Ellen Crosby pours up another corking mystery with The Angels’ Share, an intriguing blend of secret societies, Prohibition bootleg wine, and potentially scandalous documents hidden by the Founding Fathers, all of which yield a vintage murder. When Lucie Montgomery attends a Thanksgiving weekend party for friends and neighbors at Hawthorne Castle, an honest-to-goodness castle owned by the Avery … castle owned by the Avery family, the last great newspaper dynasty in America and owner of the Washington Tribune, she doesn’t expect the festive occasion to end in death.
During the party, Prescott Avery, the 95-year old family patriarch, invites Lucie to his fabulous wine cellar where he offers to pay any price for a cache of 200-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle, a Prohibition bootlegger, discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. Lucie knows nothing about the valuable wine, believing her late father, a notorious gambler and spendthrift, probably sold or drank it. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé, winemaker Quinn Santori, discover Prescott’s body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer?
As Lucie searches for the lost Madeira, which she believes links Prescott’s death to a cryptic letter her father owned, she learns about Prescott’s affiliation with the Freemasons. More investigating hints at a mysterious vault supposedly containing documents hidden by the Founding Fathers and a possible tie to William Shakespeare. If Lucie finds the long-lost documents, the explosive revelations could change history. But will she uncover a three hundred-year-old secret before a determined killer finds her?
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Ellen Crosby is truly one of those authors I always enjoy. Though the wine Country Mysteries is a series about murder and wine, it is almost like a history lesson (in a great way) that you don’t want to end. These books combine all the things I love about reading and other pastimes, and someday I will need to visit the area. My cousin moved there a few years ago, so I need to get a trip together. That’s a story for another day… today, we’re gonna chat about the latest book in this series, The Angels’ Share.
For those who don’t know, the Angels’ share is the missing spirits that disappear out of a barrel of whiskey (and other alcohols) from the time you finish preparing it to the moment you open it up to taste. Sometimes you lose a tiny amount, others you’re at a loss for how much has evaporated… thus, the angels took a share again. In this 10th book, a highly sought after and expensive amount of Madeira wine has apparently gone missing. Lucie didn’t even know about it until a 95-year-old distant family member tells her he must have a bottle at any price. Did her father drink it? Sell it? Destroy it? What’s more confusing is why the distant family member must have it. Then, Lucie learns the truth. He has an unknown copy of a document, is searching for a lost historical treasure, and knew a secret about the birth of America. How does it all come together? In his murder of course…
I read this book in three hours without a break. I always do with a Crosby. Sometimes she takes a five to ten page jaunt away from the murder to tell us the history of a wine or a famous person from centuries ago… but it always ties into the murder, and I love following the path. I think her writing is simple and strong, yet has strength and beauty. I learn a few new words but I never see any fluff. The plot of the mystery is quite strong, and there are multiple suspects, but it was easy to figure out the guilty party. It didn’t matter much, as I found the entire story highly intriguing. The descriptions of buildings and the Masons was so vivid, I felt like I was in Jamestown at the original American settlement.
Lucie’s life moves forward. We have a fantastic map and family tree to sort everyone out. We meet some of our favorite supporting characters. And we have a few new friends who stop by. I cannot believe it’ll be another year before the next one falls into my lap. I understand why though… as Crosby researches an incredible amount to ensure the story feels as realistic and solid as possible. If you love history, quests for missing documents, can close one eye at a few impossible items (which the author clearly tells us in the intro that she made up a few things)… you will undoubtedly love this series.
This series is set in Virginia in horse and wine country. Lucie Montgomery learns that her father possibly owned some bottles of 200-year-old madeira. She and Quinn take off on a race to search for the wine and some missing ancient documents.
I love these characters and enjoyed the mystery.
THE ANGEL’S SHARE by Ellen Crosby is the tenth in the Wine Country Mystery series. The story stands on its own and can be read without having read the previous books in the series. However, the reader may feel a little lost trying to sort out the secondary characters and their relationship to Lucie, the central character in the book. If you plan on reading the series, it is probably advisable to read them in order so that you can understand as relationships develop.
This book is long on historic information regarding the founding fathers without feeling like a history book. There is enough information for a reader’s interest to become piqued and for them to decide to do further reading on their own. There were some facts and interesting actions that are historically accurate which were new to me, which is always a bonus when reading a book.
There was also a fair amount of “Christmas” feel to the book. This came from both the discussion of decorations for the winery Lucie owns and the town celebration she attends toward the end of the book. If you are looking for something that might ease you into the holiday spirit, this book might do the trick. There is enough here to whet your appetite without being so overwhelming you feel engulfed.
Where the book is lacking is in the mystery itself; or rather the solving of the mystery. The murder is a variation of a “locked room” murder and suspects abound. Where the book comes up short is in the lack of clues and red herrings that will allow the reader to feel as if they are working to solve the murder as they read the book. Instead, there is plenty of information about the area, the people in the book, etc. but no solid evidence beyond one fact early in the novel. In the end, the solution is simply presented when Lucie and the murderer confront one another.
The book is well written with good character development, excellent descriptions of place and interesting information that has been thoroughly researched. All of these factors combine to provide an enjoyable read, just not the best mystery in my experience. It’s certainly worth reading, particularly if you want to get a taste for the season and add some interesting historical facts to your knowledge base. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital read copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I love this series! Ellen Crosby weaves in the most interesting facts in her wine country mysteries. Mixed in with the murder and mayhem are pieces of our country’s history. Add in engaging characters and you can’t miss! A wealthy collector with a fractious family has approached Lucie with an offer to buy a fabulous, rare Madeira her family owns. Only Lucie knows nothing about it. When he ends up dead minutes later Lucie decides she needs to find out what is going on. Motives and suspects abound.