Vineyard Mambo by Sarita Leone
Whiskey Creek Press
Contemporary - Suspense/Mystery
Full length, spicy
Review by Snapdragon

Who killed Milton Falls’ nastiest neighbor? And why? Anna Romeo, vineyard owner and librarian, wants to know.

Used to be doors went unlocked, neighbors visited on porches and gossip centered around who had the biggest zucchini. Now that murder’s come calling all bets are off. Arson, burglary and cryptic tea leaf messages fill Anna’s days—and nights—with love, mystery and adventure.

Can Anna unlock the key to the murder that’s got everyone on edge? And, more importantly, can she do it quickly enough for the annual Zucchini Festival to go on as planned?

Only time—and a bit of luck—will tell.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Vineyard Mambo" by Sarita Leone combines the best of the cozy mystery genre with romance. Busy, multi-tasking heroine Anna does not need to take time out of her busy schedule to gossip about gardening for heaven sakes - but when its murder, she makes time.  Neighbors and friends band together in this zippy, unpredictable mystery. Anna, especially, seems to achieve something of a "wonderful bond" with sundry people (its probably wrong to hope for her to find someone in town that annoys her.)

Though more gripping than the average cozy, "Vineyard Mambo"  shares some light moments and some amusing secondary characters (and circumstances.)   When usually the most interesting thing a neighbor does is get "het-up" about the width of their cheese slices, being discovered dead is quite out of the ordinary.  As with any cozy, the obligatory cat, Merlot puts in an appearance...and really tries to hang on to center-stage.

And the romance, should not, of course, be overlooked. The very wonderful (and constantly charming) Tony seems a bit hard to pin down in the beginning. In fact, at first we gain a better sense of Anna's relationship with Merlot. However, once he makes the scene, Tony can seem almost too good to be true.  Their relationship is oh so very heartwarming. In a story where suspicions and fears threaten to take over town (and folks start pulling out the old hunting rifle) we have to hope against hope that dear Tony has a good alibi, too. Well written, very readable, and unpredictable:  You don't want to miss out on this wonderful mystery/romance, not to mention the unique local zucchini festival. Brisk Dialogue and strong characters make this story memorable!