Performance of a Deadly Vintage by Joni Folger is the third book in the “River Bend Vineyard” mystery series. Publisher: Krazy Kat Publishing, LLC, February 2016

Life imitates art when murder rears its ugly head at the Delphine Opera House

When Elise Beckett signed on to help with the renovation of Delphine’s Opera House, she was excited at the prospect of restoring the historic landmark to its former glory. With the Beckett family vineyard providing the libations for the opening night gala, the three-act play featuring a country murder mystery promises a tasty vintage for everyone. But the performance takes a deadly turn when an actor is murdered on stage in front of a sold out crowd.

Now Elise and Deputy Jackson Landry must sift through a mystery that’s as elaborate as any award-winning stage production—where the script is layered with secrets and lies, blackmail and murder.

This was a fun and enjoyable read with a comfortable tone that I was hard to put down. The fast-paced drama kept me engaged in all aspects of this well-written storyline where the author gave us two points of view throughout the telling of this tale. Promising to not get involved in Jax’s investigation proves hard for our heroine, Elise, but not surprisingly she is pulled in in one way or another. The author did a great job in presenting this tale with clues here and there with enough to keep me moving forward until the killer’s identity was revealed. The author’s narrative put me right in the middle of all the action as I read with bated breath as to how this will all play out in the end. Boasting a great cast of characters from Elise, to Jackson to C.C. to Abigail, witty repartee and the opera house and vineyards as the backdrop, this was a great read and I hope there are more stories to tell with Elise and Jackson in this entertaining series.