Murder Alfresco (Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Series #3)

by Nadia Gordon

Overview

Walking home late one night from a party, Napa Valley restaurant owner Sunny McCoskey happens upon the shocking sight of a murdered woman, bound and hanging from the tree of a local vineyard. Shortly before, she'd seen a truck leaving a local winery, driving without its headlights on. Was it the murderer? And did the murderer see her as well? Sunny's investigation introduces her to a whole new array of colorful characters and suspects, including a hardy contingent of Northern California surfers and a shady community of houseboaters. With the help of her lively and irreverent crew of friends, Sunny uncovers dark motives amid the cool chardonnays, and finds herself the focus of the killer's unwelcome attention.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811858175
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	04/02/2008
Series:	Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Series , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.87(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Nadia Gordon's previous books include Sharpshooter and Death by the Glass , the first and second books in the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley mystery series. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

"An amusing romp in the culinary underworld." -Booklist

"Highly enjoyable." –Washington Post Book World

"An amusing romp in the culinary underworld." -Booklist

"Highly enjoyable." –Washington Post Book World

From the Publisher

When chef McCoskey finds a woman fettucine al dead-o, she and her colorful friends romp through the vineyards and restaurants of wine country to find the killer in the third of the series. Gordon lives in San Francisco. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Escaping her glamorous boyfriend's party in the early hours of the morning, Chef Sunny McCoskey (Death by the Glass, 2003) finds strange fruit hanging on a tree in the peace and quiet of Vedana Vineyards. Some psycho has killed pretty young Heidi Romero and tied her corpse in a la shibari Japanese bondage fetish. The ghost of the victim haunts Sunny, who investigates despite Sergeant Steve Harvey's stern warning. She and sous chef Rivka Chavez meet an aging surfer named Joel Hyder who claims to be Heidi's ex. After stepping over the crime scene tape on the victim's Sausalito houseboat, they sun themselves and sip champagne but find nothing suspicious except for Hyder. Then winemaker Wade Skord and Rivka conscript Sunny to crash a dinner for classic Ferrari collectors and, voila, they're sharing a table with Vedana Vineyards owners Bruce and Kimberly Knolls. Spectacularly beautiful Kimberly is resentful of Sunny's interest in the corpse hanging from their tree. Her displeasure becomes obvious when she interrupts Sunny cleaning out a grease trap with serious brand-name intimidation. Sunny eventually serves up the killer and avoids becoming either the next work of bondage art or a vegetarian who'll never look at meat again. Gordon walks a fine line between indulging food fetishes and providing glimpses into the sometimes brutal art of cuisine.

Kirkus Reviews