Blackmail leads to murder at the family winery

That little cold snap was a reminder that I have lots of outdoor work to do before winter, so I had to choose another short book to read in my quiet times. “A Flair for Chardonnay” by Deborah Garner is the first in her Sadie Kramer Flair mystery series. I’m now ready for No. 2.

Sadie Kramer is a three-times divorced and blissfully single woman with four passions in her life — statement fashions, chocolate, her Yorkie named Coco and solving crimes. Sadie believes that every aspect of life should have “flair,” and she has used her amazing sense of style to create “Flair,” a successful boutique selling unique clothing and accessories.

To Sadie’s great joy, her shop is next door to a specialty chocolate shop. She and Matteo Tremiato have become good friends. He hasn’t said much about his personal life other than he’s considered a black sheep because he left the family wine business to become a candy maker.

Recently, Matteo has seemed stressed out but insists nothing is wrong. So, when Sadie overhears him arguing during a phone call, she decides to take a couple days off to visit St. Vincent Hollow and snoop.

Her first stop is the Tremiato Winery. The place is lovely and the wine samples delicious, but almost immediately she senses tension between siblings Angelo and Luisa. They urge her to return the next day for the Harvest Festival and recommend she stay at Vintage Vine Bed & Breakfast, which is owned by their brother Stephano’s wife, Tina. Sadie also learns that the couple owns a shop called Vines & Tines.

After a quiet night, Sadie heads for the festival. But something is very wrong at the winery. Tina has found a dead man in the fermentation building. The family’s lawyer and Luisa’s boyfriend, Nick Perry, knows him. He was Simon Flanagan, part of Flanagan-Serrano — a large investment firm that had purchased several area wineries. They had recently tried to buy Tremiatos, but the deal fell through due to Matteo’s strong objections. Now Flanagan is dead, and Matteo is nowhere to be found.

Flanagan had been contacting them, sounding desperate to complete the sale. Since Tina found the body, the police take her in for questioning. Sadie talks with Tina and learns that Luisa considers her an outsider and she seldom went to the winery unless asked. Oddly, that morning Luisa had asked her to help bring things from the fermentation building. Tina is far too tiny to have hit Flanagan with a wine bottle and kill him.

When the cork from the bottle is found in her kitchen, Tina insists she’s being set up. Sadie agrees. It feels like the killer must be part of the Tremiato family. Sadie returns for the rescheduled Harvest Festival with information about the dead man and a probable motive.

Matteo had hired a private detective before he would OK the sale. Long ago, Flanagan-Serrano was based in Boston. Simon’s Flanagan’s father was accused of embezzling, and now Simon was being blackmailed: “Get us more wineries or we’ll go public.”

In truth, the Serrano’s were the guilty ones. Sadie also learned a bit more about Nick Perry and his family background. With those new facts and a strong hunch, Sadie confronts her suspect. To the shock of everyone present, her suspect confesses all. Some time later, Sadie visits Matteo for much-needed chocolates. She learns that he has reconciled with his family and plans to spend Sundays helping in tasting room of the winery.

Suddenly Sadie has nothing challenging to do, but she knows it won’t be long before another crime will require her services.

Life really should have “flair.” If we can’t get it in real life, I know that your public library has plenty of books that offer as much flair as we can handle. Just go in and check it out.

AT A GLANCE
BOOK:
“A Flair for Chardonnay”
AUTHOR: Deborah Garner
PUBLISHER: Cranberry Cove Press
PUBLISHED: May 13, 2016
PAGES: 210

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