A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones
Series Name: Sunshine Vicram Mystery #2
Genre: Traditional
Release: July 27, 2021
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From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones comes the second novel in her laugh-out-loud Sunshine Vicram mystery series, A Good Day for Chardonnay.

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff—and even fuller-time coffee guzzler—Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

Dru’s Short Musing:
The best book ever in the series. This fast-paced and well-written drama grabbed my attention immediately, quickly becoming a page-turner as I was captivated by what was going on. Nothing is simple with Sunshine and her friends and family and the author does a great job showcasing the activities in her personal and professional life. With visually descriptive narrative, engaging dialogue and the best cast of quirky characters, I was immersed in all aspects from Sunshine’s search for the truth, her daughter’s search for the answers in a cold case, the relationship between Sunny and Quince, the relationship between Sun and Levi and heck the interactions between Sun, her daughter and her parents. There was so much going on that kept me enthralled with this multi-plot and solid mystery that kept me in the game. There were some revelations that enhanced the telling of this tale and boy the anticipation of what’s yet to come. Overall, this was a terrific story and I can’t wait for the next book in this tantalizing and wickedly delightful series.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.