Too Much Going on
I’ve generally enjoyed the Kelly Jackson Mysteries. I absolutely love the characters, and, since I grew up near the setting, I also love getting to read about an area I can picture. So, I was looking forward to reading Murder in the Wine Country, the sixth book in the series. Unfortunately, it tries to pack too much into the book.
If you haven’t met Kelly Jackson, she runs a bed and breakfast in Redwood Cove, a fictional town in the very real Mendocino County in Northern California. She’s an unofficial member of the Silver Sentinels, a group of senior citizens who work to resolve issues in their community and band together to solve crimes when they happen, which they seem to quite frequently for this small community. (As a cozy lover, I wouldn’t have it any other way.)
As this book opens, Kelly is getting ready for a conference her boss is hosting to show off the outreach that has been helping the community, especially the veterans, in hopes that this can be replicated across the country. Part of this conference includes a culinary competition, and the chefs have arrived early to get a chance to forage for local plants to add to their dishes. However, poachers have been stealing rare plants that grow in the area, so everyone is on high alert.
Another aspect of the weekend conference is a wine tasting, showcasing some of the local wineries. Naturally, Kelly’s friend Phil is involved in that since he knows the local wines. He’s got his friend Eric, another local wine expert, to help him. But just after Kelly meets Eric, he is murdered. Did he run afoul of the poachers? Or is something else going on?
The set up is good, and I was wondering exactly what had happened to Eric. Then, another story took over and crowded out that storyline. Kelly, the Sentinels, and the rest of us got caught up in what was happening with that story. I completely get why, but it was almost like Eric’s murder was forgotten. I even felt like we were getting some wrap up scenes until suddenly we were talking about what happened to him again. Oh, there had been mentions of it along the way, but not enough to keep it at the forefront of our minds.
Here's the thing. Both of the storylines were interesting, and I feel like they should have been their own books. Instead, what we got was rushed and a bit of a mess.
That doesn’t even bring up a sub-plot that I felt was resolved too easily and unrealistically.
At the same time, I was enjoying the book. I love these characters and their relationships. I was smiling as I watched their relationships grow again here. And I really liked some of the characters introduced in this book as well.
Plus, the setting was wonderful as always.
While there are no recipes at the end of the book, there is plenty of talk of food, more than enough to make you hungry as you read. I still consider this a culinary cozy.
If you haven’t read the series, I don’t recommend starting here. Murder in the Wine Country is definitely the weakest in the series. However, fans will still enjoy spending time with the characters. I know I did.
Do check in for the rest of the Kelly Jackson mysteries.
Sounds like a fun series to check out.
ReplyDeleteI listened to an earlier book in this series earlier this year and there was a lot I liked about it but I felt like the plot was missing a bit in that one as well. I don't think this series is for me unfortunately.
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