters do next.
A Tangle in the Vines by Anne Celeste Burke is fast-paced, full of twists and turns, along with humor and lots of hospitality. I adore the cast of characters, and the predicaments they get into are crazy. The mystery is top-notch and kept me guessing throughout.
Where did these bodies come from and who killed these people?
Lillian Callahan
Lillian Callahan or Lily as her friends call her is an actress from a popular soap opera. Lily inherited the Calla Lily Vineyards and Winery in Napa, California from her Aunt Lettie. I found Lily to be smart, curious, generous, savvy, and kind-hearted. However, she also has a bit of a temper, even if it takes a bit to show up.
Lily’s Visitors
Lily has her “posse” or her friends from Los Angeles visiting with her while they put together a play. Judy was Aunt Lettie’s best friend, and she is staying there too. Then a U. S. Marshal, Austin Jennings (Lily’s un-official boyfriend) stays off and on. And now, Lily is fostering Billie, a twelve-year-old boy. There are quite a few characters, and these don’t include the law enforcement personal local and federal that are hanging around.
Mystery
The mystery was so perfectly crazy. There were even more people involved along with mental illness, family dynamics, religion, ghosts, cursed land, a serial killer, and cold cases. They were all over the vineyard and forest reserve. So, like I said lots going on, but I loved the way everything was mixed together with the old and new.
4 Stars for A Tangle in the Vines by Anne Celeste Burke
Lily and her friends are formidable sleuths. The setting is lovely, the characters are well developed, believable, and hilarious, and the fast-paced mystery is superb. I am looking forward to the next installment. So, I am giving A Tangle in the Vines by Anne Celeste Burke four stars and recommending to all of you cozy readers out there.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Tangle in the Vines by Anna Celeste Burke.
Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
“A Tangle in the Vines” earns 5/5 Scary Storms…Exciting, Edge-of-Your-Seat Fun!
“Eek!” Readers are grabbed right off and never let go in another outstanding mystery from Anna Celeste Burke’s Calla Lily series. “PULL HARDER!” In the middle of a huge storm Lily is desperately trying to pull out vines and trash that have accumulated around the drainage pipe threatening damage to the outbuildings. However, the most disturbing site beyond a shadowy figure running into the woods was the skull…then a body…and another, then a third. Among the trash evidence indicates one victim just may be a young girl who went missing twenty years ago, and the other may be the teacher who also seems to have gone missing. Serial killer? This second book is fast-paced and Anna’s writing style is very entertaining with vivid descriptions that set your senses tingling incorporating several complexities and suspicious people…and some I’d arrest just because! With all the different characters Anna’s dialogue illustrates well the worry and fright, anger and craziness as well as all the various personalities, but she also provides a Cast of Characters list giving further background and connections. For me, it’s the relationships that make this series a favorite. Sure, the nail-biting excitement is an exhilarating plus, but I love the sense of “family,” stepping up to help a young boy with “dysfunctional extraordinaire” parents, and getting several young people involved in the theater. “Fur” friend lovers will delight in Lily’s Mini Pinscher Marlowe. And the play? the vineyard? Lily’s budding romance? All great side stories! Anna, who trained as a chef at the Walt Disney World University, always includes the most delicious easy-to-follow recipes. Enjoy your own milk and cookies treat: Crispy Butterscotch Praline Cookies, Mississippi Mud Cookies, and Molasses Spice Cookies, but for me, I prefer to enjoy a nice Napa Valley Pinot Noir with an appetizer of Figs and Prosciutto. Card carrying cozy fans with a passion for recipes should put this series and this book at the top of their “must read” list!
Anna Celeste Burke’s books are always lots of fun to read. In her newest cozy mystery, A TANGLE IN THE VINES, the heroine Lily returns with her “posse” of friends to solve another mystery. U. S. Marshal Austin Jennings is also part of the gang although Lily is mainly his reason for being there.
Lily and her “posse” from Los Angeles are trying to put together a play. Everyone is staying with Lily as well as Judy, Aunt Lettie’s best friend. Everything is going fairly well as they prepare for the play until the rain starts flooding the stage. While attempting to unclog the blockage from the drain Lily makes a gruesome discovery….
She is nearly attacked but her dog, Marlowe, came to her rescue in the nick of time…Being covered in mud, slime and whatever else is in there Lily is just glad to be alive. Austin gets things moving with the local law enforcement and secures the crime scene. When Lily sees a face of a man near a tree which was illuminated by the lightning people begin searching for him…
When a young neighborhood boy, named Billie, shows up at the winery with a camera, the gang thinks he might be part of unusual happenings. They rescue him from the fence surrounding the winery and question him.
This story is complex and has many twists and several suspects to keep everyone baffled. It includes a serial killer on the loose, who has been murdering people for decades, cold cases, cursed land and more. All the characters were wonderful and funny, and the mystery was fast-paced!! Lily and her “posse” are formidable sleuths.
This is a fun, quick read that you will enjoy. I received an ARC of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
Anna Celeste Burke never disappoints. She writes cozy mysteries with well-developed characters and plots that have plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested from beginning to end. In A Tangle In The Vines, a serial killer is on the loose and has been murdering people for many decades. While that may seem like a heavy plot for a cozy, this author pulls it off with ease.
Lily and Austin’s relationship is ongoing and has moved to the next level–with a little help from a 12-year-old introduced in this story. I really hope Billie remains a part of the series. It was nice getting to know Lily’s Posse in this story since they were introduced at the end of the first book. Judy and Jesse are back as are Dahlia and Rikki.
I urge you to read the Calla Lily Mystery Series. I look forward to many books to come in this entertaining series.
It is raining cats and dogs and the pipe in the field is clogged. Lily is attempting to clear it out when suddenly bones appear! she is totally covered in slime and mud as is her companion Austin. They call in the authorities and it gets messier from there!
You will laugh out loud as you read how Lily was able to get back into her house and get cleaned up–a new fashion statement is born! Her entire posse of friends are still staying at her Bed and Breakfast as they are planning on putting on a play. Of course Lily’s aunt oldest friend is in on the action–just try to keep her out of it.
Lots goes on at a frantic pace as they all try to find the murderer!
This is book 2 in a series. What an amazing mystery! Bones are found, history is learned about and mysterious disapearances from years ago make Lillys life very interesting … And it all happens because of a bad thunderstorm on her vineyard. This story begins with a very intense and dangerous storm so it grabs you from the first page! This story will keep you turning pages with more mystery in each chapter. I really love how the characters react to each other in difficult times and how the sexy US Marshall Austin stays by Lilys side giving her the reassurance that she needs in these difficult times. I cant say too much more because I get so excited and Im afraid I might give something away lol. Get the book, read it and join in the mystery..you wont look out the window again during a thunderstorm…..
A Tangle in the Vines by Anna Celeste Burke is the second book in the Calla Lily series that grabbed me from the first page and I didn’t stop reading until the end.
The story is a complex one that has many twists and several suspects to keep Austin, Rikki and Dahlia perplexed. Then there is a side plot with a young neighborhood boy, Billie, who shows up at the winery at the wrong time. I loved Billie! I hope he will soon become a regular member of the household. All of the characters are developing well and I look forward to knowing them better as the series progresses. Ms. Burke’s descriptive writing of the winery and the surrounding area makes everything so clear as I read. I’ve become quite comfortable at the Calla Lily Vineyard.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All of the above opinions are my own.
This is book #2 in the Calla Lily Mystery Series. The setting for this is in Napa Valley in the middle of wine country. Lily inherited the Calla Lily Vineyard from her Aunt. The story is filled with interesting, entertaining and engaging characters. There is also a mystery involving 5 dead bodies that seem to have been unearthed by a storm on the Calla Lily Vineyard property. The story has plenty of twists, turns and intrigue as you get deeper into it.
Anna Celeste Burke has done it again! She has created another wonderful cozy mystery series that has you wanting more and excited waiting for the next installment of what Lily and her friends will end up finding next.
I really enjoyed this story. It’s an easy fast read and I recommend it highly for those that love a good cozy mystery.
Complex Series of Murders
A Tangle in the Vines is the second book in Anna Celeste Burke’s impressive Calla Lily Mystery series. The storyline is well plotted, the characters are well developed, and the mystery is complex and intriguing. The affable characters in this fast-paced book are well developed and three-dimensional. Twists and turns, and red herrings are abundant, and several potential suspects keep the reader engaged and guessing. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy clean, well-crafted mysteries.
Lillian “Lily” Callahan and Marlowe, her obedient and protective Miniature Pinscher, are adjusting well to life in California’s Napa Valley. Lily inherited her home and the Calla Lily Vineyards and Winery when her Aunt Lettie passed away. Lily’s relationship with Deputy U.S. Marshal Austin Jennings, who she recently met, is progressing nicely. Lily, Judy, her aunt’s best friend, and Lily’s Hollywood pals, who are currently staying with her, are planning a production in the outdoor theater complex Aunt Lettie had built for her to take place during the October celebration of the Napa Valley harvest. When torrential rains hit the area, the stormwater system backs up, threatening to flood the theater’s buildings. While trying to clear the system of unknown debris, Lily makes a gruesome discovery. As the body count, old and new, grows, Lily, Judy, and her friends are taken on a wild adventure. Luckily, they have Austin, a security detail, and a trusted vineyard employee to help them try to make sense of everything that’s going on.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This is the second book in the Calla Lily Mystery Series by Anna Celeste Burke. The first book in the series, Lily’s Homecoming Under Fire, is always able to be read as a standalone, but why on earth anyone would want to miss out on all that fun, I can’t imagine!
In A Tangle in the Vines, Lily is trying to rescue her property from more damage in a freak storm when a drainpipe has backed up and threatens to flood her land. Desperate to break whatever is causing the backup free, she is joined by her friend Judy and her on and off boyfriend Deputy Austin Jennings, the hunky U.S. Marshal that makes her insides shake whenever he looks her way. Both try to talk her into leaving the mucky, cold blockage and allowing the farmhands to deal with it when daybreak falls. But Lily is stubborn and doesn’t want to leave the blockage to become an even bigger problem later and she insists on continuing on. Soon, the muck and branches she pulls out of the blockage reveal something much more sinister and what ensues leave Lily and her friends wondering if they should have left well enough alone.
I really enjoyed the interplay between the characters and I loved the plot, with all of its twists and turns. The background felt very authentic to me, I’d love to visit Lily’s Winery someday! And the author really seems to enjoy weaving all of these things together to make an enjoyable read for her readers. Thumbs up!
I liked the first book but … I think I liked this one even more! It was very exciting and very complicated (in a good way). I like the characters as we are getting to know them better. And little Marlowe helped. Such a good boy!
“Calla Lily, ‘the world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.’ Be strong.”
Lillian Callahan, former daytime serial star and now owner of her late aunt’s estate including the Calla Lily Vineyards & Winery just can’t seem to accept she’s got a place to be in the world, as well as people old and new who care about who she is, what she does or how she does it. However, when a heavy downpour uncovers a body dump, leave it to Lily to find the ties to the past, present and the future as they sort out the pieces to a messy, smelly puzzle.
I refuse to discuss spoilers, so I’m not discussing the plot here. I do feel, however, there’s a maturity in this story that although seen in its entirety, leaves me with mixed emotions. I love the characters Anna Celeste Burke is developing here, especially the vulnerable side of Lily. Her “diva posse” hasn’t quite coalesced yet, but the addition of young Billie might help there. What I do know is I hope that this series has a great run and can hardly wait for the next one! Highly Recommended 5/5